Ayubowan! Sri Lanka № 24’2012 | August 1, 2012 1

World’s largest gem stone Buddha statue in Sri Lanka

The Pedi Vishva Shanthi Buddha statue considered the world’s biggest Buddha statue built of gem stones which is taken around the world for exposition invoking blessings on the globe and its inhabitants will be brought to Sri Lanka this month (August). On the instructions of the President it will be first brought to Temple Trees and later kept for public homage and veneration in Colombo.

The statue which is a replica of the Buddha statue at the Maha Bodhi Viharaya in Bodhgaya, India is 2.7 meters in height and four tones in weight. It has been built of a rare green colored gemstone called polar pride obtained from Vancouver, Canada. The Buddha statue will be taken round Asian Countries this year.

New stamps to mark Nallur festival

New stamps were issued to mark the renowned Nallur Kanthaswamy Kovil Annual Festival 2012 at the kovil premises. Under the guidance of Northern Province Governor, the Postal Department issued the stamps. Three types of Rs 5 stamps were released on the holy flag hoisting day.

Nallur has an old and rich history. It is considered as a social, religious and cultural place in Jaffna. Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil or Nallur Murugan Kovil is one of the most significant Hindu temples in

the Jaffna district. The presiding deity is Lord Muruga in the form of the holy Vel. The idol of the Nallur Devi or goddess was gifted to the temple in the 10th century by the Chola queen Sembiyan Mahadevi, in the style of Sembian bronzes.

The year of foundation of the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple is 948 CE. According to the Yalpana Vaipava Malai, the temple was developed at the site in the 13th century by Puvenaya Vaku, a minister to the Jaffna King Kalinga Magha. Sapumal Kumaraya (also known as Chempaha Perumal in Tamil), who ruled the Jaffna kingdom on behalf of the Kotte kingdom is credited with either building or renovating the third Nallur Kandaswamy temple.

Nallur served as the capital of the Jaffna kings, with the royal palace situated close to the temple. Nallur was built with four entrances with gates. There were two main roadways and four temples at the four gateways. This year, the festival started with the holy flag hoisting ceremony on Jul 24 and will end on August 17 with the water cutting ceremony.

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New city to be erected in Colombo with a Formula One race track

A new addition to the capital city of Sri Lanka to be built by reclaiming the sea will have a Formula One racing track among other attractions. A 575-acre area of the sea opposite the Galle Face Green is being filled up to build the new Colombo city. Construction of the new Colombo City will be completed by a private investor in 39 months at an investment of US$ 900 million.

The proposed offshore city, to be divided into three segments- business, residential and leisure, will be developed into a modern city with high rises, hotels, residential apartments, shopping malls, and other space to cater to the public needs.

Building this New Colombo City on Sea will be carried out in coordination with the Urban Development Authority, Colombo Municipal Council, All Service Ministries, and the Archaeological Department.

Over 20 development projects for Matara

The government has extended top priority to develop Matara. Over twenty projects will be implemented under the program, comprising the construction of a conference hall for Matara, the Nilwala riverside park and an urban park, Uyanwatha esplanade development, the Nilwala riverside wall, youth park, Matara General Hospital, the Matara Police Station and Mahamaya Vidyalaya re-establishments, the widening of Matara Hakmana and Matara Akuressa main roads, Wellamadama beach development and others. Works on some of these activities are underway and the rest will be initiated soon.

Dam renovation project launched

The government has launched a massive project to renovate the dams of major irrigation tanks in the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts. Dams of Kalawewa, Huruluwewa, Tisawewa, Nachchaduwa and Nuwarawewa in the Anuradhapura district are being renovated under this project implemented by the Irrigation and Water Resources Management Ministry. Dams of five major tanks in the Polonnaruwa district, including, Parakrama Samudra and Minneriya tanks are also being renovated under this project. The renovation project includes clearing and uprooting of secondary

growth jungle along the down-stream and removing of risky dead trees from the dam and tanks. The government has allocated Rs.188 million for the renovation of Parakrama Samudraya and 85 per cent of the work has already been completed. According to ministry official, over Rs 1,488 million has been allocated for the project and over 50 per cent of renovation activities have been already completed.

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Perahera and Festivals still go on

The Randoli Maha Perahera up country and low country with Sabaragamuwa dancers and elephants paraded the streets of Knady on August 1st. The festival will conclude with the Deva- danaya (Alms giving to Gods) on August 10. Nallur festival started on July 24 and will end on August 17 with the water cutting ceremony.

Underwater expeditions for tourists in Galle

The Southern Province Tourism Ministry has taken measures to provide opportunities for tourists to explore sunken ships near the Galle harbour with the support of the Archaeological Department; about 25-30 sunken ships are found in seas surrounding the Galle harbour. Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka have increased due to the peaceful situation in the country. Therefore, the country is taking necessary initiatives and projects to provide new experience for the tourists to make their journey unforgettable

Accordingly, the permission will be granted from October for tourists to dive to view the sunken ships. Several private companies are to provide the services to the aspirant tourists.

The Southern Province is the first province which started tourism as an industry. The Southern Province has a large number of tourist attractions such as Kanneliya, Singharaja, Turtle Hatcheries, Bird Sanctuaries, wildlife safari parks, apart from the mesmerizing beaches. The ministry also plans to develop some other areas as tourist destinations.

Monkey business

Monkeys are full of curiosity, adventure, mischief and intelligence.

Although most monkeys look the same with their long arms and human-

like faces, there are over 250 breeds in this species. When hunting for food

they work in groups, always having a leader that gathers food while others

stand guard. Monkeys speak a language for alerting danger and

apparently they have a word for each dangerous predator.

However, according to a website on

monkeys there have been times when

they were discovered to lie amongst

each other. While hunting for food, if

the leader sometimes finds a treat like an egg, and if he wants that egg for

himself without sharing with the others, he will yell “TIGER!”, and while

his group of hunters retreats into the trees, he has lots of time to kick back

and eat the egg all for himself!

Featured here are some images of a troop of monkeys during their playful

daily bathing rituals near the Dhowa Temple in Bandarawela. This troop which was observed to have always

Ayubowan! Sri Lanka № 24’2012 | August 1, 2012 4

been together was having playing with each other and then when their bath time came along started

swimming around having fun, while the elder ones were seen to be scrubbing the grime away from the

younger ones backs!

Sri Lanka is home to at least five species of monkeys – the

Hanuman Langur with its special roots in Indian mythology, the

endemic purple-faced leaf monkey and the toques to the shy

nocturnal Loris. The island has no big apes like the mountain

gorilla’s that have made Africa famous, the orangutans of Borneo

or close relatives to people – the chimpanzees, but is rich in

several endemic races of monkeys.

Sri Lanka shares the grey or Hanuman Langur with India – a

graceful animal with long limbs, a pale grayish brown coat, a dark

face and long eyelashes to protect it from the glare while feeding on treetops. The Langurs are believed to be

incarnations of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman, who, legend has it, fought to rescue a queen from Sri

Lanka’s forests, getting caught in a fire on his heroic dash that burned his face, hands and feet black.

The Langur lives in large groups among the trees and is usually not aggressive. Groups of these monkeys are

a common sight at some of the Buddhist temples in the dry region, and most often seen begging for

giveaways, or if un-successful, stealing, from the unsuspecting visitor. The red monkey, with a brown colored

coat and a pink face, is far more aggressive and quick tempered. This species, if provoked, have known to

attack humans occasionally.

Primates have always captured the imagination of people. The

question is, can monkeys help sell Sri Lanka? The answer is “yes”,

while on the trail of a Hanuman Langur in the island’s ancient

kingdom of Sigiriya. Sigiriya in the dry central province of the

island is a good place to watch for Langurs, along with other

more extroverted endemic monkey, the toque macaques, with its

characteristic cap of hair.

Monkeys have also long been associated with cultural sites

around the island, making other archaeological reserve

Polonnaruwa a popular site for primates that occur in troops. Specialist tour operators’ and the travel press

have increasingly begun featuring primate tours, and Sri Lanka has rich array of primates to showcase.

Travelers also do not have to go very far out of the city to observe primates, with the Talangama wetland on

the outskirts of Colombo or the Bolgoda Lake a good place to see the western race of the critically

endangered purple-faced leaf monkey.

Leaf monkeys are long-tailed, living in trees. The purple-faced leaf monkey has two races in the wet

lowlands and a southern race in the Singharaja rainforest, identified by a white patch on its rump and a

frosted white tail. Another highland race is the shy bear monkey,

while Sri Lanka also has two species of the saucer-eyed Loris –

small nocturnal mammals that can fit inside a pair of cupped

hands. Sri Lanka has two species of Loris – the Grey Loris found in

the dry zone and the smaller, more active Red Loris found in wet

lowlands. It is possible that the species of Loris we have in areas

such as Horton plains and Knuckles are a new species in Sri

Lanka. Nocturnal primates are harder to watch. You should not

use too bright a light, but use a low powered torch with a red

filter or red light.

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Giritale Hotel Mystically Romantic

Built on a 14 acre land nearly three decades ago on the bunds of the 12th Century Giritale Tank, Giritale Hotel is one of the leading hotels in the area with a magnificent view of the tranquil blue water dotted with green tree spots as a backdrop. Managed by Carsons Cumberbatch Hotels, Giritale Hotel boasts of 42 rooms that are spacious and comfortable while all rooms are equipped with a range of modern amenities and with a magnificent view. The Hotel completed its Rs. 20 million refurbishment project to facelift their eight luxury rooms, lobby area and the restaurant. The refurbishment programme was completed last year, pushing the property to 3 star status, attracting more inflow to the hotel. The restaurant at Giritale offers the very best in Western, Eastern, Chinese and spicy Sri Lankan cuisine, prepared by a team of expert chefs. Giritale hotel is popular for family outings, conferences, workshops and for honeymooners due to its romantic setting.

Jeep Safaris to the Minneriya National Park can be organised, where elephant gatherings will be sighted during the coming months. Excursions to Polonnaruwa, Medirigiriya, Dambulla and Dimbulagala are some of the other attractions on the cards. For the more adventurous traveler the vast jungles in the region beckon you for bush walking and trekking. It is already a venue for honeymooners and attracts more business from this segment. The tranquil atmosphere in the hotel is an added attraction for wedding functions.

Address: Maradankadawala-Habarana-Thirukkondaiadimadu Highway, Sri Lanka Tel: +94-114816100 Web: www.giritalehotel.com

Embassy of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in the Russian Federation

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Tel +7 (495) 688-16-20 ext.24, fax+7 (495) 688-17-57 24, Schepkhina St, Moscow, 129090 Russia