Serendib - May 2012

En este número

Temples full of pious devotees, trees laden with flowers and come night the country becomes a festival of illumination as Pandals light up and stories depicted on them are broadcasted for everyone to hear. This is Vesak in Sri Lanka.
The intensity of religious fervour, the palpable atmosphere of spirituality, a singular faith that transcends diversity can all be witnessed here at the Kataragama Festival – the domain of God Kataragama or Kataragama Deviyo.
An adventurous journey by boat that explores and devles into the history, the culture and the beautiful surroundings along the Hamilton Canal.
From a distance all you see is a ball of black fur that sluggishly moves amidst the shrubs. Adorably cuddly yet ferocious this is none other than our very own Sri Lankan sloth bear.
There is no proper trail up Riverstone Mountain – just a private access road that leads to the two telecommunication towers that crown each of the peaks. The path is mostly paved, and it’s a pleasant way to start the morning – fresh air, birdsongs and the occasional breeze.
One of Sri Lanka's best known sites, the Rock Palace of Sigiriya has a timeless allure that continues to draw visitors each day.
Sri Lanka's traditional music is dominated by drums of different sizes and designs; drums of varying wood and sounds. The insistent pulse of percussion, the definitive heartbeat of the island, is everywhere to be heard, drifting over jungle and town alike.
Amman is unique in the way it straddles two archetypes – as a great cultural hub of antiquity and as a great Arab centre of the future – offering a refreshing blend of the past and the future. It is a city where time-honoured temples and mosques jostle for space with soaring skyscrapers and picket-fenced villas.