Welcome to 'a birds eye view' over the paradise island of Sri Lanka aided by the surround sound of the indian ocean. Divine Never seen before view of Sri Lanka captured from Seaplanes, Helicopters and Hot Air Balloons. From the East Coast to the West Coast with the divine percussion of tidal waves lapping on sand and rocks creating a paradisical orchestra throughout the big trip on the small island. This is the first ever documented aerial photography trip over Sri Lanka. Featured on National Geographic, Discovery Travel & Living and many other Travel Channels.
Created for the Sri Lanka Tourism Board Cluster & funded for Tsunami Relief on the island by US AID.
Writer & Creative Director: senthil kumar
Art Director: debu purkayashta
Chief Executive: thayalan bartlett @ jwt srilanka
Director Of Photography & Producer: suren de silva @ videoimage
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Video Sri Lanka Tourism 2011
Nice video tour around Sri Lanka - culture, wildlfe, scenic places. beaches, upcountry landscape etc.
Toursim video - Sri Lanka Small Miracle
Sri Lanka Small Miracle -
Sri Lanka Tourism officially launched its new logo and tagline Sri Lanka Small Miracle with the ushering of peace in a new era.
Addressing the guests and media via a live feed from Temple Trees at the launch of Small Miracle at the BMICH, President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared 2011 as Visit Sri Lanka Year.
In keeping with this theme, a series of activities and events have been planned in 2011 to lure in more tourists to the island.
The President said: Having regained peace, my vision for development of tourism has become a reality. The rebranding is an integral part of the repositioning strategy of Sri Lanka Tourism, and comes at an opportune time with the dawning of a new era of peace in Sri Lanka, where there are much expectations and opportunities in the tourism industry.
Managing Director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Dileep Mudadeniya, said The objective of the Sri Lanka Tourism re-branding exercise was to create a single core idea that can change peoples perception of the country.
The challenge faced by Sri Lanka Tourism during the brand strategy planning session in 2006 was to find an idea that embraces the truth of the country, which is relevant to the potential visitor; then communicate that idea through every material item produced, thus establishing an integrated marketing communication approach, he said.
Sri Lankan tourism industry has a great potential in the future. In 2008 Sri Lanka Tourism was able to earn economic events worth around US$ nine trillion and we hope that in the future Tourism will be one of the major foreign exchange earning industry, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Bernard Goonetilleke said.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Ayurveda in Sri Lanka
Ayurveda is nature's way of caring and curing. The preparation of ayurvedic medications is usually a long process with ingredients being ground in a pestle for a prescribed period of time. Juices and extracts of plants are simmered until they reduce to a fraction of their original volume. Besides decoctions, wines, pills and powders for internal use, ayurveda also uses poultices, pastes, ointments and oils for external application. The methods of ayurvedic treatment vary from steam baths to massages, and recommended codes for healthy living which include dietary and sodo-cultural practices. Ayurveda is a cure for a lifetime and a way of life. Generations of Sri Lankans continue to use these age-old remedies, living to a ripe old age in excellent physical and mental condition. Together with its meditative aspects, ayurveda is a gentle and relaxed treatment for both mind and body resulting in tranquility, zest and energy.
ANCIENT GLORY - CULTURAL SITES OF SRI LANKA
The ruined cities of Sri Lanka take the visitor back through many centuries during which a unique civilization flourished. Anuradhapura, Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa, extending from the 3rd Century BC to the 12th Century AD record a grandeur unsurpassed.
The gentle sway of Buddhism which, transformed the Indo-Aryan Sinhalese has produced magnificent feats of architecture and construction. In the massive dagobas, the ornate pleasure gardens and palaces and the exquisite sculpture which abounds, particularly at Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.
The Ruvanveliseya. Abhayagiriya, Jetawanaramaya, Thuparama all at Anuradhapura are dagobas which are still venerated by the Buddhists. Well preserved and restored these grand Buddhist shrines of the past reveal the past glory of a city which in its heyday, exceeded in size some of the largest cities of the modern world.
The Samadhi statue of the seated, meditating Buddha, the intricately sculpted guardstones and moonstones speak of a standard of sculpture and artistry which is unmatched up to this day.
Polonnaruwa, shows the interesting blend of the influence of South Indian Hindu culture on the Sinhala Buddhist art and architecture. The Shiva Devales are interesting transposition of the Hindu style of decor. The Gal Vihare complex, of the seated. standing and reclining Buddha sculpted in granite is one of the most evocative pieces of the sculptors art anywhere. The Lankatilleke Viharaya shows a unique style of brickwork architecture while the Tivanka image house has some of the best examples of Buddhist frescoes of the 11 th Century.
The Vatadage complex of temples, with the Temple of the Tooth Relic and the Nissanka Lata Mandapaya all show the heights of stone craft and artistry which prevailed in this period of Lanka's history.
Sigiriya was an interregnum of great excitement. Built by Kasyapa who killed his father to gain his wealth, this literal fortress in the sky, is a masterpiece of construction, artistry and irrigation. It was a resort of pleasure, a citadel of beauty and fortress of strength. Sigiriya has been made famous throughout the world for the frescoes on its rock wall. The Heavenly Maidens, preserved as part of the world's artistic heritage. While the frescoes are certainly captivating, there is much more to see and discover at Sigiriya, which was later a monastery and also has some links to very early Christianity in Sri Lanka.
Dambulla or the Golden Rock is a cave temple which dates back to the 1 st Century BC. Its rock ceiling is one large sweep of colourful frescoes which depict Buddhist mythology and the tales of the Buddha's previous births. Within the cave temple is the collection of the largest number of Buddha statues in one place.
One of the most important places of worship at Anuradhapura is The Sri Maha Bodhi, the oldest historically documented tree in the world, dating back to over 2000 years with clear documentation.
This Bodhi Tree (Ficus Religiosa) has been grown from the same tree under which the Siddhartha Gautama. meditated until he attained enlightenment and Buddhahood more than 2500 years ago, at Buddhagaya in India.
The sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi was brought to Sri Lanka as a gift from the Emperor Asoka of Ili1dia, shortly after the introduction of Buddhism to the country by the Arahat Mahinda, the son of Asoka. The person chosen to bring the bodhi sapling was Sangamittha, the daughter of Asoka.
Through the centuries the Sri Maha Bodhi has been venerated by Buddhists in Sri Lanka and the world over. Successive kings have taken steps to protect it, as seen by the several retaining walls around it. Today it is looked after as a national treasure by botanists, specially appointed by the government. The gilded fence around it, known as the Ran Veta, is a recent offering made through public contribution.
Devotees make many offerings to the Sri Maha Bodhi. The most common are the prayer flags which are hung on its branches.
Sri Lanka's ancient cities are also the centres of the irrigation works of the past. Massive reservoirs built to collect rain water, river diversions, giant aqueducts and miles long irrigation channels are proof of a civilization highly developed in the science of irrigation, hydraulics and water management.
Most of these ancient irrigation works such as the Tissa Wewa, Basawakkulama and Nuwara Wewa at Anuradhapura; the massive Parakrama Samudhra or Sea of Parakrama, Giritale and Minneriya in the Polonnaruwa region, the Kalawewa and Balaluwewa still provide water to irrigate the rice fields of the rice farmers of the dry zone in Sri Lanka.
The gentle sway of Buddhism which, transformed the Indo-Aryan Sinhalese has produced magnificent feats of architecture and construction. In the massive dagobas, the ornate pleasure gardens and palaces and the exquisite sculpture which abounds, particularly at Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.
The Ruvanveliseya. Abhayagiriya, Jetawanaramaya, Thuparama all at Anuradhapura are dagobas which are still venerated by the Buddhists. Well preserved and restored these grand Buddhist shrines of the past reveal the past glory of a city which in its heyday, exceeded in size some of the largest cities of the modern world.
The Samadhi statue of the seated, meditating Buddha, the intricately sculpted guardstones and moonstones speak of a standard of sculpture and artistry which is unmatched up to this day.
Polonnaruwa, shows the interesting blend of the influence of South Indian Hindu culture on the Sinhala Buddhist art and architecture. The Shiva Devales are interesting transposition of the Hindu style of decor. The Gal Vihare complex, of the seated. standing and reclining Buddha sculpted in granite is one of the most evocative pieces of the sculptors art anywhere. The Lankatilleke Viharaya shows a unique style of brickwork architecture while the Tivanka image house has some of the best examples of Buddhist frescoes of the 11 th Century.
The Vatadage complex of temples, with the Temple of the Tooth Relic and the Nissanka Lata Mandapaya all show the heights of stone craft and artistry which prevailed in this period of Lanka's history.
Sigiriya was an interregnum of great excitement. Built by Kasyapa who killed his father to gain his wealth, this literal fortress in the sky, is a masterpiece of construction, artistry and irrigation. It was a resort of pleasure, a citadel of beauty and fortress of strength. Sigiriya has been made famous throughout the world for the frescoes on its rock wall. The Heavenly Maidens, preserved as part of the world's artistic heritage. While the frescoes are certainly captivating, there is much more to see and discover at Sigiriya, which was later a monastery and also has some links to very early Christianity in Sri Lanka.
Dambulla or the Golden Rock is a cave temple which dates back to the 1 st Century BC. Its rock ceiling is one large sweep of colourful frescoes which depict Buddhist mythology and the tales of the Buddha's previous births. Within the cave temple is the collection of the largest number of Buddha statues in one place.
One of the most important places of worship at Anuradhapura is The Sri Maha Bodhi, the oldest historically documented tree in the world, dating back to over 2000 years with clear documentation.
This Bodhi Tree (Ficus Religiosa) has been grown from the same tree under which the Siddhartha Gautama. meditated until he attained enlightenment and Buddhahood more than 2500 years ago, at Buddhagaya in India.
The sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi was brought to Sri Lanka as a gift from the Emperor Asoka of Ili1dia, shortly after the introduction of Buddhism to the country by the Arahat Mahinda, the son of Asoka. The person chosen to bring the bodhi sapling was Sangamittha, the daughter of Asoka.
Through the centuries the Sri Maha Bodhi has been venerated by Buddhists in Sri Lanka and the world over. Successive kings have taken steps to protect it, as seen by the several retaining walls around it. Today it is looked after as a national treasure by botanists, specially appointed by the government. The gilded fence around it, known as the Ran Veta, is a recent offering made through public contribution.
Devotees make many offerings to the Sri Maha Bodhi. The most common are the prayer flags which are hung on its branches.
Sri Lanka's ancient cities are also the centres of the irrigation works of the past. Massive reservoirs built to collect rain water, river diversions, giant aqueducts and miles long irrigation channels are proof of a civilization highly developed in the science of irrigation, hydraulics and water management.
Most of these ancient irrigation works such as the Tissa Wewa, Basawakkulama and Nuwara Wewa at Anuradhapura; the massive Parakrama Samudhra or Sea of Parakrama, Giritale and Minneriya in the Polonnaruwa region, the Kalawewa and Balaluwewa still provide water to irrigate the rice fields of the rice farmers of the dry zone in Sri Lanka.
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