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AN ODYSSEY  –  THE SEARCH FOR HERITAGE  (Part 2) – by Bernard VanCuylenburg PROLOGUE. Saying “Goodbye” is never easy. The “Goodbyes” I bid to the Staff at Nilaveli Beach Hotel after a relaxed idyllic holiday following the first leg of my tour was hard. This was where I cut my teeth on life’s road and the ties that bind me to this Hotel were, and remain very strong. But there was a long road ahead, a road I never travelled before. Travice Ondaatjie, whose late Dad Mr.George Ondaatjie was my Boss when I worked for Nilaveli Beach Hotels Limited drove up to Nilaveli on Friday the 24th and told me that on Sunday the 26th March we would leave for Passekudah, Arugam Bay and travel down the Eastern seaboard right down to the Lahuggala National Park in Amparai to visit the archaeological sites there, and then head for Wellawaya and ...

May 3, 2023 Posted by In Articles, Bernard VanCuylenburg Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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A forest enveloped in holiness- BY MAHIL WIJESINGHE A Dagaba on a higher platform   Source:Sundayobserver Ifirst visited the Magul Maha Vihara in 1990 with my mother during one of our regular pilgrimages to Kataragama. Normally, pilgrims to Kataragama make a detour to Situlpahuwa, an ancient Buddhist site in Block I of the Ruhuna (Yala) National Park. The journey was so fascinating in not only visiting ancient ruins of temples but also spotting an abundance of wildlife in the park. On the same road is a range of rocky boulders close to the present-day Palatupana which has been identified in the chronicles with Paluttagiri, known as the Magul Maha Vihara today. Since that trip, I’ve returned to the ancient site nearly a dozen times in the past few years, spending each visit observing the hallowed ancient sites. There is an assembly of rock caves with drip-ledges, ancient brick walls, dagobas ...

Jul 7, 2022 Posted by In Articles Tagged ,
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Magul Maha Vihara: Born of legend, steeped in history-BY MAHIL WIJESINGHE The limestone standing torso of the Buddha in the Image House Source:Sundayobserver After visiting the Mudu Maha Vihara at Pottuvil, we came to the Pottuvil bazaar passing Arugam Bay – the sun-drenched and palm fringed coastal paradise. We had a glorious view of the deep blue sea and the sea spray was most welcoming. A number of colourful guest houses and homely cottages stood on both sides of the road which were once occupied by windsurfers. Owning to the Covid-19 pandemic, the guest houses were closed. From Pottuvil, we turned left on the Siyabalanduwa – Moneragala road, beguiled by the panoramic views of serene rural landscape. Lush green paddy fields that run as far as eye can see and the shade of Kumbuk trees beside the road protected us from the late afternoon sun. Having driven around 12 kilometres ...

Sep 5, 2021 Posted by In Articles Tagged ,
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Magul Maha Vihara: Born of legend, steeped in history- BY MAHIL WIJESINGHE The limestone standing torso of the Buddha in the Image House Source:Sundayobserver After visiting the Mudu Maha Vihara at Pottuvil, we came to the Pottuvil bazaar passing Arugam Bay – the sun-drenched and palm fringed coastal paradise. We had a glorious view of the deep blue sea and the sea spray was most welcoming. A number of colourful guest houses and homely cottages stood on both sides of the road which were once occupied by windsurfers. Owning to the Covid-19 pandemic, the guest houses were closed. From Pottuvil, we turned left on the Siyabalanduwa – Moneragala road, beguiled by the panoramic views of serene rural landscape. Lush green paddy fields that run as far as eye can see and the shade of Kumbuk trees beside the road protected us from the late afternoon sun. Having driven around 12 ...

Aug 29, 2021 Posted by In Articles Tagged ,
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A forest enveloped in holiness – Text and pix: Mahil Wijesinghe Source:Sunday Observer A massive rocky boulder at Magul Maha Vihara I first visited the Magul Maha Vihara in 1990 with my mother during one of our regular pilgrimages to Kataragama. Normally, pilgrims to Kataragama make a detour to Situlpahuwa, an ancient Buddhist site in Block I of the Ruhuna (Yala) National Park. The journey was so fascinating in not only visiting ancient ruins of temples but also spotting an abundance of wildlife in the park. On the same road are a range of rocky boulders close to the present-day Palatupana which has been identified in the chronicles with Paluttagiri, known as Magul Maha Vihara today. Since that trip, I’ve returned to the ancient site nearly a dozen times in the past few years, spending each visit observing the hallowed ancient sites. ...

Aug 16, 2020 Posted by In Articles Tagged , , , Comments 0
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