INDIAN OCEAN TRAVEL by TOURISMER
Responsible travel Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is the setting of the "Jungle Book", between culture and tradition. It is a country with many faces, of great landscape and cultural richness, even if it seems small compared to its neighbor, India.
It bears a wide variety of landscapes: from tropical forest and arid plains to mountains and restful sandy beaches, passing through the typical tea plantations of terraced cultivation.
The country also has a marked religious, cultural and linguistic diversity, reflecting the multiple historical influences that mingle today and make it rich.
The best way to explore Sri Lanka is to walk and leave only your footprints on this magnificent land, especially since many sacred places, nestled in nature, can only be discovered on foot.
To cover greater distances across the country, choose the train, the least polluting public transport in the country. You will treat yourself to an unforgettable experience alongside the Sri Lankans. Get to know the locals, they are lovely people. The island of Sri Lanka is an animal lover's paradise. Some are not shy like toque macaques, know that these animals are sacred to Hindus. They embody the monkey god Hanuman and this species is threatened: do not feed them, avoid approaching them.
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Colombo has benefited for about two millennia from its strategic position on the maritime trade routes, between Europe and the Middle East on the one hand, and Asia on the other, as well as from its natural port.
The city has many canals, as well as a lake of 65 hectares in its center, Lake Beira. The lake is one of Colombo's best-known landmarks and was long used by colonizers to defend the city
Colombo is imbued with the diversity of cultures and civilizations that have stopped there, through trade. It is today the economic heart of the country, with the presence of many activities of all kinds.
Note the curiosities that are worth seeing:
Dambulla is located in the heart of Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle, formed by three sites of great cultural significance: Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy. The Golden Temple of Dambulla (Buddhist) is located at Dambulla, some twenty kilometers southwest of Sigiriya. The town of Dambulla is built around a large granite rock which contains an important complex of caves, the Raja Maha Vihara, datant du Ier siècle. Il s’agit du plus important et du mieux préservé des complexes de grottes du Sri Lanka.
Le site consiste en quelque quatre-vingts grottes, cinq sanctuaires, quatre monastères principaux. Il comporte 157 statues, 153 images du Bouddha, 3 images royales et 4 images de divinités. Les peintures murales, recouvrant 2 100 m2 représentent, entre autres, la tentation de Bouddha par le démon Māra et son premier sermon. On y trouve aussi des statues des divinités hindoues Vishnou et Saman.
Sigirîya, also called Simhagiri, lion rock, is a major archaeological site, former royal capital of Sri Lanka and an important tourist site. The site is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is located in the center of the country, 160 kilometers from Colombo. Before the Kassapa developments, the site had already been occupied, as evidenced by graffiti found in a cave, as well as the thirteen-meter reclining Buddha dating from the IIe century before J.-C.
The center of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries was theone of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Anuradhapura was founded in IVe century before J.-C, around the legendary Sri Mahabodhi tree, and was the first capital of Sri Lanka. At the Ist century, the city was arguably the ninth largest city in the world. For over 1,300 years it has been a major political and religious center. But in the end it could not resist the pressure of the Chola dynasty, and fell into their hands in 993. Ravaged by Indian invaders in 1017, the city lost its status as a capital and remained isolated in the jungle for several centuries. .
Kandy is located 500 meters above sea level in a valley with lush vegetation. It has developed in two spaces: a rectangle, one end of which includes the administrative buildings of the old capital, and an artificial quadrangular lake, the work of the last king of Kandy.
On the northern shore of the lake, enclosed by a parapet of white stones, are the official religious buildings of the city, including the Royal Palace and the Dalada Maligawa. Rebuilt at XVIIIe century, the latter was inspired by the architecture of the temples of the previous capital, Anuradhapura. All around the city, there are a number of Buddhist monasteries. Kandy also hosts one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world, that of Peradeniya established in 1821. The Ceylon Tea Museum is located in the city.
In 1827, the British, during the time of the British Raj, made it a hill station (hill station) located at an altitude of 1,889 m, so as to escape the lowlands during the hot weather. There are thus a number of buildings built on the model of British houses.
The Hakgala Botanical Gardens of Nuwara Eliya are the most beautiful botanical gardens in Sri Lanka after the Peradeniya Botanical Garden, near Kandy. According to the Rāmāyana, Sita, wife of Rama, was imprisoned by the demon Ravana near Nuwara Eliya.
The city is often the starting point on the way to the ascent of Adam's Peak. Its region is renowned for the cultivation of tea.
Every summer, in August, the Perahera festival takes place, which sees a parade of elephants and torches. The relic of the tooth of Buddha, locked in a reliquary installed on the oldest of the elephants of the Perahera (“procession” in Sinhalese), is paraded through the streets of the city on this occasion. The show brings together a large number of Sri Lankans as well as tourists. For ten nights, elephants escort the relic of the tooth of Buddha through the streets of the city. On the evening of the full moon, the party reaches its peak: up to a hundred elephants parade at a time.
Ella is a pleasant little village perched in the clouds at 1000 meters above sea level. Surrounded by hills covered with tea plantations, Ella is located in the southern part of Sri Lanka, 200 km east of Colombo, equipped with a station very frequented by travelers which allows to take the mythical train which leads to Kandy. Travelers also come to Ella for hiking, including Little Adam's Peak, tea plantations, and waterfalls to see the beautiful Nine Arch Bridge.
Mirissa is the largest fishing port on the south coast and is known for its tuna, mullet, snapper and butterflyfish. In the mid-1990s tourism to the town began to increase dramatically. Mirissa was hit by the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, with many buildings destroyed or damaged.Going to see dolphins and whales is a major activity in Mirissa: it is located on the migration route of blue whales, which are the largest marine mammals in the world, as well as other species of whales, such as humpback whales , sperm whales and killer whales.
Galle is a superb example of a walled city built by Europeans, illustrating the interactions between European architectural styles and South Asian traditions. The old town of Galle, with its fort and its fortifications protecting the alleys where you can still see some old Dutch houses, and thus the largest fortress built in Asia by European settlers. we can cite the Sainte-Marie cathedral from the end of the XIXe century. The hotels, shops and restaurants are well integrated and even allow you to enter the period houses.
The official languages are Sinhalese and Tamil. The former belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages, while the latter belongs to the Dravidian languages. Each has its own writing system.
Without being an official language, English is sometimes used as a working language by the government, it is recognized as a "link language" by the Sri Lankan Constitution.
Buddhism* as the first religion with 70% of the inhabitants, then Hinduism** with 15%, including a large proportion of Tamils***), then Islam 8% and Catholicism 7%.
*Buddhism is a religion and a philosophy whose origins are in India in the VI e – V e centuries BC. J.-C. following the awakening of Siddhartha Gautama in Bodhgaya in Bihar and the dissemination of his teaching.
**Hinduism is a religion whose different deities are considered as different forms of the same divine expression underpinned by an ultimate reality. The question about the exact nature of the latter (immanent or transcendent, personal or impersonal) depends on the different currents.
***The Tamouls are a people living mainly in the state of Tamil Nadu (literally meaning “land of the tamouls ”) in India and Sri Lanka.
Music
The Sri Lankan music is intimately linked to nearby Indian music, but also to Portuguese music by virtue of its colonial past.
The Portuguese further brought with them black slaves from Africa who also brought with them their musical traditions. The baila is a popular genre of dance music It is Creole music mixed with European and Indian influences. Remaining discreet and folkloric for a long time, it has recently acquired a new popular status.
Silk painting
Batiks: these are colored pieces of fabric, made by hand and which generally represent an object, an animal or a person: but above all, they are pieces that require great patience and a lot of technique.
Martial art
TheAngampora is a form of martial art combining combat and personal defense techniques and meditation.
Cheena Adi, is a martial art of Chinese origin in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan cuisine has retained influences from colonial powers, foreign traders as well as influences from Kerala cuisine in India.
The main ingredients in Sri Lankan cuisine are rice, coconut and spices in particular, reflecting the island's history as a producer of spices.
Some emblematic dishes:
Curry and rice is the national dish. The rice is accompanied by several plates of curry: fish, chicken or beef.
Hopper, served breakfast is like a pancake with rice flour and fermented overnight with palm wine and sweetened with coconut milk and optionally topped with an egg.
The kottu roti is of Tamil origin: Sri Lankan bread made with kurakkan wheat flour is minced with vegetables and meat, sometimes also with eggs or cheese.
The wattalapam : a flan made with coconut milk, cinnamon and palm sugar.
With its 26 national parks over more than 5,700 km2, Sri Lanka is the nature and animal destination par excellence!
Here are the 6 main ones:
Wilpattu National Park is unique in having “Willus” (natural lakes) – sand-lined natural pools of water or depressions that fill with rainwater. Located on the dry lowland area of the northwest coast of Sri Lanka.
Nearly one hundred and six lakes (Willu) and reservoirs are found spread across Wilpattu. Wilpattu is the largest and one of the oldest national parks in Sri Lanka. Wilpattu is world famous for its population of leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya).
Minneriya National Park is in the northern central province of Sri Lanka. Built by King Mahasen in the 3rd century, the water reservoir is of great historical significance. It attracts many animals that come to feed and bathe there.
Bundala National Park is an internationally important wintering area for migrating waterbirds in Sri Lanka. The Bundala hosts 197 species of birds, the main element being the Greater Flamingo, it is sometimes home to more than 20,000 birds. The park also has a number of elephants and leopards.
The large Udawalawe Reservoir which was built in the 1960s on the Walawe River gave its name to the adjacent town. It is at this body of water that the animals of the park mainly come to drink.
Udawalawe Park was established to provide refuge for wild animals that were relocated during the construction of the body of water.
In addition to the many elephantsyou will see other wild animals: monkeys all over the city and birds of all colors, you will not miss the water buffaloes, crocodiles, Ceylon spotted deer and wild boars.
Horton Plains National Park is an area covered by montane grasslands and cloud forests (The cloud forest is a type of humid forest generally found in tropical mountain environments, between 1,000 and 3,000 meters above sea level). The plateau has an average elevation of 2,200 m. The Horton Plains have been declared a wildlife reserve.
The park is home to great biodiversity and many of the species found there are endemic not only to Sri Lanka, but to this particular region of the country.
Le parc national de Yala ou parc national Ruhuna est le deuxième plus grand parc national du Sri Lanka et le plus visité.Le parc national abrite une variété d’écosystèmes allant des forêts humides de mousson aux zones humides marines et d’eau douce. Le tsunami de l’océan Indien de 2004 a causé de sévères dommages au parc national de Yala, où 250 personnes ont trouvé la mort.
Among the 215 bird species in the park, six are endemic to Sri Lanka. These are the Ceylon hornbill, Lafayette rooster, Ceylon pigeon, red-crowned bearded, black-headed bulbul and brown-capped akalat.
44 species of mammals reside in Yala National Park, including the Sri Lankan elephant.
46 species of reptiles are known in the park and five of them are endemic to Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan krait, the Amphiesma parallelum, Chrysopelea taprobanica, the painted-lipped lizard and the Wiegmann's agama are the endemic species.
The ascent of Adam Peak followed by four days of hiking punctuated by scenic train journeys.
more information : https://www.allibert-trekking.com/voyage/sri-lanka-trekking-sri-lanka
The mountain train is the essential activity of the Ella region. Besides the fact that it is a very practical means of transport to connect the cities between them, the mountain train allows you to blend in with the locals and enjoy the landscapes. To get a train ticket, go directly to the station to buy a 2nd or 3rd class ticket.
Tourists have the choice between bus and train, both cheap. Trains are often crowded, but that's nothing compared to local buses. Traveling standing by bus is sometimes perilous!
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source : https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/opinion/Bus-journeys-to-be-memorable—–EDITORIAL/231-189102
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ChildFund Sri Lanka has been present in the country since 1985.
Since 1990, Un Enfant par la Main has worked with this partner to help children and their families.
Our humanitarian actions in Sri Lanka are reflected in the implementation of aid and development programs, particularly in the areas of education and health for children and young people.
