Sri Lanka's First Floating Market Opens For Public

Floating Market declared open
Colombo's new landmark 'The Floating Market" in Pettah, Colombo was ceremoniously declared open (25th August).

Hon Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena declared open the new shopping and dining precinct in the presence of Secretary Defence and Urban Development Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa. This concept market in Bastian Mawatha was built by the Urban Development Authority under the direction of Secretary Defence.

The Floating Market which sits between the long distance private bus terminal in Pettah and the Fort railway station contains 92 stalls including a restaurant and refreshment stalls. In addition to the private shopping stalls it will also house a number of selected state institutions that will offer local produce, gems and jewellery etc.

The first of its kind market in the country, the Floating Market will offer people a unique shopping and dining experience in a beautiful setting. It's convenient location will offer easy access to the visitors.

Stalls are built on the banks of a canal of the Beira Lake. Floating platforms selling vegetables and fruit are one of the attractions of the market. The special light setup with solar powered street lamps illuminate the area with shades of various colours. Artistically landscaped walkway and the tree lined street reflect the environmental concern showed during the construction phase of the market.

After declare opening the market the guests visited the market complex and unveiled a commemorative plaque erected there to mark the occasion. Certificates of appreciation were also presented to the officials and other personnel who contributed their valuable services towards the successful completion of the project by the chief guest. A dance performance depicting a rural market place enthralled those present and also exemplified the Pettah market place in the past. 

Construction work of the Floating Market was handled by the engineering units of the army and navy.

Sri Lanka Tourism's mega taxi advertising campaign in Germany

Sri Lanka Tourism's mega taxi advertising campaign in Germany draws high response..

A mega taxi advertising campaign launched in Germany early this year by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau has drawn heavy response from the target audience in Germany, the government news portal announced.

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau under the guidance of Ministry of Economic Development launched the campaign in Germany on 07th March during the ITB Travel and Trade Fair 2014.

Under this campaign 300 taxies were branded focusing on tourism attraction themes appealing to the German market such as Ayurveda, Wildlife, Beaches, Heritage and Culture featuring 'Sri Lanka -A Journey Awaits' tagline.

The campaign covered four major cities in Germany such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Frankfurt running for a 6 months period consecutively.

The campaign has so far received very high response from the target audience in Germany and from the Sri Lanka travel trade partners.

According to the research it shows that the German arrivals to Sri Lanka have increased by 24% compared to same period last year soon after the campaign was launched in four major cities. The travel agents and tour operators have said that the booking engine reservations from Germany has sharply increased and the inquiries made for Sri Lanka travel packages have gone up considerably since then.

The Taxi campaign was aimed to attract high-end tourists to the country by reaching the key cities in Germany where the frequency of spotting these advertisements is quite high.

SLTPB has initiated the "Global Mega Promotional Campaign" this year under the guidance of The Ministry of Economic Development of Sri Lanka with the intention of increasing tourist arrivals from European region. As part of this campaign 1200 taxis are being branded featuring key tourism attractions of Sri Lanka in major destinations around the world including UK, France, Germany, Korea and Japan.

Use of taxi advertising is a powerful tool for Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau to drive brand awareness and help project the country as a beautiful tourist destination across German cities. As an outdoor advertising format, advertising on taxis allows huge reach to valuable audiences who will be drawn in by this attractive campaign.

The German campaign has shown encouraging signs of the of Taxi branding campaigns by creating a huge impact through the four chosen locations in Germany by creating opportunity to attract winter holiday planners across Germany to Sri Lanka. The 12-week UK campaign launched in in three of the UK's biggest cities - Manchester, Birmingham and London - is expected to create a huge impact with the three chosen locations offering the biggest and wealthiest audiences in the UK.

Sri Lanka Traditional Foods

Appa (Hoppers)

Appam is a type of South Indian pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk. It is also very popular in Sri Lanka where it is commonly referred to by its anglicized name as Hoppers. It is eaten most frequently for breakfast or dinner. It is known as ආප්ප (Appa) in Sinhala.

Variations

• Plain hoppers

bowl-shaped thin pancakes made from fermented rice flour. They derive their shape from the small Appachatti in which they are cooked. They are fairly neutral in taste and mostly served with some spicy condiment or curry. These hoppers are made from a batter using rice,yeast, salt and a little sugar. After the mixture has stood for a couple of hours, it can be fried in the appachatti with a little oil.

• Egg hoppers

the same as plain hoppers, but an egg is broken into the pancake as it cooks

• Milk hoppers

have a spoonful of thick coconut milk/coconut cream added to the doughy center. When cooked, the centre is firm to the touch but remains soft inside and is sweeter as a result of the coconut milk.

Puttu

Puttu) is a South Indian and Sri Lankan breakfast dish of steamed cylinders of ground rice layered with coconut. It is highly popular in the Indian state of Kerala as well as in many areas of Sri Lanka, where it is also known as pittu. Puttu is served with side dishes such as palm sugar or chickpea curry or banana.

Puttu principally consists of coarsely ground rice, grated coconut and water. It is often spiced with cumin, but may have other spices. The Sri Lankan variant is usually made with wheat flour or red rice-flour without cumin.

Puttu is made by slowly adding water to ground rice until the correct texture is achieved. It is then spiced, formed and steamed with layers of grated coconut.
Puttu is generally cooked in a metal puttu kutti vessel with two sections. The lower section holds water and the upper section holds the puttu where the rice mixture is inserted with layers of grated coconut. Perforated lids separate the sections to allow the steam to pass between them. A number of alternative cooking vessels are used, such as traditional vessels where a perforated coconut shell is attached to a section of bamboo, or a chiratta puttu made of a coconut shell or of metal shaped similarly to a coconut shell.

Puttu is frequently served with various breakfast dishes, such as papadum, plantain, fish curry, jackfruit, mango, chicken curry and kadala curry .In Sri Lanka, pittu is usually accompanied with tripe curry, fish or a meat curry, coconut milk and a sambol.

Idiyappam (String Hoppers)

Idiyappam string hoppers is a traditional Sri Lankan food consisting of rice flour pressed into noodle form and then steamed.

idiyappam is culinary specialty in Kerala, Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu and southern areas of Karnataka (especially in the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kodagu) . It is also a culinary staple in Sri Lanka. The name idiyappam derives from the Tamil/Malayalam words idi, meaning 'broken down', and appam, meaning "pancake". Pronounced as e-di- ap-pam The dish is also, frequently, called noolappam or noolputtu from the Malayalam/Tamil/Kannada/Kodava word nool, meaning "string or thread", especially in Kodagu. In coastal areas of Karnataka it is also termed semige.

It is made of rice flour or ragi flour (Finger millet flour), salt and water. It is generally served as the main course at breakfast or dinner together with a curry (potato, egg, fish or meat curry) and coconut chutney. It is served with coconut milk and sugar in Sri Lanka and in the Malabar region of Kerala. It is not usually served at lunch.

Mix rice flour with hot water, optionally add ghee, season with salt. Knead into a smooth dough. Fill an 'idiyappam' press or a sieve with the dough and press the noodles onto banana leaves or directly into an idli steamer. Add a little grated coconut if desired. Steam for 5–10 minutes. The idiyappam is served with coconut gratings and coconut milk.

Kalutara Bodiya

The Kalutara Bodiya is one of the religious place which is venerated by all Buddhist in Sri Lanka. Anybody who comes from Colombo or Galle Stop over at the Sacred Shrine to pay their respects by way of worshipping and offerings. Here is a hollow dagoba with interesting paintings. During 2nd century AD the Ven. Mahinda Thera has directed that 32 saplings taken from the Sri Mahabodhiya be planted at certain points around the country it is believed that the present Bo-Tree in Kalutara is supposed to be one of the 32 saplings of Sri Maha Bodiya. The Kalutara Bodiya is located just after the Kalutara River from the Colombo side.

Gems of Ceylon

Most tourists who visit Ceylon would like to take away a precious or semi precious stone, or a jewel set with one or more of them as a memento. Colombo has the largest number of reputable jewellery shops in Ceylon. You may care to step in to one of these. Avoid any shops into which a tout tries to drag you. Young travel agent or officials of the tourists board will give you the names of reliable shops.

The gem of Ceylon have been famous since very early times. Fa-Hien in the fifth century A.D speaks of “the great ruby” above the temple of the tooth at Anuradhapura which shines like a bright star by night. Marco polo, the venetian traveler, mentions a ruby which belonged to the king of Ceylon which was “a span in length, without a flaw & brilliant beyond description” this would, of course, be a exaggeration.

In Rathnapura (Gem town) & Ruwanwella (Gem travel) & the area around them, mining for gems has gone on for many centuries. Some gems are got from river travels. On the road to Rathnapura (90.12km from Colombo) one can often see in a paddy field a derrick-like structure erected to raise the gem gravel from pits dug through the alluvium. The gravel is brought up in baskets & washed in a stream. The rough stones are hand-picked by an expert. The cutting & polishing is almost entirely in the hands of Moorish craftsmen. The medieval Chinese called Ceylon gems “ mohammedan stone" it is a speculative business, & it is only when a gem is cut & polished that its real value can be assessed.

Gems found in Ceylon include, sapphires,rubies,cat'seyes,alexandrites,aquamarines,amethysts,topazes,tourmalines,zircons,garnets & moon stones. Diamonds, emeralds, opals & turquoises do not occur naturally in Ceylon : but they have been bought in the past,& are on sale in the shops, pearls, which used to be an important export from Ceylon, are no longer available. They are not of course gems as the term is generally understood, but organic products.

Large sapphires, generally of a deep blue color, are commoner than rubies, Ceylon rubies are not so plentiful or so rich in color as the burmese pigeon- blood rubies. A point to remember is that a species cannot be identified by colour alone. A good colour sense & considerable experience are needed before one can recognize a gem by its characteristic shade of colour. It has to emphasized again that gems should be bought only from reputable merchants, as there is much scope for faking in the business

Some rubies & sapphires have " stars". The phenomenon which produce the star is called asterism. The effect of asterism is brought out when the stones are cut en cabochon ( i.e with a dome-shaped surface) Those stones, when viewed in the direction of the crystallographic axis, display six narrow lines of light, radiating at 60 degrees from centre, in a manner suggesting a star. The whi tish  sheen seen is some rubies & sapphires, due to the vast number of microscopically small canals reflecting light is called "silk"
The cat's- eye in a form of chrisoberyl. When cut en cabochon is shows a very changeable band of light across the done. 

Alexandrite, also a form of chrisoberyl, are green by reflected light & deep red by transmitted light. The aquamarine belongs to the beryl family which also includes the much rarer & more valuable emerald, which is not found in Ceylon. The usual colour in which the aquamarine is found in pale blue & pale green
 
The amethyst is a quartz with a superb purple or violet colour. The topaz is the most popular yellow stone in jewellery. The rose- tinted spinels over shadowed by the ruby. The tourmaline occurs in a wide variety of colors: red,yellow,brown,green,indigo  & jet black. Some are opaque. Moon stones, which are popular in inexpensive jewellery, are less common than they used to be.

The distinction between precious stone & semi precious stones is arbitrary & often depends on the commoner Ceylon gems

Colorless: conundrum( white sapphire) , garnet( rare), quartz,spinel( very rare), topaz,tourmaline,zircon( sometimes called matara diamonds)

Yellow or orange: conundrum( yellow sapphire), garnet, quartz,spinel, topaz, tourmaline, zircon

Brown: garnet,tourmaline,zircoqn

Red & pink: conundrum( ruby & pink sapphire), spinel,garnet,quartz,tourmaline,zircon

Purple & violet: quqartz( amethyst), corundrum( violet sapphire) ,spinel,tourmaline

Blue: corundrum( blue sapphire),aquamarine,spinel,topaz,tourmaline,zircon

Green: aquamarine, conundrums ( green sapphire) ,garnet,topaz,tourmaline

Black: tourmaline,spinel

The government has formed a gem corporation which buys & sells Ceylon gems. Its chief show-room is in York street, the premises formerly occupied by macan markars, the well known gem merchants, just opposite national & grindlay' s bank in the fort colombo.

Surfing in Arugam Bay

Situated in the district of Ampara, Approximately 314 km from Colombo, Arugam Bay is Known as one of the best three surfing spots in the world. this typical fishing village to the south of the small town of Pottuvil can be reached via A4 from Colombo. The unspoilt town of Srugam Bay offers an abundance of opportunities for those with a passion for water sports and underwater photography.

Sri Lanka Windsurfing is a popular water sport among the foreign tourists who visit the palm fringed pristine beaches of Sri Lanka. The most popular surfing beaches of the island are Hikkaduwa of South Western coastal belt and Arugam bay (International surfing competition venue) of Eastern coastal belt of Sri Lanka. Since the early 60’s Sri Lanka attracts surfers from all over the world. The Windsurfing opportunities offered in Sri Lanka attracts the amateur windsurfers as well as the world class Windsurfers participating in international Windsurfing competitions.

The resplendent waters surrounding the moon-shaped curl of soft golden sand in the eastern shores of Sri Lanka are known to be one of the best ‘point brakes’ in the world. Experience and ride through the majestic waves of the ocean as they break in an exhilarating rush. Surfing is best in Arugam bay during the season of April to October each year. During this time is conducted the UK Pro-Surfers Association’s Sri Lanka Surf Championships, an event open to all and where the entire place becomes a hub of activity as the best Surfers across the seas comes together to participate in the thrilling event in one of the finest Surfing hotspots in the world.

Ratnapura The City of Gems

Ratnapura lies 101 Km Southeast of Colombo. The scenic route takes you passing paddy fields, rubber plantations and tea estates.

Throughout history, Sri Lanka has been known as a land of gems. King Solomon was said to have procured a great ruby for the queen of Sheba from Ceylon (Sri Lanka's former name). Marco Polo (1293 AD) wrote about the ruby that once graced the Ruwanweliseya Dagoba at Anuradhapura..."a flawless ruby a span long and quite as thick as a man's fist".

Sri Lanka has produced three of the world's largest blue sapphires, including the 'Blue Bell' which adorns the British crown and the 'Star of India', displayed at the New York Museum of Natural History.

A visit to one of the museums or many gem workshops will give you the opportunity to see a variety of precious stone, such as rubies, sapphires, cat's eyes, alexandrites, aquamarines, tourmalines, spinels, topaz, garnets, amethyst, zircons etc. You could also visit one of the gem mines.
Temple in the sky

Ratnapura is situated at the foot of the 2243 metre high Adam's Peak. All four major religions claim Adam's Peak as a holy mountain. Buddhists call the mountain Sri Pada (the sacred footprint), or Samanalakande (Butterfly Mountain) and believe the Lord Buddha has visited the mountain and set his sacred footprint. Hindu's say it's Lord Shiva's and Muslims believe that it is the place where Adam first set foot on earth, after being cast out of heaven. Catholics say it is of St. Thomas' the Christian Apostle who preached in South India.

Ratnapura is also the staring point for the 'Classic' Hard route up Adam's Peak, via Gilimale and Carney estate. The Pilgrimage season starts on Poya (full moon) day in December and runs until the start of the South-West Monsoon in April. It has been a pilgrimage centre for over a 1000 years. King Parakramabahu and King Nissanka Malla of Polonnaruwa provided ambalamas or 'resting places' for weary pilgrims along the mountain route. The other more popular route is through Dalhousie (pronounced 'Del-house') close to Dickoya.
Other routes to Adam's Peak.

Wonderful Heritage Our Buddhism Pure (Terawadha Buddhism) Sri Lanka

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya

J

aya Sri Maha Bodhi is a Sacred Fig tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is the southern branch from the historical Bodhi tree Sri Maha Bodhi at Bodh Gaya in India under which Lord Buddha attained Enlightenment. It was planted in 288 BC, and is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date. Today it is one of the most sacred relics of the Buddhists in Sri Lanka and respected by Buddhists all over the world.

In the 3rd century BC, it was brought to Sri Lanka by Sangamitta Thera, the daughter of Emperor Asoka and founder of an order of Buddhist nuns in Sri Lanka. In 288 BC it was planted by King Devanampiya Tissa on a high terrace about 6.5 m (21.3 ft) above the ground in the Mahamevnāwa Park in Anuradhapura and surrounded by railings.

Several ancient kings have contributed in developing this religious site. King Vasabha (65 - 107 AD) placed four Buddha statues in four side of the sacred tree. King Voharika Tissa (214 - 236 AD) added metallic statues. King Mahanaga (569 - 571 AD) constructed a water canal around the sacred tree and King Sena II (846 - 866 AD) renovated it.

The present wall was constructed by Ilupandeniye Athtadassi Thero (monk) during the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha, to protect it from wild elephants which might have damaged the tree. The height of the wall is 10 ft (3.0 m); and 5 ft (1.5 m) in thickness; its length from north to south is 388 ft (118.3 m) and from east to west 274 ft (83.5 m).

The first golden fence around the sacred tree was constructed by some Buddhist followers in Kandy under the guidance of Yatirawana Narada Thero (monk) in 1969. The iron fence below the above golden fence was created by people of Gonagala under the guidance of Yagirala Pannananda Thero (monk). The second golden fence was constructed under the guidance of then Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickramasinghe in 2003.

Two statues of Lord Buddha can be seen in the image-house; a stone-standing-statue is in the right side of the stone wall. The cobra-stone is a very rare creation, showing the embossed figure of cobra. Several monolith heads with plain incisions are in this religious site.

Ruins of an ancient building called Mayura Pirivena (Mayura Monastery) have been found to the south-west of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi and the ruins of a stupa (is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the ashes of Buddhist monks, used by Buddhists as a place of meditation.) called Dakkhina Tupa (Southern Monastery) can be seen nearby.

According to the ancient chronicles in Sri Lanka, some walls and terraces had been built surrounding the sacred tree on some occasions in the past. Mahavamsa (is a historical book written in the Pali language of the Kings of Sri Lanka). states that King Gothabhaya (249 – 262 AD) had built a rubble wall and Dipavamsa (is the oldest historical record of Sri Lanka) reports about a rock-laid terrace and a lattice wall built by King Kirthi Sri Meghavarna (302 - 330 AD).

The above facts have already been established. While digging the earth for the purpose of reconstructing the present wall recently, a rubble wall with its foundation created by King Gotabhya and a rock-laid terrace together with a lattice wall constructed by King Kirthi Sri Meghavarna were found. These findings were preserved at places where they were and are now opened to public since January 2010.
Two branches of the sacred tree were broken down due to storm in 1907 and 1911. A lunatic cut and fell down a branch in 1929.

Kiribath (Milk Rice)

Kiribath (milk rice) is a traditional Sri Lankan dish made from rice. The word is a compound with a transparent meaning in the Sinhala language, where kiri means "milk" and bath means "rice". Kiribath can be considered a form of Rice pudding. The dish is prepared by cooking rice with coconut milk, whence this name. In Tamil, the dish is called paalchoru. The origins of Kiribath are not clear although it has now become a traditional dish and is common in almost every household in Sri Lanka, be it rich or poor.

Kiribath is an essential dish for any auspicious moment. It is very commonly served for breakfast on the first day of each month and is a very important aspect for the Sinhalese in celebrating the Sinhalese New Year. Kiribath is cooked and served as the first meal after the dawn of the New Year.

The recipe for Kiribath is fairly simple. After the rice is cooked in boiling water for about fifteen minutes, the coconut milk is added and cooked again until the liquid is absorbed. Salt is also added when cooking. 

However there are some variations to this where different ingredients are added, such as sesame seeds or cashew.

Kiribath is usually served with Lunumiris, a mixture of red onions and spices. It is also consumed with jaggery and bananas. On the Sinhalese New Year or on any other special occasion, it is served alongside traditional sweets like 'Kevum', 'Kokis' and 'Athirasa'.
The common method of serving Kiribath is placed on a flat plate and leveling the top and sides. Then it is cut into diamond shaped pieces. This has become almost the standard way of serving Kiribath, and it is almost impossible to find it being served in any other way^.

Lunumiris (Katta Sambola)

Lunumiris (or lunu miris) is a spicy Sri Lankan sambal paste served as a condiment. It consists of chili pepper and sea salt, usually ground with mortar and pestle.


A common derivative is katta sambal, which adds other ingredients that can include white or red onions, maldive fish and lime juice. Lunumiris is mainly eaten in rural areas, whereas katta sambal is ubiquitous in Sri Lanka. It is not unusual for katta sambal to be called lunumiris, although this is not strictly correct.