Sri Lanka – the Essence of Serenity

With its sunshine washed golden beaches, romantic landscapes, falling valleys and rising mountains, dense forests and gushing rivers and waterfalls – Sri Lanka was well considered as a lost paradise by globe explorers. One can see a vibrant picture forming across the coastline of Sri Lanka at the time of dusk and dawn. As far as one can see in the central highlands, a beautiful carpet of tea gardens lines the mountains. The gushing waterfalls seem to be talking to the clouds and landscapes playing hide and seek, shining in sunlight and then disappearing in the mist. Towards the North Central Valley of the kings the mountains start to disappear in to green planes of paddy stretching till the horizon and lined with ancient towers called stupas. These fields are fed by water reservoirs called Wewa.

Towards the western coasts the scene changes drastically and we arrive in Colombo – the capital city of Sri Lanka. Colombo offers you to witness a rich heritage from its colonial period and you can find a mix of races, cultures and religions. The palm lined coastline has been baked by the sun to a perfect beach destination. You can either lie around to get that perfect tan body or go for kayaking, windsurfing, water skiing and scuba diving – you name it? Some of the great beaches on the southern side include Beruwala, Tangalla, Unawatuna and Bentota with beautiful coral reefs and sandbars. At the eastern side is  Arugam Bay – the surfers’ paradise. Negamboo Lagoon on the western corner is an old favourite of the locals and foreigners alike and is famous for lobster harvesting. Apart from the beaches, the country has a rich heritage to be experienced. The 3000 year old country has some of world’s most beautiful ancient cities that include Digamadulla, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura.

These once very glorious townships had temples, theatres, monasteries all intricately carved out of stone. Despite the small size of the country, it is one among the countries having highest biodiversity rates in the world be it flora or fauna. It is counted among 5 top biodiversity hotspots. The wildlife enthusiasts come here to get a glimpse of mainly Asian elephants, leopards, sloth bears, wild buffaloes and sambar. Some of the rarest species found here are the purple – faced Langur, red Loris and Toque Macaque. Not to forget the mighty ocean surrounding Sri Lanka is home to a number of cetaceans species such as the lovely dolphins, sperm whales and the giant blue whales. There are 26 cetacean species in total here. Therefore, it attracts a huge number of dolphin and whale watchers.

There are around 433 species of birds here out of which 233 are native to the country. A major event that can be witnessed here is the Wild Elephant Trail that begins in March. It is a 210 km long stage race and is organized jointly by Sri Lanka tourisma and GlobalLimits, Germany. A major festival observed here is the Vesak during which Lord Buddha’s triple anniversary is celebrated i.e., his birth, Enlightenment and Nirvana.

First published in Bangalorean.