Koneswaram Kovil in Sri Lanka

Munneswaram, a slumbery, sleepy and normally inactive hamlet, lying in the outskirts of Chilaw, comes alive this season, with complex ritualistic festivities, ceremonies and processions, culminating with the water cutting ceremony, to be performed at the Deduru Oya, two miles off Chilaw, on September 16.
The Munneswaram temple, dedicated to Lord Ishwara, is reminiscent of other celebrated and renowned temples like Koneswaram and Thiruketheeswaram, in which, three Sivalingams are enshrined.
Munneswaram has preserved its sylvan charm and enchantment, with the scenic surroundings _ with vast acres of paddy _ and hemmed in by tanks, which irrigate all farming and cultivation there.
The main temple at Munneswaram has been revamped, largely due to generous donations and assistance by devotees, who throng the sacred precincts to invoke and implore the deities, and solicit spiritual succour and material comfort.

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Munnswaram Temple in Sri Lanka

Munneswaram temple (Tamil: முன்னேசுவரம் கோயில்) is an important regional Hindu temple complex in Sri Lanka, a predominantly Buddhist country. It has been in existence at least since 1000 CE, although myths surrounding the temple associate it with the popular Indian epic Ramayana, and its legendary hero-king Rama. The temple is one of five ancient temples (Ishwarams) dedicated to Shiva in the region

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Hantana in Sri Lanka

The Hanthana Mountain Range lies in central Sri Lanka, south-west of the city of Kandy. It was declared as an environmental protection area in February 2010 under the National Environment Act. The maximus height of the range is 3800 ft. The mountain range consists of seven peaks. The highest one being the Uura Kanda .The range is a favourite destination among the mountain hikers in Sri Lanka. University of Peradeniya is situated adjacent to the Hanthana mountain range.

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Embekke Dewalaya,Kandy in Sri Lanka

Around 13 km from the Kandy city, a Buddhist temple dates from the 14th century is situated in "Arathtana". It is decorated by wooden columns richly carved with animals, dancers, and wrestlers.

Gardener of the flower garden in Embekke of Queen Henakanda Bissobandara tried to remove a "Kaduru" tree from the garden. When he cut it a stream of blood began to flow from the tree. After knowing the miracle, drummer  perform the rituals there as he was ordered to do by the god. He built a small temple called the "Embekke Devalaya".After some days the king Wickramabahu in Senkadagala era, ordered to build a three story building there and  gave land, queens'  jewelry  and elephants as gifts. Since then the temple of Embekka is worshipped by people.Today, the drummers' relatives perform rituals 

in Embekke.

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Dams in Sri Lanka

The following pages most dams in Sri Lanka. Most of these dams are governed by the Mahaweli Authority, while the Ceylon Electricity Board operates dams used for hydroelectric power generation. Most dams are used for irrigation or water supply, while others are used for hydroelectric power generation. Some dams are also utilized for more than one purpose. Only dams with a length of more than 100 m (330 ft) or a height of 10 m (33 ft) are listed.
Hydroelectric dams, including dam-less hydro such and pumped-storage and run-of-the-river, and small hydros accounts for nearly half of the installed power capacity of Sri Lanka.

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Three Day Mega Promotion Campaign in Mumbai, India

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau has organised the second phase of the three day mega promotional campaign in India to be held in Mumbai during 10th – 20th May 2013.The key government stake holders with private sector organisations will be partnering with Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau to promote destination Sri Lanka in the Indian market.

Vesak in Sri Lanka

Vesak is considered as both a religious and cultural festival in Sri Lanka. It is celebrated on the day of the full moon in May. Vesak Day is one of the biggest days of the year in the Buddhist calendar and is celebrated by Buddhists all over the world. Buddhists commemorate the important events that took place in the life of Lord Buddha on this Vesak Full Moon Poya Day. First comes the birth of Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini in Nepal which took place under the arbor of Sat trees where queen Mahamaya gave birth to him. The second event was Siddharta Gautam's supreme attainment as the Buddha, the Enlightened One. The third event was Lord Buddha's Parinibbana over 2500 years ago at Kusinagar.

Apart from Sri Lanka, many Asian countries including India, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia and Nepal celebrate Vesak. Many religious activities are organized during this period in Sri Lanka such as Sil campaigns, Bodhi Poojas, Dansalas (Freely giving foods, coffee, tea from people), Vesak devotional songs (Bakthi Gee), pandols (thoran) and lanterns.

Peradeniya Botanical Garden

Royal Botanical Garden, Peradeniya is situated about 5.5 km to the west from the city of Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka and attracts 2 million visitors annually.^[1] It is renowned for its collection of a variety of orchids. It includes more than 4000 species of plants, including of orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees.^[2] Attached to it is the National Herbarium. The total area of the botanical garden is 147 acres (0.59 km²), at 460 meters above sea level, and with a 200-day annual rainfall. It is managed by the Division of National Botanic Gardens of the Department of Agriculture.
The origins of the Botanic Gardens date as far back as 1371 when King Wickramabahu III ascended the throne and kept court at Peradeniya near Mahaweli river. This was followed by King Kirti Sri and King Rajadhi Rajasinghe. A temple was built on this location by King Wimala Dharma, but it was destroyed by the British when they were given control over the Kingdom of Kandy. Thereafter, the groundwork for a botanical garden was formed by Alexandar Moon in 1821. The Botanical Garden at Peradeniya was formally established in 1843 with plants brought from Kew Garden, Slave Island, Colombo, and the Kalutara Garden in Kalutara. The Royal Botanic Garden, Peradeniya was made more independent and expanded under George Gardner as superintendent in 1844.On his death in 1849 George Henry Kendrick Thwaites became superintendent. He served until 1879, when he was succeeded by Henry Trimen,^[3] who served until 1895.^[4] The Garden came under the administration of the Department of Agriculture when it was established in 1912.

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Arankele Monastery in Sri Lanka

Huge trees, creepers and stone pillars scattered around Arankele speak of an intriguing civilisation, a bygone era, while rare species of insects, found in abundance, tell of a rich, biological heritage. However, Arankele is not an old kingdom or a palace which once sheltered a mighty king. The whole forest was designed for another purpose.It was built to shelter the Buddhist monks who spent their time in meditation to reach the ultimate state a human can ever reach.

The vast forest land was scattered with patanagara or apartments designed for meditation, bathing ponds providing hot and cold water, a hall designed for walking and a two kilometre walking path designed for the monks to meditate while walking.The special characteristic of the patanagara is that each was surrounded by a water canal perhaps to keep the interior of the apartments cool. Some apartments stand alone while some are twin apartments. The twin apartments are connected together via a stone bridge.

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