Flower in bloom and ripe King Coconuts, Home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

One of the signs of feminine beauty in Sri Lanka, is to have the skin color, like that of the 'Ran Thambili' - Sinhalese for a King Coconut.

Welcome song for the Bride-groom and the couple on the 'Magul Poruwa', Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Click on the web-link below:-

https://youtu.be/3MclYQD_h-A

A Sqirrel and a Garden Lizard, Home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Inside the 'Seethawaka Botanical Gardens', Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Scenes from the Seethawaka Botanical Gardens, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Seethawaka Botanical Gardens, Illukkovita, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

At the Seethawaka Botanical Gardens, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Just inside the entrance, of the 'Seethawaaka Wet Zone Botanic Gardens', Illukovita, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Having an extent of 106 Acres, this is  a very amazing site to visit. It is 6Km on the Thummodara road from Puwakpitiya. 

Lunch at a wedding reception, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

The 'Head Table'

Guests

Wesak lighting at the 'Manikkawaththe Pansala', Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Wesak is a day celebrated as the day of Birth, Enlightenment and demise - Parinibbana - of Lord Buddha, in present Sri Lanka. This is a festival of lights where coconut oil lamps, candle lit paper lanterns of a few decades ago is replaced by electric lights now. The above pictures depict a 'Pansala'- Buddhist temple - illumined by lights on a Wesak week.

'Murthy Thorana', and traditional 'Thorana', Kudagama, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

A Wesak 'Thorana' depicts a 'Jataka' (birth) story of Lord Buddha. This is usually composed of pictures drawn and numbered in series on a bill-board like structure. This is adorned with electric lights.

A 'Moorthy Thorana' does the same thing but instead of drawings the story is depicted by figures made out of clay. This was seen by us for the first time at Avissawella, this Wesak.

At the 'high table' in a wedding reception, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Fire-wood, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

This is a regular sight on the Kudagama road, leading to the Avissawella Free Trade Zone. About 20 Lorries of firewood arrive daily from various parts of the Island to feed the furnaces of a factory in the Free Trade Zone. On inquiry I was told that firewood was cheaper than Furnace oil.

Chillie plant, Home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

The Chillie plant was native to South America. It was brought to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese in the 16th century AD. Even now a pungent variety of this plant is called 'Kochchi miris' in Sinhalese and 'Kochchikkkai' in Tamil. This recalls the time when it was brought from Cochin, South India a former Portuguese enclave.
Black pepper which was exported from Sri Lanka for more than 2000 years was native to Sri Lanka and is called 'Gammiris'  - Gamey miris - in Sinhalese meaning the local variety.
Chillie has 'capsicaine' and is used in ointments as a counter irritant, to relieve pain.

Dragonfly, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

'Silambu Palaendheema' - Lighting lamps, Part E, Maniccawaththe Pansala, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

'Silambu Palaendheema' - Lighting lamps, Part D, Maniccawaththe Pansala, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

'Silambu Palaendheema' - The Bodhi Pooja, Part C, Maniccawaththe Pansala, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.