India & Sri Lanka

[This page contains links to the 90 or so posts tagged India or Sri Lanka plus a description and photo for most of them.. New photos & descriptions arrive regularly.]

India

India
Early Morning on the Kerala Backwaters (2009)

I wanted to go to India from early childhood. I am unsure what the initial appeal was but the attraction was strong and lasted more than 50 years. In my youth, India seemed impossibly far away and could only be a dream. As a young adult, the dream might have become reality, but I could not afford it. Time passed, travel became cheaper, money became less tight, but still I did not go. I was a teacher with a long summer holiday, but our summer is India's monsoon season. Easter would have been fine, but I felt India needed time and a first visit should not be crammed into a short break. When Lynne and I retired in 2008, I was determined that our first post retirement jaunt would be to India. In February 2009 we flew to Chennai and travelled across southern India to Kochi in the company of a young driver who did everything he could to make the trip memorable.

Fish market, Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu (2009)

And did India live up to 50 years of anticipation? Yes it did, every single minute of it. The crowded markets, the magnificent temples, the wonderful food, the crazy traffic, the noise, the bustle, the colours, the heat, the dust, the quiet of the daytime countryside, the tropical noises of the night, and the friendliness of the people - all of them exceeded expectations.

That first trip was before I started this blog, as was our second a year later but four more have since been recorded in full and a fifth is underway. There is much more of India to see, but time has moved on and visit t number 8 may never happen.

Kerala and More (2024)

Karnataka
Tamil Nadu
Kerala

Cooking the Kerala Way

26/02/2024

Birmingham to Kochi. Fingerprints at Airport. Airport to Fort Kochi, the Kochi Metro. The Tea Bungalow. ATM problems and their solution. Jeanett's Cooking. Cooking okra to make it enjoyable, cooking a fish curry. A fine dinner.

Kochi: Not Really a Free Day

27/02/2024

Masala Omelette and a routine breakfast. The Kerala Folklore Museum: Durga, Garuda and more, exhibits from Kerla’s ancient Christian tradition. The LuLu Mall, an empty place for the affluent. Introducing Thomas Matthew our friend and former driver, Lunch with Thomas. Our current driver Sasi. A visit Chez Thomas in 2016. Liquor store. Pakoras as the centrepiece to a mildly bizarre evening.

More Coming Later


Several more posts will appear here in due course

Marari Beach

12/03/2016

We revisited our hotel from 2016 eight years later to the day. We found much had changed - mainly for the better. New and/or updated information has been added to the 2016 post

Jeanett's Cooking
Durga, Kerala Folklore Museum
Indian classical dance, Marari Beach

Maharashtra (2019)

Maharashtra

We spent a couple of nights in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra after our tour of Gujarat.


Mumbai (1) Dharavi, the World's Biggest Slum

 

13/03/2019

Arriving in Mumbai, History, Some thoughts and concerns on Slum Tourism. Dharavi Tour. Thanks to the local guide it was a positive experience. Workshops recycling plastic, making pottery & leather goods snd producing food. The tip of the Mumbai Peninsula, Dinner in the Leopold Café.

Mumbai (2) The Posh End

14/03/2019

Mahatma Gandhi Road: Elphinstone College, The story of the Sassoons, Sassoon Library, Watson's Hotel, Kala Ghoda, Rajabai Clock Tower. Marine Drive. Gandhi Museum. Hanging Gardens. Tiffin boxes and Dabbawallas. Laundry, Railway Station, the 2008 terrorist attack. Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. The Gateway of India

Pottery, Dharavi
Play equipment and goat, Dharavi
Chowpatty Beach and Malabar Hill, Mumbai

Maharashtra is also tagged in


A Collection of Arches de Triomphe (None of them in Paris) Part 2, Post-1900 2020

 

20/08/2020

A collection of 20th and 21st century Arcs de Triomph. Mumbai’s contribution is the Gateway of India, intended to be built for the first visit of King George V and Queen Mary to their Indian empire in 1911. They actually entered through a cardboard gateway as building work had not yet started.
(Not to be confused with the India Gate – see Delhi below)

Gujarat (2019)

Gujarat

Ahmedabad (1) Liquor Licences, Mosques and Tombs

27/02/2019

Arriving in Ahmedabad, The House of MG Heritage Hotel, Obtaining a tourist Liquor Licence in a dry state. Sarkhej Rosa; the Saint Ganj Baksh, the ruler Sultan Mahmud Begada, many tombs and a mosque and a tank.. The Old City,  market, feeding the hungry, Friday Mosque, more tombs and old havelis. Crushed sugar cane.

Ahmedabad (2) A Stepwell, Gandhi and a Thali

28/02/2019

Adalaj stepwell and the story of Queen Rudabai. Hutheesing Jain Temple and prayers for peace with Pakistan. Gandhi’s Sabamarti Ashram, his life. Congress Party and the Salt March. A Gujarat Thali. The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque and the Tree of Life jali. The evening food market, stuffed dosas and buttermilk.

Meeting the Locals

01/03/2019

North from Ahmedabad. The small Princely state of Idar, Lt-Gen Sir Pratap Singh. Meeting the locals, Wildwinds resort, Jambudi. Meeting more local families in their homes. A unusual and briefly worry problem with my liquor licence

Siddhpur, Patan and Modhera

02/06/2019

To Siddhpur, The Dawoodi Bohras, their origins, architecture & dress. Bank Minas.The Rudra Mahalaya Temple disputed between Hindus and Muslims. Patan, the Ran Ki Vav step well. Modhera and its Sun Temple

Salt and Wild Asses in the Little Rann of Kutch

03/03/2019

The village of Bajana. A Salt Factory in the Little Rann of Kutch. Patdi Market and buying pictures of gods. Searching for Wild Asses, finding flamingos, a short-eared owl. and an imperial eagle. A cup of tea and pearl millet bread with a salt farmer and his wife.

Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar

04/03/2019

Village Festival, stalls, amusements & temple. Blackbuck Resort and vegetarian thali. Blackbuck National Park, Nilgai, Cranes, Montagu's Harrier, Wild pig and More.

Bhavnagar

05/03/2019

The Bhavnagar Princely State. Nilambag Palace and heritage hotel. Barton Library Museum. Bhavnagar Bazaar, the Vrindavan Hotel and Durbar Gate. The Takhteshwar Temple.

Palitana and the Temples on Shatrunjaya Hill

06/03/2019

 

A Lion Hunt and a Visit to Junagadh

07/03/2019

 

Gondal

08/03/2019

 

Gondal to Bhuj

09/03/2019

 

Bhuj

10/03/2019

 

To the Great Rann of Kutch, Craft Villages and a Salt Desert

11/03/2019

 

Going to School and Other Entertainments in the Great Rann of Kutch

12/03/2019

 

Photos on request, Sarkhej Roza
Gujarati thali, Ahmedabad
Meeting the locals
Dawoodi Bohra houses, Siddhpur
Imperial Eagle, Little Rann of Kutch
Male blackbuck & harem
Bazaar, Bhavnagar

Gujarat is also labelled in

Lost and Forgotten: Things Big and Little that Disappeared for Centuries

 

27/02/2020

A round up of things that were lost and now are found. Gujarat’s contribution is the enormous and elaborate Ran Ki Vav stepwell at Patan. Built in the 11th century it was lost sometime in the middle-ages when it was filled with silt from the flooding Saraswati River. Rediscovered in 1940 it was restored to its former glory in the 1980s

The Churning of the Ocean of Milk

 

19/01/2017

This post tells the story of The Churning of the Ocean of Milk from the Mahabharata, first written down around 600 BCE. It also contains a collection of depictions of the story. Gujarat's contribution is an ancient carving on the Sun Temple at Modhera.

Rajasthan, Land of Princes (2018)

Rajasthan

Jaipur and Amber (or Amer)

25/01/201/8

Delhi to Jaipur. Jas Vilas, Jaipur, the Pink City. The Hawa Mahal, Sawai Jai Singh II. To Amber, elephant ride up to Amber Palace. Amber Palace. Back to Jaipur.  Stone polishing & block printing. Jaipur Palace, the Jantar Mantar Observatory. Man Sagar Lake

Mandawa, Town of Havelis

26/01/2018

 

Bikaner, Sweets and Palaces

27/01/2018

 

Across the Thar Desert from Bikaner to Jaisalmer

28/01/2018

 

Jaisalmer in the Heart of the Thar Desert

29/01/2018

 

Jodhpur, Not Just a Pair of Trousers

31/01/2018

 

Rohet and the Bishnoi People

01/02/2018

 

Narlai, Small Town, Large Rock

02/02/2018

 

 Ranakpur Jain Temple and on to Udaipur

03/02/2018

 

 Udaipur (1), Royal City

04/02/2018

 

Udaipur (2) Bagore Ki Haveli and Dal Baati Churma

05/02/2018

 

Breakfast Thoughts in Udaipur

06/02/2018

 

Chittorgarh and on to Bundi

06/02/2018

 

Tiger Hunting in Ranthambhore

08/02/2018

 

 


India's Deep South (2016)
Karnataka
Tamil Nadu
Kerala

Bangalore to Mysore


24/02/2016

Arriving Bangalore, fingerprints problems. Meet Thomas again. Driving to Mysore, sugarcane and coconuts. Lunch in Coffee Day. Mysore: Maharajah's Palace, Chamundi Hill, Nandi, Devaraja Market, St Philomena's Cathedral

Mysore, Somnathpur and Srirangapatnam

25/02/2016

Somnathpur and its unique Hoysala Temple. Jaggery. Srirangapatnam, Haider Ali, Tipu Sultan, Palace, the Anglo-Mysore Wars and the Gombaz Mausoleum. Wellington House, Rangacharlu Hall, Freemasons, Chamaraja X Statue, Mysore University, Jagan Mohan palace.

Kabini and the Nagarhole National Park

27/02/2016

Mysore to Kabini and the Kabini River Lodge. Nagarhole National Park Lake Safari: Mongoose. Elephant, Crocodile, Gaur, Deer. Ayurvedic Massage at Kabini Lodge. Land Safari: Peacocks, Racket-Tailed Drongo, Monkeys, Giant Squirrel, Mongoose, Serpent Eagle, Wild Pigs, Tiger paw print. 

The Road to Ooty

27/02/2016

Kabini to Ooty, National Parks but only a monkey to see. Jacaranda. Into the Nilgiri Hills. Hairpins up to Ooty. Enter Tamil Nadu. Ooty, Charing Cross, St Stephen's Church, Colonial Quarter. A guesthouse stuck in time, Ooty Botanical Gardens. Palm Nuts.

The Nilgiri Blue Train to Coonoor

28/02/2016

On the Nilgiri Blue Train to Coonoor, Sims Park botanical garden. Lambs Rock, Chocolate and a Monkey attack, Tea, Dolphins Nose, Eucalyptus, Biryani. Back to Ooty via Wellington, Doddabetta Peak, Dinner at the Savoy Hotel

Across the Palakkad Gap and up to Munnar

29/02/2016

Descending the Nilgiri Hills, Ooty-Wellington-Mettupalayam, Across the plain to Coimbatore. Lunch at Udumalaipettai. Through Indira Gandhi National Park, Anamalai Hills. Into Kerala and the Chinnar Wildlife Refuge. Into Kannan Devan Hills, Jacarandas in full flower. Road climbs to Munnar. Intro to Munnar.

 Munnar - Tea, Dams and Elephants

01/03/2016

Kannan Devan Hills, Politics in Kerala, Tea Museum, Mattupetty Dam, Echo Point, Family of Elephants, Kundale (Setuparvatipuram) Dam, Under-ripe mango, chilli & salt, Christianity in Kerala and the ‘English’ Church in Munnar

Madurai

02/03/2016

Descending Kannon Devan Hills from Munnar. Across the plain to Madurai. Gandhi Museum. Nayak Palace. Markets and Brahmins on the way to the Meenakshi Amman Temple. The temple and the Meenakshi Procession. Vandiyur Mariamman Tank. 

Rameswaram

03/03/2016

Driving Madurai to Rameswaram, Coconut stop. Over the Indira Gandhi Bridge to Rameswaram. A Thali Lunch.  Ramanathaswamy Temple. A walk through the town among the pilgrims and to the beach. The Gandhamadana Parvata with the footprint Rama made on his return from Lanka. Rama's resting place. Some reflections on being the only Europeans on the island.

To the Very Tip of India

04/03/2016

From Rameswaram back across the bridge to the mainland. Toddy tapper. Tea Break. Fetching water. Tidying the roadside, Salt pans. The NH-44, India’s longest highway. Kanyakumari, India’s southernmost town. The Promenade. ‘Wine’ shop visit, A Failed sunset. A fine Prawn Veruval

Kanyakumari and the Deep South’s Deep South

05/03/2016

Kanyakumari, Ferry to the Vivekananda Memorial Rock, Whos was Vivekananda. 2004 Tsunami. Suchindram Temple. Padmanabhapuram Palace, Kingdom of Travancore. Lunch in Nagercoil, Back to Kanyakumari, the Gandhi Mandapam and another failed sunset.

North to Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) and Kollam

06/03/2016

NH-66 north from Kanyakumari. Churches on Sunday. .Maha Shivaratri (Great Night of Shiva). Trivandrum, capital of Kerala. The Horse Palace, weird bananas, Maharajah Swathi Thirunal Ramavara. Padmanabha Temple. Napier Museum, Government Buildings. Palayam Juma Mosque. North to Fragrant Nature Resort. Kerala’s partial prohibition

Ants, Mollywood and Varkala

07/03/2016

Kollam, and a night time ant attack. The death of Kalabhavan Mani and a memorable newspaper headine. Varkala beach, North Helipad Beach Road, Altars & bathers on Papanasam Beach. Jack Fruit, Lunch - pearl spots fish, the Kerala State Fish!

The Backwaters of Kerala (and some Coir)

09/03/2016

 

Marari Beach, Rest, Recreation and Refuse (with 2024 update

11/03/2016

Relaxing on the Malabar Coast. The Xandari Pearl resort. Dealing with mosquitos. The beach and changes 2016-24. Wildlife (crabs, birds and butterflies). Fishing, changes in boats. Swimming. Eating and drinking

Kochi, a Second Visit

12/03/2016

Kochi, Church of St Francis and the Graves of Vasco da Gama. Fish market and fishing nets,  Basilica of Santa Cruz. The Laundry. Thirumala Devaswom temple. Mattancherry and the Palace. The Pardesi Synagogue. Willingdon Island, Biryani and home.

With Thomas, Bangalore Airport
Village India, near Somnathpur
Elephant, Nagarhole National Park
Ooty, Colonial Quarter
The Nilgiri Blue Train, Ooty Station
Jacaranda, Kannan Devan Hills
Tea plantation, Munnar
North gopura, Meenakshi Amman Temple
Pilgrims, Rameswaram
Tea break at the Happy Hotel
Gandhi Mandapam, Kanyakumari
Napier Museum, Trivandrum
Priests on the beach, Varkala
Ghost crab, Marari Beach
Plastic bucket salesman, Kochi

Karnataka is also labelled in

Karnataka

Tibetan Buddhism: Part 6 of Buddhist Temples, Monasteries and Buddha Images

13/01/2021

Buddhism has all but died out in the land of its birth, but 10,000 Tibetan refugees have been settled in southern Karnataka. This post features the magnificent Namdroling Monastery near the town of Kushalnagar.  

Praying Facing West: The Variety of Mosques Part 2

26/06/2020

Karnataka’s contribution is the mosque in the small town of Madikeri, once the capital of the Kingdom of Kodagu (or Coorg). See also Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi below

The Gomateshvara Statue at Shravanabelgola and other Jain Temples

30/09/2014

Introduction to Jain Dharma. Climbing the steps cut in the sun-baked rock at Shravanabelgola to the magnificent Statue of Gomateshvara voted by Times of India readers as the No 1 Wonder of India. Also included are the The Badami Cave Temples to the north and the Temples of Karkala near the coast.

Chocolate Teapots

29/08/2013

A small collection of supremely useless objects. Karntaka’s contribution is the stone chariot in the ruined Vittala Temple of the once important city of Vijayanagara – more usually known now as Hampi. It is a chariot that was built to go nowhere


Kerala is also labelled in

Kerala

Praying Facing West: The Variety of Mosques Part 2

26/06/2020

Kerala’s contribution is the Moppila Mosques of Kozhikode (formerly Calicut). Unusual, as their design is entirely Keralan, without the slightest nod to the Arabic origins of Islam. See also Karnataka (above) and Uttar Pradesh and Delhi (below)

Churches that Tell Stories in Russia, India, Vietnam, Portugal and the UK

 

05/05/2012

Kerala’s contribution is the Church of St Mary on the coast at Thalassery (formerly Tellicherry)

Three Favourite Synagogues: Krakow, Kochi (Cochin) and Sofia

 

10/02/2012

Kerala’s contribution is the Pardesi Synagogue in Kochi, Kerala. Kochi no longer has a Jewish community, but the synagogue is looked after as a historical monument.

Breakfast in Kerala, Lunch in Libya, Dinner in Chengdu

 

04/01/2012

Idlis and chutney at the Sree Saraswaihy Tea Stall, Ramassery, near Palakkad with the redoubtable ‘Bhags’.

Kochi and Lisbon: The Two Graves of Vasco da Gama

 

07/12/2011

Unravelling why Vasco da Gama seems to have two graves, one in Kochi in Kerala and one in Belem, a suburb of Lisbon.


Tamil Nadu is also labelled in

Tamil Nadu

The Churning of the Ocean of Milk

19/01/2017

This post tells the story of The Churning of the Ocean of Milk from the Mahabharata, first written down around 600 BCE. It also contains a collection of depictions of the story. Tamil Nadu’s contribution is a recent 3D depiction on top of the wall surrounding a charitable organisation is Rameswaram. See also, Gujarat (above) and Sri Lanka (below)

Banyan Trees

31/01/2013

A collection of pictures Banyan trees. The Tamil Nadu contribution is a small deity sitting among the twisted and bird-lime bespattered roots of a tree in a rural location near Dindigul.

Commemorating the Dead: Tsunami, Earthquake and War

05/10/2012

Tamil Nadu’s contribution comes from a chance encounter with a memorial in the small coastal town of Tharamgambadi (formerly Tranquebar). It took us a while to work out what it was, Tamil is one of many languages we cannot read, but then we spotted the date 26/12/2004. It was a memorial to those local people who lost their lives in the Boxing Day Tsunami.

Out to Lunch in Corsica, Tamil Nadu and the Western Desert

29/02/2012

Three excellent if otherwise unconnected lunches. The Tamil Nadu contribution is a vegetarian Thali in the temple town in Thanjevur

Delhi and Uttar Pradesh (2013)

Delhi
Uttar Pradesh

 Delhi (1) Mainly Old Delhi but some New Delhi too

16/02/2013

Old Delhi: Jama Masjid, the Bazaar by Rickshaw, Chandni Chowk, The Red Fort, Raj Ghat, India Gate. New Delhi, India Gate, The Rajpath, Parliament and the Presidential Palace. Garlic Chicken at the Chowra Chick-Inn

 Delhi (2) Some Old Things around New Delhi

17/02/2013

Morning papers and Indian English. The Tomb of Humayun the 2nd Mughal emperor. The Qutb Minar, Alaudin Khilji, the Iron Pillar. Connaught Place & lunch in central Delhi. Connaught Park. Delhi Metro. Delhi Station and the Magadh Express.

To Mughal Sarai and Sarnath

18/02/2013

Magadh Express Sleeper Delhi to Mughal Serai, chai wallah. Mughal Serai. Fleeting visit to Varanasi. Drive to Sarnath, the Damekh Stupa where the Buddha gave his First Sermon, Ashokas Pillar, the Lion Capital & wheel and their significance to India.

Varanasi

19/02/2013

 

 Allahabad and the Kumbh Mela

20/02/2013

Driving Varanasi to Allahabad. We are left in a field of ‘Swiss Cottage’ tents. A fortuitous meeting with Seema. To the Kumbh Mela with Seema. Bathing in Mother Ganges & other blessings. Allahabad and the Nehru Family homes, Anand Bhavan (birthplace of Indira Gandhi) and Swaraj Bhavan.

 Allahabad (2) A Bit of Foot-slogging

23/02/2013

Return to the Kumbh Mela, Traffic jams and walking. Two walks by the Ganges. A walk round the local village and meeting the friendly locals. Driving to Lucknow, Tea shops and tree fellers.

 Lucknow (1) City of Nawabs

24/02/2013

Awadh (aka the Kingdom of Oudh) and its Nawabs. The Bara Imambara and Asai Mosque. Rumi Darwaza, Chhota Imambara, River Gomti, Laundry and Gully Cricket. Lucknow market, Nimish, Shami Kebab and many stores. The Qaiser Bagh. Lunch at Coffee Day. St Joseph’s Cathedral. An excellent Gosht Mughlai at the Royal Café.

Lucknow (2) La Martinière College and the British Residency

26/02/2013

 

 Agra and the Taj Mahal

27/02/2013

Taj Mahal, Diana's Seat, calligraphy, carving, pietra dura work, the mosque. Baby Taj (tomb of I'timad-ud-Daulah). Agra Fort, Royal apartments, Chain of Justice. Pietra Dura craftsmen. Outdoor barber, Hanuman shrine, Bicycles in a banyan tree. A very poor Murgh Badami

Fatehpur Sikri

28/02/2013

Agra to Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's purpose-built Capital. Elephants and executions. The Hall of Private Audience, Panch Mahal, Pool and Pachisi Board, the Tower of Tusks, The Great Gate Return to Delhi, entertainment at a level-crossing. A fine butter chicken to complete a trip of often modest food.

Jama Masjid, Old Delhi
Humayun's Tomb
A monk meditates, Sarnath
Frying puris for Mother Ganga
Beside the Ganges, near Allahabad
Dhobi Wallahs, River Gomti
The Taj Mahal from Agra Fort
The Great Gate, Fatehpur Sikri

Delhi is also tagged in

Praying Facing West: The Variety of Mosques Part 2

25/06/2020

A collection of mosques from Iran, India, China and Malaysia, all lands east of Mecca. The Delhi contribution is the Jama Masjid, the Friday Mosque. Built, like the Taj Mahal, in the reign of the Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan it was completed in 1650 (three years before the Taj)

A Collection of Arcs de Triomphe (None of them in Paris) Part 2, Post-1900

 

20/08/2020

A collection of 20th and 21st century Arcs de Triomph. Delhi’s contribution is Lutyens India Gate built at the end of the Kingsway (now Rajpath) in 1931 as a memorial to those Indian soldiers who died in the First World War (not to be confused with the Gateway of India – see Maharashtra above.)

India is also tagged in


Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

I never felt the same pressing need to visit Sri Lanka, but we enjoyed our time there in 2015. It is a relatively small island with much to offer.

Colombo to Anuradhapura and Mihintale

18/01/2015

Colombo to Anaradhapura. Lion Lager. Nuwara Wewa. Mihintale where Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka. Monitor lizard. The Riddle of the Mango Tree. Meditation Rock, Mahaseya Dagoba. Kaludiya Pokuna and the Cave Building. Rice and Curry

Anuradhapura Ancient and Modern

19/01/2015 

Anuradhapura Massacre. Sri Maya Bodhi tree. The ancient City. Jetvana Monastery, Mahavira monastery, Thuperama dagoba, The Citadel, Mahapali Temple and Monastery. Mahasen Palace. Moonstones. The Samadhi Buddha. The Twin pools. Modern Anaradhapura.

Polonnaruwa and Kandalama, An Ancient City and a Modern Hotel

20/01/2015 

 

Sigiriya Rock and an Ayurvedic Massage 

21/01/2015

The Heritance Hotel. Tufted Grey langur. Egg hoppers. Why a palace was built in a 200m high rock. Climbing Sigiriya Rock: the gallery, mirror wall and lion steps. Summit Palace. Descend to audience chamber. Ayurvedic massage,

Dambulla and on to Kandy

22/01/2015 

Toque Macaque on out balcony, Heritance Hotel. Dambulla and the Dambulla Rock Temples. Continue south, visiting a Spice Garden. Diversity in Sri Lanka Matale, the Sri Muthumariamman Kovil Temple. Kandy, The Temple of the Tooth. White throated kingfisher. Dinner of devilled chicken.

 Kandy and Around

23/01/2015 

Wedding dancers. Gem mining and jewellery selling. Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, Bamboos, water lilies, orchids, coco-de-mer. Temple loop: Galadeniya Temple, Lankatilake Temple and Embekke Devale Temple. Lunch with the Navy.

 By Train to Nuwara Eliya

24/01/2015

The Bahiravakanda Buddha overlooking Kandy. Commonwealth War Graves. Peradeniya Station. The train to Nuwara Eliya. The Hill Club, (former) Ladies Entrance, Dressing for dinner, coffee by a roaring fire and 1950s photos of the Queen and Prince Philip.

The Horton Plains, Nuwara Eliya and a Cup of Tea

25/01/2015 

The Hill Club. A walk on the Horton Plains, through the Cloud Forest to Little World’s End, Great World’s End and the Baker Falls. Exploring Nuwara Eliya. The Pedro Tea Estate

Through Bandarawela and on to Ella

26/01/2015

Hindu Temples in the Highlands. Bandarawela and the Mlesna Tea Centre. Dowa Cave Temple a massive key and an ancient Buddha carving. Rambutans. Ella. Lamprais. The Ella Gap. The Ravana Falls

Ella: Like an English Village – or Maybe Not. 

27/01/2015

The Ella Gap. Climbing Little Adam's Peak, Tea Picking, the Summit, Elephant Ginger Beer. Demodara Bridge, Ella, Lunch at Chill Café. Search for why Ella has been called the most English-style village in Sri Lanka. Guesthouse dinner, Arrack

The Sinharaja Rainforest

29/01/2015

Down the Ella Gap. Udawalawe National Park, nibbling cloves straight from the tree. Blue Magpie Lodge Sinharaja. Paradise flycatcher. A walk in the rainforest: green garden lizards, giant wood spider, giant millipede, green pit viper, inadvertently feeding a leach, blue magpie.

Kataragama and the Yala National Park

30/01/2015

Across the south, Sinharaja-Tissa. The Katargama shrine. Grey Langurs, buying and donating flowers. Puja at Kataragma, egg curry and noodles. Yala National Park, jackals, wild pigs, mongoose, peacock, green bee-eaters. The coast.

Through Hambantota to Mirissa

 01/02/2015

Hambantota and Ex-Pres Rajapaksa – the airport, cricket stadium and container port. Seaside coconuts break. Dondra Head Lighthouse. Mirissa and the pleasures of the beach. ‘Aldi’ Squid & prawns in a beach restaurant. The 2004 Tsunami.

Galle, Fish and Fortifications

02/02/2015 

The coast road to Galle. Stilt fishermen. Galle fish market. Fortifications, the Sun & Moon Bastion with the cricket ground beyond. Utrecht Point, the Meeran Jumma Mosque.  Anglican and Dutch churches. On to Colombo.

Colombo: National Day and a Full Moon

03/02/2015

Arrival, dinner in an Indian Restaurant. Rehearsal for the National Day Parade. Gangaramaya Temple. Beira Lake. Galle Face Green. The Clock tower/lighthouse. Presidents Office. Pettah. The Captain’s Garden Hindu, Temple, Independence Memorial, Lunch at the Colombo Hotel. The end of a memorable trip.

Rice and Curry, Anuradhapura
Samadhi Buddha, Anuradhapura
The Royal Baths, Polonnaruwa
Sigiriya Rock
Golden Temple, Dambulla
Water Lilies, Peradeniya, Kandy
The Hill Club, Nuwara Eliya
Across the Horton Plains
Sri Batkha Hanuman Temple
Little Adam's Peak, Ella
Giant millipede, Sinharaja
Mongoose, Yala National Park
Fisherman & cormorant, Mirissa beach
The Fish market, Galle
Parade rehearsal, Colombo

Sri Lanka is also tagged in

A Fine Drinking Man's Country?

 

26/06/2017

In which I assess the pleasures of the table, both eating and drinking, in 10 countries across 3 continents. Sri Lankan food lacks the variety and subtlety of India, but it is a better country for drinking. Also considered are China, France, India, Iran, Mongolia, Morocco, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Thailand.

The Churning of the Ocean of Milk

 

19/01/2017

This post tells the story of The Churning of the Ocean of Milk from the Mahabharata, first written down around 600 BCE. It also contains a collection of depictions of the story. Sri Lanka’s contributions if from the Captain’s Garden Temple in Colombo. See also Gujarat and Tamil Nadu (above).

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