Nihal Fernando Archives

Travelling with Nihal Fernando-by Rajitha Ratwatte Source:Island To commemorate the 94th Birthday Nihal Fernando which falls on August 8 CRACK OF DAWN! used to be the cry as the maestro knew the magic of the early morning light and how to harness it for photography. Crack of dawn it was, be it in the frosty cold mornings of Horton Plains or his beloved dry zone jungles or even the steamy humidity of the mighty Sinharaja. The Land Rover had to be coaxed into life (not always a simple procedure) and yours truly in the role of “charioteer” or driver in mundane parlance would set off with Nihal Fernando either in the passenger seat or perched in the back, his cameras, and lenses in wild disarray around him, to capture some of the indescribable beauty that is part of Island of Serendib “seven leagues (?) from the fountains of paradise”. We never ...

Inspiring Buddha statues on the bank of Wila Oya – Text & Pix by Mahil Wijesinghe Reminiscing an adventurous trek into the wilderness in search of vandalised Buddha statues of Budupatuna The Kumbuk Poottuwa (Arch) across Wila Oya Source:Sunday Observer Last week I watched a news telecast in a TV channel that showed an archaeological team engaged in an exploration of the archaeological site of Budupatuna in Wila Oya at Lahugala-Kumana where rock-hewn statues of the Buddha have been vandalised by treasure hunters in the forest reserve in the Ampara district. The team headed by Prof. Raj Somadeva who had visited the site recently claimed that they found these ruined statues of the Buddha of Mahayana sect for the first time in the area. I visited this site with some friends in 2018 and found the place vandalised by treasure hunters, which stood deserted in the middle of the jungle. Having ...