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.