Adisham Bungalow in Haputhale

Description:

It is a beautiful place,approximately 200 KM from Colombo at Haputale. It is situated inside Tangamalai Bird sanctuary and is a part of Glenanore Tea Estate. I have visited and stayed there on a few occacions, and it is the most beautiful, serene and peaceful place you will find in Sri Lanka. Its main function is that it serves as a monastery for the Silvestro/Benedectine monks of the Catholic order and it is a place study and meditation for Novitiate priests of that order. Fantastic place for a Holiday of relaxation.

Getting there:

Buses from Colombo to Badulla (Route 99) pass through Haputale, the nearest town for Adisham, and you can take a local taxi from there. The best way to travel to Haputale is by train, 1st class sleeper or observation car for Rs238.50 one way. From Fort station. or Proceed along the Colombo Road (main street) up to the end of the Bazzar and take upper road to the Police station, proceed 2miles passing the Buddhist Temple then take left for and half mile till you Reach Adisham, an old English Maner first owned By Sir Thomas Villers, now run by Catholic priests.

Adisham is the kind of place seekers of peace dream about. Now a religious house where tranquility lies like a blessing and the grandeur of sweeping mountain vistas takes your breath away, Adisham was originally the country seat of Sir Thomas Villiers.

The spirit of Thomas Lister Villiers strongly pervades this stately house. Villiers came to Ceylon in 1887 with 10 sterling pounds in his pocket. He was born in 1869 in Adisham Rectory in Kent, the son of Rev Henry Montague Villiers. He was a grandson of Lord John Russell, twice prime minister of Britain.

Villiers received a public school education but instead of settling down to a business or political career in England chose adventure in the colony of Ceylon. Soon after his arrival, he began life as a trainee planter (a creeper) on Elbedde Estate, Bogawantalawa. In 1896 he married the daughter of a tea planter and went to Brazil. He returned to Ceylon four years later and soon began his own tea estate, Dikoya Group.

In 1905 Villiers joined the firm of George Steuart, a trading and estate agency house in Colombo, and rose to be its chairman in 1928, a position he held till retirement in 1948. He also played a role in Ceylon politics.

It was while he was chairman of George Steuart that Sir Thomas commenced building a dream home in the country. He selected an idyllic site at Haputale, surrounded by virgin forest and commanding views across hills and valleys and the highest mountain ranges of Ceylon. The house was designed in the Tudor style, on the lines of Leeds Castle in Kent, with stout granite walls of locally quarried stone, long, narrow turret windows and chimneys. It looked in every detail an Elizabethan country mansion, the retreat in the tropics of a homesick Englishman, nostalgic for the scenes of his boyhood. Villiers spared no expense to ensure that his country home was luxurious in its appointments. The roof was covered with flat Burma teak shingles. The doors, windows, paneling, staircase and floors were all of Burma teak. The elaborate pillared landing on the main staircase adorned by portraits of his relatives, the Clarendons and the Dukes of Bedford, consists of four stout English oaks, polished, but otherwise au naturel.

The garden lay-out was also British and, as in the house, the incomparable scenery is used to best effect. The terraced lawns, flowerbeds and orchard, like the drawing room, study, library, dining room and bedrooms, look out on lofty mountain ranges, all between 1,800 and 2,100m above sea level, etched sharply on the skyline to form a curious outline called the Sleeping Warrior.

Villiers imported fine period furniture, linen, carpets, porcelain, silver, and glassware from England for his home and named it Adisham after the Kentish village where he was born. English tea and cabbage roses bloomed on the lawns. Albertines and honeysuckle climbed over the porches and windows; strawberries, apples and Victoria plums ripened in the cool mountain air and the tropical sunshine. Villiers even had an English chauffeur for his Daimler.

Adisham entertained the social elite of Ceylon at the time: Its house parties included the governor and distinguished visitors to the island. Lady Villiers, chatelaine of Adisham, was a gracious, gentle person and a charming hostess. She was a painter of considerable skill and her oil paintings and water-colours, mostly of marine subjects, adorn the walls of the library and the drawing room. The Villiers had two sons but both pre-deceased them: Their only grandson, Stephen, who lives in England, recently visited Sri Lanka with a BBC team for the preparation of a feature on Adisham. Sir Thomas retired to Kent and died on December 21, 1959. In 1949, after Sir Thomas left George Steuart, Adisham and its furniture, fittings and other effects were sold to the Sedawatte Mills. In 1961 the Roman Catholic Church acquired Adisham with its 12 acre grounds and turned it into a monastery and novitiate run by the priests of the Congregation of St Sylvester, A missionary order that came to Ceylon in the 1840s. Today, the spirit of Sir Thomas and Lady Villiers linger in their living rooms kept in impeccable order by the Sylvestrines. The libooks and its cases of polished oak, is meticulously orderly even though the Regency clock on the mantelpiece of the handsome fireplace, with its gleaming fire-irons, has stopped ticking. A long line of the Dukes of Bedford look down from the walls and one gets the feeling that any minute Sir Thomas might come in, calling to his dogs.

The drawing room has been preserved in every detail. David Paynter's study of Sir Thomas looks down from above the William IV furniture which is polished even if the Lancashire broadloom on the chairs and the Ax Minster carpets have aged gently. On the Dutch marquetry card-table is a half-finished game of patience and the Georgian gate-legged table is set for tea with Wedgewood jasper china. The rustle you hear is not the swish of silk dresses on the beautifully kept grand staircase; it is just the wind sighing in the forest trees. Outside the morning room the terrace looks out over the sunny lawns, rioting with a hundred varieties of roses. A signboard near the gate reminds you that if you can't find happiness along the way, you will not find it at the end of the road. One of Adisham's most wonderful sights is its natural bird sanctuary. Brilliantly plumaged orange mini-verts, green barbets, blue magpies, paradise flycatchers, hornbills, golden oreoles and a host of others which live in the forested slopes of the nature reserve above Adisham swoop down to feast on apple and plum trees.

Today's Adisham is primarily a monastery, where a small community of six novices and a few monks follow a schedule of prayer, meditation, work and service. Adisham has made itself famous for fine products such as strawberry jam, orange marmalade, wild guava jelly and fresh fruit cordials.

When Adisham was purchased, the priests found half-wild strawberries, Seville oranges and guavas from the original Villiers orchards, which they developed and extended. The priests as well as a few villagers work in orchards, vegetable gardens, and dairy and in the processing of produce.

The day begins early for the novices and priests when the rising bell tolls at 05.30 hrs in the mist covered dawn. If is always chilly and, from November to January when the north-east monsoon howls down the Tangamalai wind-gap, freezing. The gong sounds for muster for tea-estate labourers on neighbouring Glenanore Estate when the priests kneel in prayer and meditation in the little chapel adorned with an image of St Benedict.

Breakfast is at 08.00 hrs and is wholesome and home grown: It is served, like all meals, in the plain and austere refectory. Two hours of silence, contemplation and study follow. Next come two hours of manual work in the orchards, flower and kitchen gardens, dairy, house, laundry or kitchen. Prayer at the chapel is followed by a lunch of rice and spicy curries with fresh vegetables from the gardens. A period of recreation follows, when a sense of humour and a cheerful heart are encouraged. An hour's manual work, a short break for tea, silence, prayer, studies, more prayer, dinner, recreation, study and then, after 22.30 hrs the great silence of the monastery reigns. From their bedroom windows, the brothers can see the mist swirling round the Sleeping Warrior. On clear, moonlit nights, the view is stunning and heaven seems within touching distance.

Although it should be emphasised that Adisham is not in any way a commercial guest-house nor a Villiers museum open to casual callers, accommodation is available for 12 guests. It would suit people appreciative of a Christian spiritual experience, counsel and guidance, in a place of surpassing peace, solitude and beauty. The large rooms are comfortable and have some of the best mountain views in Sri Lanka. The food (three main meals and afternoon tea) is simple but excellent and the atmosphere edifying and serene.

Bogoda Wooden Bridge

Bogoda wooden bridge and temple is close to Hali-ela town.The ancient rock temple, partly built into the rocks to one side of the bridge has a few old murals, a large reclining Buddha & one in Samadhi position. The rock was converted into a temple by King Walagambahu (104-76 BC). The king found refuge in the rock from the marauding Dravidian invaders from South India as he did in Dambulla caves. Upon regaining his kingdom, he had the rock temple built in gratitude as he built the world renowned (A World heritage Site) Rangiri Dambulu Temple (Golden Dambulla Rock Temple).

In one of famous literary works of Lanka named Sandesha Kavya (1612-1624) (Letter of Poems), travellers were encouraged to worship at this temple on their route from Badulla to Kandy. Behind the temple, down some steps is an entrance to a tunnel believed to run through the mountain to the nearby tea estate, Tudumale. It has been used by King Walagambahu during his 2 1/2 years of hiding at Bogoda. In the present era, no human has ventured through it.

Bogoda This very peaceful place with a mall monatery and rock temple I well off the beaten track, off the road to the north of Hali-ela, 13 km from Badulla. The attractive 16th-Century wooden bridge across the Gallanda Oya which I built with out nail (the original claimed to date from the 1st century). The only surviving one of it kind, it ha an unuual tiled roof in the Kandyan style supported on carved pillars. The railings are painted with natural lacquer. The Raja Maha Vihare rock temple nearby ha old mural and pre-Christian inscriptions.

Kingdom Of Yapahuwa

A Unique Piece of History -

Strong, dry breezes ruffle the quiet serenity of the temperate country side. Wild grass thrust through pleasantly undulating ground while a lone lizard revels in brilliant sunshine, poised on one of many ancient stone ruins.

Overhead looms the Yapahuwa rock, 300-foot isolated fortified wonder with a history dating back to the 13th Century. In that era, Yapahuwa was Sri Lanka's seat of governance and home to the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha. Today it is one of the country's most unique and important sites of historic interest containing abundant traces of ancient battlements and remnants of king Buvenekabahu's (1273-1284 AD) kingdom.

It is also home to the singular Chinese-looking 'Yapahuwa Lion' stone sculpture, the likeness of which is reproduced in the country's newest Rs. 10 note. Historians compare Yapahuwa to the Sigiriya rock fortress but note that it was built on a much smaller scale.

Its most remarkable masterwork remains an ornamental stairway that conducted the royal palace. Surrounding vistas of breathtaking beauty enriches the climb to the top; rambling jungle, rolling hills and sunbathed rocks combine to create a picture-perfect tableau.

Yapahuwa is in the Pahala-visi-deka Korale, Wanni Hatpattu, of the Northwestern Province. Situated on the outskirts of Kurunegala, it is just three miles from the Maho railway station. For those choosing the rail option, hop off at the Maho station and either use the bus service that shuttles back and forth or, if adventurous enough, trek through the scenic countryside.

The right footwear and a sun-hat are recommended for the entire expedition. The Yapahuwa rock rises abruptly from the plains. On its southern and eastern faces, terraces retained by walls permit access to the summit. The king had enclosed the city with a towering wall and a moat, protecting the palace within. A cave temple was built for monks at the apex. It still contains statues of the Buddha and paintings of the Kandyan period.

Unlike Sigiriya, however, the palace was not constructed at the summit of the 91-metre flat-topped crag but on a lower level. Meanwhile, evidence suggests that the settlement on the rock was more urban than rural.

Intriguingly, there is no mention of Yapahuwa beyond the 13th Century in Sri Lanka's historical sources. However, most recent archaeological excavations in Yapahuwa indicate that Buvenekabahu's hill top kingdom had close diplomatic ties with China. During early excavations, several Chinese ceramics were found. They are now known to be among the finest specimens discovered in the island.

Unearthed, too were a large number of celadon pottery pieces and more than 1,000 Chinese coins. The history surrounding Yapahuwa rock is fascinating. It is also called 'Subha pabbata' (or 'Subha's rock') after a military leader named Subha who, perceiving the location's uses as a brilliant point of military defence, made Yapahuwa his stronghold before Buvenekabahu moved there.

From here, it was that Subha successfully prevented Magha's (1215-1236 AD) forces from marching southwards. Magha of Kalinga led an invasion of Sri Lanka with some 24,000 soldiers.

A hundred years later, Tamil invaders were ousted from the country's north and the Sinhala monarchy was re-established in Dambulla. But the island remained susceptible to intruders from South India who stormed in from time to time.

When Buvenekabahu made Yapahuwa his capital, he also moved the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha from Dambadeniya to his chosen seat of governance. This was the practice of regents at the time and was a ritual of great political significance.

After his death, however, Buvenekabahu's kingdom fell to the combined horrors of a sweeping famine and Pandyan invasion. The Pandyans took with them the Tooth Relic and hoards of other treasures. The Sinhalese were shattered by the loss of the Tooth Relic. To them, it signified the death of hope.

The Pandyans soon left Yapahuwa but in the mid-16th Century, the Portuguese marched in. They demolished most of the magnificent buildings that were left standing, plundering and destroying splendid examples of eastern sculpture and architecture. The Kingdom, painstakingly raised from the ground, no longer stood in glory against the horizon but the ruins scattered around tell its tale eloquently enough, even today.



These remains indicate that the palace was perched at the apex of its striking stairway and that two semi-circular walls and moats protected it. The stairway was originally in three stages. The first main flight is plain and starkly utilitarian. However, the last flight of 35 steps is highly ornate.

These ruins are almost Cambodian in style, decorated with frames of exultant dancers musicians whose movements are so detailed and vibrant as to appear real. Dancers also adorn the porch above the steps.

At the foot of each balustrade are the Yapahuwa lions, the only ones of its kind in the country. Visitors have noted that most of the steps are narrow and need to be manoeuvered in a sideways fashion.

Historians say this was a form of defence. Because of the narrowness, the steps can neither be ascended nor descended hastily, thus giving those at the top time to arm themselves against an enemy onslaught or prevent infiltrators from fleeing easily.

At the top of the stairs is a large stone door way, flanked by big walls and two exquisitely carved windows. During an 1850 excavation, one window was found in fragments but the other, called the 'Sivumenduru Kavuluwa' (perforated palace window), is well preserved at the National Museum in Colombo.

Known as the gem of Yaphauwa sculpture, the window is a slab of stone four feet seven inches thick while the mouldings within are three inches in thickness. Its surface is punctured with 45 circles through which light entered the hall. The technique adopted in its construction has been compared to the tracery work at the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Inside each circle is a figure, so finely sculptured as to back the statements that they are the best instances of medieval stone carvings in the country. Each is different from the other and includes Bacchanalian figures, women, swans and images of other animals.

The last category also hosts eight creatures with trunks, identified as 'Gaja Sinhas' Alongside the palace is the Dalada Maligawa or Temple of the Tooth, built to hold the Sacred Tooth Relic. The structure resembles Dravidian architecture with panelled female forms like those found on the jambs of door-ways in Orissa. There is also a museum with relics found at the site.

The summit of the Yapahuwa rock is accessible from this level by a rough path that leads off from the left of the temple. It is an enchanting climb but not for the fainthearted, although it is worth the effort.

On the way up is a small cave with remnants of a small dagoba while near the peak is a natural water tank. On the top are remains of two more small dagoba and the ruins of other structures. The view is magnificent while the breezes are strong and refreshing. One gets the feeling of being miles away from noisy, modern civilization and the impression of being one with the past.
Two miles from Yapahuwa is another site of historical interest. Situated at Pinwewa is an ancient burial site locally known as 'gal sohana kanatta' or graveyard of stone monuments'. Here, there are more than 40 chambered tombs with stone slabs.

The first archaeological excavation at Yapahuwa was done by H. C. P. Bell, Sri Lanka's first archaeological commissioner who held the post from 1810 to 1811. Reports note that Bell found magnificent palace entrances or 'visithuru sopanas' during his work.

Random exploration had continued throughout the years, but archaeologists believe there are more ruins to be dug out. People in the area say one proof of the existence of ruins underground is that during the rains, water seeps into the ground in an obvious pattern - soaking some areas and leaving others dry.

Yapahuwa has more than one attraction to offer the visitor. Placed as it is in a relatively isolated corner of Sri Lanka's cultural triangle, it offers an encounter with the country's abundant past minus the teeming crowds regular 'touristy' atmosphere. Lulled by the secluded calm of the warm, welcoming countryside, one can truly lose oneself in meandering fantasies of a glorious past.

Arugam Bay in Sri Lanka

Arugam Bay is situated in the dry zone of Sri Lanka’s South-East coast. The Bay is located 320 km due East of Colombo. It is a popular surfing and tourist destination & one of the world’s top ten surfing spots. It is a place for surfers, water sports freaks and wildlife aficionados with low budget to reasonably priced hotels and guesthouses.

The village of Arugam Bay is 5 km south of Pottuvil and on the edge of Yala East National Park.The nearby (4 km) Muslim village of Pottuvil is the center of commerce and transportation. Tourist accommodations lie along the beach to the south of Pottuvil. Arugam Bay (4 km) is also the gateway and the only road access to the Yala East National Park. This area is known as Kumana (44 km), to be reached via the Sinhalese settlement of Panama (17 km) and the shires at Okanda (32 km).

Sri Lanka, is studded with sunny beaches. Well, if you want to enjoy a beautiful sunset, sipping a drink made of tropical fruits or a cool beer relaxing on the sandy beaches , listening to the music of rising and falling waves lapping on to beaches , Sri Lanka offers all that and much more . These beaches are a paradise for every visitor . One is sure to get enthralled by the serenity and the tranquility of beaches of Sri Lanka . Arugam beach of Sri Lanka also features as one of the most fascinating beaches of Sri Lanka. Arugam Bay is located about 314 km from Colombo, a most beautiful bay with good surfing opportunities . The East coast offers infinite possibilities for all kinds of water sports and underwater photography. Underneath the Bay lies the many ship-wrecks of the coast which pose a tempting challenge to the diver. If you are interested in water sport activity and surfing then Arugam Bay is definitely the place for all those wind surfers. Arugam Bay is on the list of the top ten surf points in the world. Situated on the South East side of Sri Lanka , Arugam Bay receives the same Antarctic winter swell's that hit Indonesia in the middle of the year. The best time of the year to visit this exquisite beach is between May and November when the predominant wind is offshore for at least the first half of the day. At this time favorable conditions are found for surfing. Arugam Bay is also prominent fishing village , situated on the south of the small town of Pottuvil at the remote south end of the east coast. It has probably the best surf in Sri Lanka .It had developed into a low-budget travellers center with water surfing as a main tourist attraction. There's a wide, sweeping beach in front of the village itself, good for swimming .For the nature lovers, it proves to be a paradise , as on the south of the surf is a long, deserted beach leading down to 'Crocodile Rock', from where wild elephants can quite often be seen. Arugam point is the main break at Arugam Bay. It attracts a large number of visitors ,starting from April to October ,which is the most favorable time for surfers. With a wide sweeping beach it is good for swimming virtually year round .

Pottuvil Point is another break at Arugam Bay. It is every surfers dream tropical wave. A long deserted sandy beach doted with some huge boulders at the waters edge, make this wave a favorite with some of the season veterans .Surfing in this Bay has to be properly carried out , otherwise you may be left standing in deep waters with mouth stuffed with sand , or may get hit by heavy boulders at the water ‘s edge .

Accommodation in Arugam Bay is not a problem as the luxurious Stardust Hotel is located very nearby. One can also opt for the other hotel , MidBay Hotel. Whilst if you fancy watching all the sporting action from afar, hide away in a family beach hut, Kudakalliya.

This tiny fishing village is fast becoming the young and trendy hideout with the best surf in Sri Lanka and SE Asia. Surfing companies and enthusiasts take courses to learn this new extreme sport. It is paradise for the divers and surfers.

අරුගම් බොක්කේ රළ මත ලිස්සා යන සංචාරකයින්ලෝකයේ රළ මත ලිස්සා යාමේ ක්‍රීඩාව සඳහා කීර්තියක් උසුලන ස්ථාන අතර ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ අරුගම් බේ මුහුදු තීරය ඉතා ම ප්‍රචලිත ස්ථානයකි. 2005 ත්සුනාමි ව්‍යසනයෙන් නැ‍ඟෙනහිර වෙරළ තීරයේ සිදු වූ විනාශයත් සමඟ රළ මත ලිස්සා යාමේ ක්‍රීඩාවට අරුගම් බේ වෙත පැමිණි සංචාරකයින් නො පැමිණි අතර රටේ පැවති යුද ම ය වාතාවරණය නිසා නැ‍ඟෙනහිර අරුගම් බේ ප්‍රදේශයද අනාරක්ෂිත බව සැලකිණි. අරුගම් බේ සහ පොතුවිල් යා කළ පාලම එදා ත්සුනාමි රළ පහරින් සම්පූර්ණයෙන් විනාශ විණි.නමුත් වත්මන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ වාතාවරණය යුද බියෙන් තොර ආරක්ෂා සහිත තත්ත්වයක පැවතීමත් රට ත්‍රස්තවාදයෙන් සහමුලින් ම මුදාගැනීමත් නිසා සංචාරකයින් මෙරටට පැමිණෙමින් තිබේ. සුනාමි ව්‍යසනයෙන් පසු ව එම ප්‍රදේශයේ රජය විශාල සංවර්ධනයක් සිදු කර තිබෙන අතර අරුගම් බේ පාලම සම්පූර්ණයෙන් නිම කළ අතර මඩකලපුව සිට අරුගම්බේ දක්වා ඇති සියලු ම පාලම් නවීකරණය කරමින් අලුත්වැඩියා කර තිබේ. මේ අනුව සංචාරකයින් නැවතත් අරුගම් බේ වෙත පැමිණෙමින් සිටින අතර ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංචරණය (Sri Lanka Tourism) සංචාරක ප්‍රවර්ධන වැඩසටහන් ඔස්සේ ලොව පුරා සංචාරකයින් දැනුවත් කිරීමේ කාර්යයේ නියැලී සිටී.