Hidden Treasures of Galle

Hidden Treasures of Galle

Beyond the colonial Dutch heritage which Galle is renowned for, this somewhat laidback city in the south of Sri Lanka has its own hidden treasures, in the form of vast stretches of lowland rain-forest in Sinharaja and Kanneliya. But the most awesome of them all, is the rain-forest bordering the Hiyare Reservoir.

According to Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne the internationally renowned wildlife celebrity, “Galle is the rain-forest capital of Sri Lanka, and is the richest of Sri Lanka's districts, in bio-diversity”.

When I visited Galle with my TV crew, to seek out the hidden treasures of Galle for my TV series ‘Discover Sri Lanka’, I invited Gehan to accompany us, because of his valuable insight into all things wildlife. His input was to add educational value to the series of programmes on Galle.

My crew and I were invited to stay at the famous Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel during or stay in Galle. 

Perched upon a rugged outcrop, along the famed south western coast of Sri Lanka, the Lighthouse Hotel, is the last unique architectural triumph, of Sri Lanka’s iconic genius, Geoffrey Bawa.

Gehan and the hotel’s Naturalist Anoma Alagiyawadu, had methodically mapped out our Galle tou,r based on the Lighthouse Hotel’s excursion programme. We started off with a boat safari down the Mahamodara River, and a visit to Jetwing Kurulubedda followed by the Rainforests of Galle -  Kanneliya and Kottawa Forest Reserves and the Hiyare Rainforest Park.

The next day we travelled to Mirissa in the deep south of Sri Lanka, to “Frolic with Dolphins & Whales”. Mirissa is regarded as one of the world's best locations, amongst the top two or three, for watching Blue Whales & Sperm Whales. Our Galle tour concluded with the Seashore Trail along the coastline.

Child Ordination-through a Mother’s Eyes!

 https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/child-ordination-through-a-mothers-eyes/

As a mother, the following is one of the most emotionally challenging articles I tasked myself with, as I see a son of mine, in each child-Samanera (novice Buddhist monk)!

At a recent alms-giving ceremony I attended, there were many such, of varying ages. Some as young as 7 - 8 years of age, while some of pubertal age.

These ‘little ones’, with shaven heads, and their thin bodies swathed in saffron robes, sat on the floor with their elders. It was hard to miss, their expressions of sheer wonder, coupled with mischief on their faces, as they watched the children of the laity, of similar age, running wild with chocolate smeared faces, brandishing their favourite toys.

One of these ‘miniature monks’ in particular, had his gaze fixed longingly on a teddy bear, and another on a train set. While those, in their mid to late teens, gazed appreciatively, at the pretty young girls prancing around, before quickly hiding their faces, behind their over-sized palm-leaf fans, when frowned upon, by a disapproving adult monk.

Sharmini on Buddhism and Ritual

https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/sharmini-on-buddhism-and-ritual/

By- H.L. Seneviratne

I started this as a comment on Sharmini Serasinghe’s “Open Letter”, but it turned it to be too long for a comment. So I am asking CT to publish this as a separate piece.

My view of Buddhism is broadly similar to that of Sharmini, and there obviously are many other non-ritualist Buddhists like Sharmini and me. But there is another side. While the monks can fairly be accused of making a ritualism of Buddhism, it is ritualism, and not the “philosophy” of the Buddha, that has enabled it to gain popularity and become a world religion. Even in the modern west, Buddhism is often culticized by individuals and groups, though free of the gross ritualism of the traditionally Buddhist societies.

An Open Letter to Prof. Kapila Abhayawansa

 https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/an-open-letter-to-prof-kapila-abhayawansa/

Dear Prof. Abhayawansa,

You may regard the following disrespectful, and highly impertinent, but I was educated within a system, where I was encouraged, to challenge my teachers. And the most adamant of them all, was my reverend Guru, the late Piyadassi Maha Thera.

Therefore, though you are not one of my esteemed teachers, I shall nevertheless, regard you as a teacher.

To start with, your post titled “God in the Buddha”  on Colombo Telegraph dated 10^thJanuary, 2014, in response to Mr. Shyamon Jayasinghe and Dr. Jagath Asoka, I found quite intriguing, to say the least.

Mahavamsa- An Insult to the Buddha!

https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/mahavamsa-an-insult-to-the-buddha/

Wonder if ours might have been a wiser, and a more ‘humane’ society, had our ‘ancient’ history, been based on Aesop’s Fables, instead of the Mahavamsa. For if not for the Mahavamsa, the Sinhalese may not have been endowed, with the reputation, of “Sinhalaya Modaya (The Sinhalese are Fools)”!