Thank you very much for organizing our holiday in Sri Lanka. We really enjoyed the tour with your guidance. the vehicle was very comfortable and the Chauffeur was really great !

we shall make our next visit soon on your special interest group…and will recommend you to all our friends..

Best wishes.

Mrs. Mohamed – Dubai

Sorry for delaying to write to you.

We reached home safely without problems. Thank you for having been so helpful & caring towards our family. We enjoyed a wonderful holiday in S.L which would have been difficult if not for your planning of our itenary.

we shall surely visit you for our next holiday and will recommend you to all our friends.

- Mr and Mrs Christy- U.K

we had a lovely holiday with you. Thank you for the excellent service.. we will get in touch with you for all our travel needs – All the best !

- Ann Lorain – UK -

In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly decided that, as from 2009, 8 June would be designated by the United Nations as “World Oceans Day” (resolution 63/111, paragraph 171).  Many countries have celebrated World Oceans Day following the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, which was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

 The oceans are essential to food security and the health and survival of all life, power our climate and are a critical part of the biosphere. The official designation of World Oceans Day is an opportunity to raise global awareness of the current challenges faced by the international community in connection with the oceans.

Atleast from the dawn of the first century CE, Sri Lanka had maintained a close relationship with China. Accordingto pliny (41-54 AD), Chinese traders embarked on journeys to taprobane to gain profits. Those links had reached their zenith in the fifth century CE. Silk items and porcelain produced in China were imported to Sri Lanka from a very remote period in history. Chinese ceramic vessels that were manufactured during the periods of Tang (618-907), Sung (1127-1278), Yuvan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties have ben recovered from Jaffna, Allaipiddi, Matai, Vankalai, Nilaveli, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruva, Sigiriya, Yapahuva, Colombo, Galle, Panduvasnuvara, Alutvava, Nindavur, Kurukkalmadam, Kalmune and Talaimannar.

According to Chau-ju-quan, the major export from Sri Lanka was varieties of gems. A considerable amount of chinese coins provide with ample evidence of chinese commercial links with Sri lanka and were found from different places in the country. Those coins could be ascribed to the period between 976 and 1265 CE.

Beside trade relations, religious links with china also prevailed at that time. The order of Buddhist nuns was established in China by Sri Lankan nuns in 426CE

- Corridors of oceanic heritage 2010

She swayed impatiently at her customary spot at the temple. 
She lifted one of her back legs to gently nudge her mahout, Pradeep, who was preoccupied in conversation. It was time for her morning walk and there was no time to dilly-dally. Ven Rathanasara Thero approached, petted and fed her fruits – her favourite. Within seconds the basket was empty. She expressed a low rumble of satisfaction as the mahout led her away and Ganga, the temple’s little upasikā (devotee), was on her way to the park. Words Prasadini Nanayakkara Photographs Menaka Aravinda Ganga is seven years young. 
Born at the Kataragama estate to parents Nawam Raja and Namithi, she arrived at the Gangaramaya temple at two years old. There she grew up under 
a doting caretaker and priests who indulge in her whims and fancies. At five years she made her debut at the temple’s annual pageant, the Nawam Perahera, taking after her parents. The priests of the temple who are accustomed to her many moods and temperaments only speak fondly of Ganga’s affectionate and sometimes mischievous nature. 
Still a youngster, Ganga is said to enjoy being a part of the Perahera procession and the sound of drums is a cause of excitement for her. Known as a very affectionate elephant since her younger years, Ganga is also the pet of devotees who flock around her. Her routine begins at nine in the morning where she walks from the temple to the Vihara Maha Devi Park. It is not often you see a medium sized 
elephant ambling along the busy streets, but this is a daily occurrence that Ganga enjoys thoroughly. 
Commuters, shopkeepers and pedestrians are accustomed to her passing by and often stop to pet her and even offer her a tasty titbit. 
With her trunk wrapped around the mahout’s hand she plods gently along, stopping to investigate familiar corners, wrench off fresh blades of grass for a quick munch and even draw from a nice pail of cool water at a roadside car wash. Her mahout, however, is watchful of her to keep her out of trouble and unhealthy pickings. Known as a very affectionate elephant since her younger years, ganga is also the pet of devotees who flock around her At the park Ganga gets into full fledged jumbo mischief. In the shade of tall trees and wide expanse she lolls about, flings sticks and grass in the air (most land on her back), and displays a range of comical antics. You couldn’t tire of watching her and it’s no surprise that visitors to the park stop to take pictures and pose with the elephant. After several hours of relaxing and indulging in the limelight, by noon Ganga sets off to the temple again. After a walk back in the afternoon sun, Ganga is more than eager for 
her daily bath. She steps into 
a pool filled out with cool water for a nice long dip while Pradeep cuts and shapes coconut husks to use as scrubs. After a long soak and scrub down, she must be coaxed out of her lazy stupour and out of the ‘tub’. Back at her shed she sways impatiently waiting for a midday meal. The mahout must travel to plantations to gather up to 80-90 fronds of coconut and palmyrah to supply her voracious appetite. While she strips leaves and folds them into her mouth, roadside cart vendors stop by to offer her corn cobs, which simply disappear in one gulp. 
Fed and watered, by late afternoon Ganga carries out her routine 
observances at the temple. With fresh lotuses raised in her trunk, 
she walks thrice around the temple’s stupa before offering it to the Buddha. She gently drops the flowers upon the altar and kneels down in solemn prayer. It is not just to the Buddha that she pays obeisance, but to the 
temple’s priests as well. Ganga often wanders in search of the monks of the temple, whom she recognises 
on sight. On one occasion, failing to seek out Ven Rathanasara Thero whom she regards with much affection, Ganga trumpeted in frustration and ran hither and thither. She could only be placated by the Thero’s reappearance. Ganga often wanders in search of the monks of the temple, whom she recognises on sight Since her baby years, Ganga would end her rounds at the temple by sauntering straight into a nearby office room to greet the resident monks. As she grew in leaps and bounds, however, this practice had to be restrained. Ganga though cannot easily be deterred. Even now she approaches the room and shifts her head through the doorway to find the familiar presence of saffron robes. By ten in the night it is bed time. Ganga, after a long day of walks, meeting friends, relaxing and routines, takes refuge in her customary place. Here she is often seen visible over the temple walls and vehicles and pedestrians stop by to watch the elephant for awhile. Parents pacify temperamental children and even coax them to take spoonfuls of food as the sweet 
tempered jumbo serves as ample distraction for them. Ganga, as the monks of the temple say, is a treasure. – Explore Sri Lanka-

In a country that boasts of a voluminous history and a rich cultural heritage that spans across 2,500 years, the National Crafts Council plays the role of the guardian that preserves and develops the local arts and crafts, making sure they continue through relentlessly into the unforeseen future. In striving to preserve 19 sectors of handicraft ranging from clay work to masks, cane and Batik to leather and lacework, the Craft Village at Battaramulla is one of 
the Crafts Council’s most impactful initiatives.

As you enter the premises you leave the city behind at its large gates and are greeted by the welcoming shade of expansive trees. Scattered on acres of land are little houses 
resembling those of a typical 
Sri Lankan village. In each of the little coconut leaf thatched mud huts sits a craftsman and his apprentices working away on their different 
objects d’art.

As I crossed the threshold to one that particularly caught my eye, 
I was greeted by an elderly man who welcomed me heartily into his makeshift home of crafts. As I began admiring his brass handiwork, 
he sat back down at his workshop taking two little tools worn from age and started working on a beautiful brass platter. Having admired his brass bells, ornaments and wall hangings among a host of other products, which included elegant reed ornaments and cane furniture that were attractively displayed 
at the stall nextdoor we slowly slipped out to visit the creator of Dumbara items.Each and every story of each 
individual craftsman is woven, sculpted, carved or coloured in the tones of their respective arts and crafts. The dainty lace work from the coastal areas of the Island bring with them the wonder of the 
quaint technique of knitting lace. Carved masks fascinate the viewer either by the powerful, exaggerated expressions captured in the details or with the droll expressions 
depicted on less imposing masks. Apart from the masks the Craft Village houses traditional arts and sculptures associated with thovil ceremonies.

- Explore Sri Lanka –

Travelling along the Chilaw Road in Anamaduwa – a small town in the Puttalam District – the temple is approached by the narrow gravel road named Vihara Mawatha. Just midway along the path a high-rise of gargantuan boulders filled the sky and earth around us, offering an inkling of the temple’s whereabouts. Soon enough a signature arch of the temple 
entrance appeared  just beyond and we instantly stepped into a veil of stillness. Even in the sultry afternoon the cool shade of trees offered an oasis for our wandering feet.

The diminutive nature of the new structures did little to obstruct the antiquity found at every turn. Our first site of interest was the image house sheltered within a cave of one of the large rock outcrops. Within were aged murals of Buddhist imagery and statues of hues and tones that have been likened to 
those of the Anuradhapura era. Tracing the walls along the corridors we find a replica of the Thonigala rock inscription, the original of which is located a short distance outside of the temple premises. This stone inscription of the 1st century BC is one of few isolated records that give credence to the temple’s antiquity with its references to the temple. Scrawled in clear neat lines the odd Brahma letterings of the replica did little to enlighten us. According to the Chief Priest at the temple its translation by historians finds mention of a leader, Watta Gamini Abhaya, more commonly known as King Walagamba, the founder of the temple and his heir Tissa, and both of whom functioned as active patrons of the temple. It also includes a King’s decree which declares that the taxes from water and fisheries in two surrounding cities must be made towards the temple’s benefit and for bare necessities of the clergy.

- Explore Sri Lanka -