Culture & Heritage
Magnificent Tantirimale.
Mar 9th
One of the many blessings of a peaceful Sri Lanka is being able to explore some of the ancient sites that were hard to see just months ago. One such ancient marvel is Tantirimale, a magnificent site both humbling and inspiring. I visited recently at dusk as the sun was going down over the acres of granite rock surrounded by the jungles of Wilpattu. You can sit here and stare for hours with the wind in your hair and sound of silence only interrupted from time to time by birds or a pilgrim that rings the temple bell. Tantirimale’s ancient rock carvings and Bo tree has a history that dates back to the 3rd century BC. A lily white stupa sits on the rock and the sacred Bo tree rustles in the wind. Tantirimale is off the Puttalam – Anuradhapura road and can be easily accessed now that the security risks in the area have eased up and the roads are getting done up.
Christmas shopping in Galle Fort.
Jan 6th
Fed up with the frenzy of shopping and pre-Christmas buzz in Colombo, I escaped to Galle Fort for a peaceful couple of days with friends. My nagging list of unfinished things-to-do and a rather lengthy Christmas gift list was happily put aside to do when I return from my much earned r & r. Our hideout in Galle Fort was The Courtyard, a really nice and homely Dutch period villa at the corner of Lighthouse & Pedlar Street. I soon discovered, this was the best corner to be at this time of year!
Bawa House 87.
Dec 21st
Just before the Christmas rush I was able to escape for a day to visit some new properties in the Bentota area last week. One of these was the wonderful Bawa House 87 where I spent an utterly peaceful morning. Enter through the large white gates and an instant sense of serenity takes over as your eyes gaze down the green lawns leading to a lake. Set on 17 acres of jungle gardens, lakes, and marshland, this inspiring setting was created by Geoffrey Bawa in the 1960’s for artist Lydia Gunasekera. The property is now opened for guests and has two tastefully designed bungalows – The Pavilion with two double rooms and The Shop House which has two single rooms. Similar to Bawa’s Lunuganga situated close by, the gardens at Bawa House 87 are a work of art in itself with meandering pathways, gigantic Bird’s Nest ferns, 100 year old Banyan and Tamarind trees and plenty of exotic birds hovering on the tree tops. This is an oasis of calm and tranquility.
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