The Gammadu Festival

Gammadu Festival 

 Gammadu Festival is an ancient custom which is still very popular among the village folk. Usually it is an annual festival, especially offered to the Goddess Paththini, a Goddess who is supposed to have remained a virgin, thus the only one to be clear of one's sins.

Gammaduwa is held to get her blessings so that the people not only in the village but the whole country are blessed with peace and prosperity.

It's an open event which is always sponsored by the Paththini shrine or a prominent person in the particular area.

Gammaduwa starts in the night and goes on till 7 a.m. the following morning.

People are treated to a different but a most delicious dinner where they will be served rice, and seven other dishes cooked all together, along with bananas and oil cakes, served on either bananas or nelum leaves. What's special about the food is that it's cooked by men only. Women are not permitted to even help out. The belief is that if the tradition is not practised by an expert it could have a lot of side effects on the person who does it.

SRI PADAYA

Sri Pada ( Sinhalese Samanalakanda - සමනළ කන්ද "butterfly mountain"), is a 2,243 metres (7,359 ft) tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is well known for the Sri Pada "sacred footprint", a 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) rock formation near the summit, in Buddhist tradition it is held to be the footprint of the Load Buddha.
The mountain is located in the southern reaches of the Central Highlands, in the Ratnapura district of the Sabaragamuwa Province - lying about 40 km northeast of the city of Ratnapura. The surrounding region is largely forested hills, with no mountain of comparable size nearby. The region along the mountain is a wildlife reserve housing many species varying from elephants to leopards, and including many endemic species.

Access to the mountain is possible by 6 trails (Ratnapura-Palabaddala, Hatton-Nallathanni, Kuruwita-Erathna, Murraywatte, Mookuwatte & Malimboda). Out of these the Nallathanni & Palabaddala routes are the most popular. Kuruwita-Erathna road is somewhat popular as well. The other 3 roads are almost obscure. It joins the Palabaddala road midway through the ascent. Buses connect the final nodes of Nallanthanni to Hatton, Palabaddala to Ratnapura & Erathna to Kuruwita. Thereafter it's a difficult journey through the forest on foot. Most of the pilgrims use Hatton route as the journey on foot can be reduced by more than five kilometers even though the slope of this route is much greater than other routes.

beauty of sri lanka

Sri Lanka is filled with romantic landscapes, governed by rising mountains, lush forests, ocean like tanks and gushing waterfalls, that it was considered the lost paradise by many a globe trotters, who fell upon the country. The golden beaches of the country had been praised for their picture postcard views since eternity. The dusk and dawn and many human activities connected to these times of the day creates a vibrant picture along the coasts of Sri Lanka.

The central highlands of the island are filled with pictures of stirring mountains carpeted with lush green tea gardens, roaring waterfalls mingling with the clouds and landscapes shimmering in sunlight and disappearing under the rising mist. Travelling towards the top of the country to the North Central Valley of the Kings, mountains covered with lush tropical forests disappears under the glare of the sun giving way to acres of light green carpets of paddy dotted with towering ancient white stupas and fed with oceans like reservoirs locally known as wewa.  Giant statues of Lord Buddha rises above the forest line while ancient palaces stand abandoned to the forest, waiting for a master, who long departed from life.

Travelling further north the landscape changes drastically, North of Sri Lanka is a world apart from the rest of country. Colorful Hindu temples replace the white pagodas while sari clad damsels roam the streets on bicycles.

On the western coasts of the country is Colombo, a capital city of the island, which displays a rich colonial heritage. A potpourri of races, religions and cultures, Colombo parades the best and worst the country has to offer. 

Dam Kirula Aranya Senasanaya

Dam Kirula Aranya Senasanaya

  

Good place to meditate, less facilities but more peace in mind. You can get advice from meditation from Ven. Mithabhani Thero. Do not forget to obey the rules in the place and not to disturb the meditation practices of the Theros.

BEAUTY OF SRI LANKA

AYURVEDA 

Ayurveda has been practiced in sri lanka and india for centuries. It relies on natural herbs and remedies for the body, strengthening the power of resistance and combating chronic illnesses, whilst being pampered at an Ayurveda spa.