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Japanese “Peace Pagoda” in Sri Lanka. By Dr.Gamini Kariyawasam. Rumassala, known to colonialists as Buona Vista, is the subject of many legends. It is featured in the Ramayana, as the home of the beautiful Queen Sita. According to the Ramayana, it is also said that Hanuman dropped a chunk of ‘Himalaya’ at Unawatuna (Onna Vetuna – ‘here it fell’) to form the present mountain, where many medicinal plants still grow. There is a major magnetic anomaly near Unawatuna, which Arthur C. Clarke attributes to a meteorite strike, and it is said that satellites lose their orbits with unusual frequency overhead. The Portuguese had a dreadful reputation in Sri Lanka as looters and pirates, are said to have given false light signals from Rumassala to lure unsuspecting Arab trading ships onto the rocks. Mythical Legend According to legend, the Monkey-warrior Hanuman was sent back to India to fetch the four medicinal ...

Aug 26, 2023 Posted by In Articles, Dr. Gamini Kariyawasam Tagged , , , , , ,
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Adam’s Peak Sri Lanka – By Malsha – eLanka Adam’s Peak, also known as Sri Pada, is a mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is considered a sacred site by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians and is a popular pilgrimage destination. The summit of the mountain is home to a rock formation that is believed to be the footprint of the Buddha by Buddhists and the footprint of Adam by Christians. The hike to the summit offers panoramic views and is considered challenging, with the journey typically taking several hours. Adam’s Peak history Adam’s Peak, also known as Sri Pada, has a rich cultural and religious history that dates back many centuries. It is considered a sacred site by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians, each of whom have their own unique beliefs and legends associated with the mountain. For Buddhists, Adam’s Peak is believed to be the site where ...

Feb 6, 2023 Posted by In Articles, Malsha Madhuhansi Tagged , , , ,
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Climbing Sri Pada-By Uditha Devapriya Source:Island Photos by Dhananjaya Samarakoon When they weren’t climbing Sri Pada or conversing with kings, the earliest foreign travellers to Sri Lanka were dwelling on gems, rubies, topazes, sapphires, and moonstones. From Pliny and Cosmas to Fa Hsien, Odoric of Pordenone, de Marignolli, Friar Hethoun, Marco Polo, Ibn Batuta, and de Castanheda, it was all rubies and gems: Fa Hsien saw a Buddha image “in green jade more than 20 cubits high”, “a great ruby” that shone “like a bright star at night” which Marco Polo described as “a span long and as thick as a man’s arms.” Polo, a merchant who had served at the court of Kublai Khan, wrote of ambassadors being sent by that emperor to the king of “Zeitan” who asked him to yield this ruby in return for “the value of a city.” The king refused, informing them that it ...

May 30, 2021 Posted by In Articles Tagged ,
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           “WHERE BUTTERFLIES DIE” – By Des Kelly     The subject of another beautiful Sri Lankan song I have recorded. This superb article and scenic memories will doubtlessly be enjoyed by many thousands of our Ceylonese people  (as I like to call them), all over the World.            Sri Pada’ samanala kanda  pene’, (you see Sri pade’, the butterfly mountain), is the opening line of the song which explains that, in addition to it being the mountain on which is reputed to have the footprint of either Adam (as in Adam’s peak), or Lord Buddha, depending on which religion you belong to, is also the final resting place of millions of Sri Lankas beautiful butterflies, who fly there to simply connect with this sacred place and die. It is a mountain range that offers the most glorious scenic views, not only ...

May 14, 2021 Posted by In Articles, DESMOND KELLY Tagged , ,
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“The beautiful butterfly mountain” – By Des Kelly Legend has it that it is here, that all these beautiful little winged creatures of Ceylon then, (Sri Lanka now), finally come to rest. In the meantime, gorgeous little butterflies flutter by, here, there, and everywhere, giving us all something pretty to feast our eyes upon. “Samanala Kanda” will therefore make for very interesting reading, in addition to bringing back some wonderful memories to many eLanka readers, some of whom were forced to leave our beautiful homeland for political reasons. Here’s hoping that all Sri Lankans reading this will have good reason to be very proud of our Motherland, it’s natural beauty, the mountains, valleys, hills and dales,  waterfalls, verdant shades of green, all around, it’s flora and fauna, large and small, right down to the little winged butterflies, learn to appreciate all these beauties of nature, and desist from turning large areas ...

Jan 7, 2021 Posted by In Articles, DESMOND KELLY Tagged , , ,
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