Sunset on the bund of the Udawalawe Reservoir, Sri Lanka.

Down in valley of the Uva Province of Sri Lanka it is another world. All one's cares and worries drop away and one becomes united with nature in all its glory of a sunset.

Sights at the Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka.

A Pea-hen.

A herd of Spotted Deer.

A lone fisherman at sunset.

A herd of wild Water Buffalos.

Sights at the Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka.

The safari jeep.

The journey to the Udawalawe National Park starts.

On our way.

A wild elephant by the roadside.

The Purple Sun Hotel, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

View of the distant hills.

The entrance.

Wedding guests at lunch.

Environs of Udawalawe, Sri Lanka.

A wild elephant across the electrified fence.

Bridge on the highway at the approaches to the bund over the Udawalawe reservoir.

Water birds at the edge of the reservoir.

A wild elephant inside the Udawalawe National Park.

Environs of the statue of the Bodhisatthwa, Maligawila, Sri Lanka.

Ruins of a hall with stone supporting pillars in place.

The statue of the Bodhisatthwa.

A tree adorned with votive offerings ('Panduru'). A coin is tied inside a piece of cloth ans is tied to the branch of a tree as an offering to the guardian deity of the area.

A figurine of a female dancer.

The artifacts belong to the 7th Century AD and depict the strong influence of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy during that era.

Scenes at Maligawila, off Buththala, Sri Lanka.

A pleasant grove to walk in.

The 'Standing Buddha' statue carved out of sand-stone, created in the 7th Century AD.

A troop of monkeys in the grove.

Created as a monastery complex in the 7th Century AD, the statue of the standing Buddha had fallen down and its neck broken when I saw it for the first time in 1966. It was lifted up and placed in the erect posture during the regime of the Late Mr. Premadasa. A crane used to lift the massive statue broke down during this exercise. The statue predates the famous 'Aukana' statue near Kalawewa.

Sights on the Ella - Wellawaya highway, Sri Lanka.

At the Ravanella waterfalls.

A farmer sowing paddy.

The swinging action of the farmer in sowing.

Paddy field Pipit on a power line bordering the paddy field.

Driving downhill from the 'Ella Gap' in the mountains of Uva to the Wellawaya plain is an exhilarating experience. In 1966 when I was serving as the DMO at Koslanda this highway was non existent. Goods and patients were carried on the back of water buffalos ('Thavalam') along steep foot paths to and from the plains of Wellawaya at that time. An Engineer named Mr. Wijedoru was doing the preliminary 'route tracing' for this highway. He told me that he was instructed to trace the route to go close to the 'Ravanella waterfalls'. Constant landslides were a feature for a long time later. Now it is a well paved highway.

Ella and Ravanella water-falls, Sri Lanka.

The distant mountains seen from the Ella Rest-house.

The early morning smile from the balcony of the rest house.

Ravanella water-falls on the road to Wellawaya.

Dawn at the Ella Rest House, Sri Lanka.

If you look closely you can see a black structure which is the railway bridge close to Demodera, on the Colombo Badulla railway line.

Flowers at dawn, Rest House, Ella, Sri Lanka.

A 'Black-rumped Sun Bird' seeking honey from a flower.

The photos were the result of a walk at dawn in the premises of the Rest House at Ella.

Sights at the Ella Rest House, Sri Lanka.

Dolphin & Whale-watching cruise, off Galle, Sri Lanka.

Photos and videos of a Dolphin & Whale-watching cruise off Galle, Sri Lanka. Please click on the web-link below with the speakers on:-

http://youtu.be/1iqB70FxR7U

Nuwara Eliya to Ella, Sri Lanka.

The old British colonial building housing the Post-office at Nuwara Eliya.

The statue of Lord Buddha at Dowa.

The hills of Uva.

Hill close to the Ella Rest House.

The drive from Nuwara Eliya to Ella is  downhill all the way. From the central highlands of Sri Lanka to the plains of Badulla is beautiful. The carpeted roadway leads between misty mountains past Hakgala and Welimada. The busy town of Bandarawala leads to Dowa where the roadside Buddhist temple boasts of a standing statue of Lord Buddha carved on a rock. This carving is claimed to have been done in one day by a sculptor a few centuries ago. Going past Demodara where the railway line from Colombo to Badulla makes a loop on itself one comes to the turnoff to Wellawaya. This road climbs the hill to traverse the 'Ella Gap' in the mountains. Coming down hill the Ella Rest House stands about 500 meters on the right hand side. The view from the Rest House is absolutely stunning..