Bear necessities, the palu fruits

For the black bear, there is no greater feast than palu fruits straight from the tree. This gastronomic delight makes the nocturnal creature forego its night time pursuits and get intoxicated by palu even during the day. Although the flowering season of palu begins at this time of the year and the fruits ripen from June to August, as Palihawadana observes, in the Yala National Park, ripened palu had been spotted since the second week of May this year. Botanically termed Manilkara hexandra in the Sapotaceae family, palu or Ceylon Iron Wood is found in abundance in the dry arid zones and along the sandy coast of the country.

Read more: Bear necessities, the palu fruits

Hakgala Botanical Garden

The second botanical garden established by the British, the Hakgala Gardens spans over 500 acres, now confined to around 88 acres. Originally begun as an experimental cinchona plantation (for production of the malaria antidote quinine) in 1860, by the eminent British botanist, Dr. G.H.K. Thwaites who was superintendent of the Peradeniya Gardens in Kandy, the pride of the garden is now roses and ferns.

The garden is situated in the midst of wild jungle. The nursery which is over 100 years old has over 1,000 varieties of plants where the lovely low-country lotus and water lily mingle in their serene simplicity with sophisticated English roses, pre-historic looking ferns, and endemic orchids.

The sheer rock of Hakgala (‘Jaw Rock’) which rises 1,500 feet straight up above the gardens, is said to have been carried here from the Himalayas in the jaws of Hanuman, the mythical monkey general who helped Prince Rama rescue Princess Sita from the demon King Rawana in the Ramayana epic. Legend says, the Sita Amman Kovil, less than two kilometres toward Nuwara Eliya on the east side of the highway, is the place where Sita was imprisoned.

Read more: Pastel blooms of Hakgala Botanical Garden

St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Milagiriya

The history of the site where St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Milagiriya, is located could be traced back to the Portuguese period during the sixteenth century. The Portuguese built a Roman Catholic Church which was destroyed by the Dutch. The British built the Anglican Church in 1848, and at that time the Church had a small congregation and a school. There was a well in the Church compound which was believed to contain water with a miraculous healing quality, and people from all over the country came to this Church. Initially, the congregation consisted mainly of Europeans and Burghers.

But, during the transition period in the 1960s, many Europeans left the Island and the Burghers migrated to Australia and England. The Church then came under the local leadership of the elite and influential. Rev. Fr. Lucien Jansz was the first Sri Lankan Vicar from 1920 to 1953.

There have been many extensions done to the Church over the years. St. Paul’s Church belongs to the Church of Ceylon, which is the Anglican Church in Sri Lanka, and it is a part of the diocese of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Reverend, Justin Welby.

 

Read more: St. Paul’s Anglican Church ... where the faithful come to worship

The Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo

Gangaramaya was built by Most Ven. Sri Sumangala Thera in 1885. Legend has it that he planted a Bo sapling and the temple began as a small hermitage. The erudite Thera, who also built the Vidyodaya Pirivena was responsible for designing the Buddhist flag and has performed a yeoman service to Buddhism, as well as arts and literature.

One can say that the Gangaramaya Temple is similar to other temples because of the Pagoda, the Bo tree, Buddhist shrines and preaching halls. But there is one thing that sets it apart from most other temples and indeed, other places of worship. The temple has very deep ties with the community and engages in a lot of social service activities. Long before the term Corporate Social Responsibility became fashionable, the Gangaramaya Temple has been doing something similar for decades.

The Seema Malaka on the Beira Lake, although located around 150 metres away from the main building, is an integral part of the Gangaramaya Temple and was restored and designed by the internationally acclaimed architect Geoffrey Bawa. He was not a Buddhist, but he was able to capture the nuances of Buddhist teachings perfectly in designing the Seema Malaka which evokes the serenity of many ancient hermitages in the country. The Seema Malaka is often depicted in picture postcards as a temple in its own right and is used mostly for meditation. It has a large number of Buddha statues depicting various Mudras (poses) on all three platforms. The Bo Tree at Seema Malaka was grown from a sapling from the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, Interestingly, the Seema Malaka was part funded by donors from other communities and religions in a nod to the temple’s affinity with people from all communities.

Read more: Gangaramaya Temple: Oasis of serenity in the heart of Colombo

Degaldoruva rock cave temple

The Degaldoruva rock cave temple was built under the patronage of King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha in 1771. The murals can be considered the most magnificent examples of Kandyan style art- they are priceless historical documents which cannot be reproduced under modern conditions.

The origin of the Degaldoruva temple is rooted deeply in legend. The two large rock boulders fused together at the cave temple had been opened in the past with a gap in between. One day, a villager had gone through the gap to see what lies between them, to find a heap of golden sickles lying hidden in the gap. He had taken one of the sickles and gone to his paddy-field. He used it and replaced it in the evening on his way home. This continued for some time with him replacing the golden sickle after work each day.

On the last day of the harvesting he took two sickles and replaced only one on his way home. The guardian of this treasure noticed it and appeared in front of the villager and demanded that he return the other sickle. The frightened villager ran back to the field and brought the other sickle and placed it in the gap. Thereafter, the gap was sealed by fusing the two rock boulders together. Other villagers too came to know of this event and informed King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha who instructed to clean the cave and construct a temple on the instructions of the elders. 

Read more: Degaldoruva rock cave temple: The future of the past

Ceylon Olive

Ceylon Olive locally known as Veralu is a species indigenous to Sri Lanka. Veralu grows on medium sized trees that are naturally grown in home gardens across the country. The green oval shaped unripe fruit is boiled and seasoned with salt and chili powder and sold as pickles known as Veralu Achcharu which is a popular street food in Sri Lanka. The ripe fruit can be eaten with sugar or jaggery. In addition to its addictive taste it also has important medical benefits.

 

Read more: Savour the season!

Embekke Devale

Devale of Embekke, dedicated to the worship of Mahasen, popularly known as Kataragama Deviyo. A local deity, Devata Bandara is also worshipped at the site. The shrine consists of three sections, the Garbha (sanctum), Digge (dancing hall) and the Hevisimandapaya (drummers’ hall). It is the drummers’ hall that has drawn the attention of visitors to the site, bearing splendid carvings on its ornate and its high-pitched roof. The Devale is said to have been built by King Vikramabahu III (1357-1374 AD) of Gampola. It is said that some of the woodwork utilized for the drummers’ hall came from an abandoned Royal Audience hall at Gampola.

 

Read more: Embekke: The Devale of legend