A walk through the rich heritage of Sri Lanka

The sweet and woody flavour of the aromatic Lankan cinnamon brought Portuguese ships in droves to the shores of Sri Lanka in the 16^th century. With the spice giving a powerful punch to the palates in far-off places, the flow of foreigners to Ceylon, the colonial name of Sri Lanka, increased manifold. Without any surprise, the epicentre of Lankan cinnamon cultivation greets every traveller with a whiff of the savoury past. The 185km-long journey from Bentota to the port city of Hambantota takes you through the land of cinnamon, treasured gem deposits and the historic Galle Fort. The Portuguese brought Ceylon under its control, eyeing the spices in the 16^th century. The Dutch and, later, the British colonized the island in the 17th century to get a firm hold over cinnamon sticks. Even now, the Lankan cinnamon is the costliest spice in the world.

The gem industry of Sri Lanka also has a long and interesting history. Italian traveller and writer Marco Polo had noted centuries ago that the island was the repository of the world’s best sapphires, topazes, amethysts, and other gems. There are many spots in Sri Lanka where these invaluable gems are mined. A visit to these mines will give travellers a first-hand experience of the whole process, from the collection of raw gems to the polishing before they hit the market.

The next place of interest while travelling from Bentota to Hambantota is the iconic Galle Fort, which is an architectural heritage monument with a Unesco World Heritage tag. Though Galle was established as a fort city in the 16^th century, the place reached the peak of development in the 18^th century under the Dutch. The fort is a blend of European architecture and the architectural traditions of South Asia. Though the 2004 tsunami battered the fort city, the Sri Lankan government left no stone unturned to restore the city to its old glory without losing its aesthetic value. Many historic buildings, including All Saints’ Church, New Orient Hotel, Dutch Reformed Church, National Maritime Museum and Old Dutch Hospital, are in this fort city.

Safari at Udawalawe National Park
The Udawalawe National Park provides a unique experience of seeing elephants and other wild animals in close quarters. You have to travel through country roads after taking a detour from the Southern Express Highway to reach the park, which is spread across 30 821 hectares (119 sq mile) and is the third most popular such facility in Sri Lanka. Though the park boasts of housing rare species of animals, the main attraction is elephants. The national park is home to 94 varieties of plants, 43 different species of animals, 184 species of birds, 12 amphibians, 33 reptiles, and 21 varieties of fish.

Tsunami-hit Hambantota
Hambantota, which is an important city in southern Sri Lanka, had to bear the brunt of the gigantic tsunami waves in 2004, and thousands of people lost their lives in the catastrophe. The bogies of a train that were gobbled up by the tsunami waves were found kilometres away from the railway track, and all the passengers were killed. The Hambantota port, built with Chinese backing, hogged the headlines for China’s move towards ‘debt-trap diplomacy’. Hambantota is poised to grow as the second biggest city on the island after Colombo.

En route Colombo through expressway
Colombo is 230km from Hambantota, and the drive through the expressway to the capital city is riveting. Though Sri Lanka is bogged down by civil war and financial constraints, the island nation’s infrastructure development is too good. Moreover, both the cities and villages are clean and neat.

Port City Colombo
The Port City is a dream project of Sri Lanka and is coming up on 269 acres of reclaimed land facing the Galle Green beach. The island’s only artificial beach is also in the Port City. The Sri Lankan government has rolled out various initiatives to attract investments to the special economic zone that could fuel the country's future development. The government aims to convert the Port City into a transit hub.

Colombo: Heart of Sri Lanka
Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka regarding the number of skyscrapers and population. The capital city has many remnants that remind one of the Dutch, Portuguese, and British who colonized the island in various periods. The city, replete with Buddhist temples, busy markets, ancient temples, five-star hotels and traditional eateries, resembles a small town in Europe. While the Dutch Museum and the Independence Square illuminate Sri Lanka’s colonial past, the Colombo National Museum speaks about the island nation’s history and heritage.

The Independence Hall, which commemorates the independence of Sri Lanka, is one of the must-visit spots in Sri Lanka. The hall is a memorial to Sri Lanka gaining independence from the British and marking the beginning of self-rule through an elected legislative on February 4, 1948. The Independence Memorial Museum is at the Independence Square in Colombo’s cinnamon garden. The statue of first Prime Minister Don Stephen Senanayake stands tall in front of the memorial.

The office of Radio Ceylon, which is bound to evoke nostalgic memories for Malayalees, is situated near the Independence Hall. Radio Ceylon, which came into existence in 1925, three years after BBC Radio was established, is the first radio station in Asia. Long ago, Keralites used to tune into Radio Ceylon to listen to Malayalam songs. And the station played Malayalam songs for one hour from four in the afternoon.

You could also find many historical monuments in Colombo. Jami ul-Alfar Masjid, also known as Red Mosque, Gangaramaya Buddhist temple, Sri Manika Vinayagar Kovil, a Hindu temple, and St. Anthony’s Church, the place of worship that witnessed a deadly Easter Sunday bombings, are in close proximity to each other in the city. The boat ride on the Beira Lake and a visit to the oldest and the largest park in Colombo, the Viharamahadevi Park, will give travellers bagful of memories. You can also get a panoramic view of the city by standing atop the 350ft-tall Colombo Lotus Tower, which is the tallest tower in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is a country that can be easily accessed by south Indians, especially people living in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Though the landscape and sceneries are similar to that of Kerala, Sri Lanka will give European countries a run for their money when it comes to hospitality and cleanliness. Another positive thing about Indians travelling to Sri Lanka is that one Indian rupee is equivalent to 3.5 Sri Lankan rupee. Though it is not dirt cheap, a trip to Sri Lanka won’t burn a hole in your pocket.