About Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's place in world history may not be as a mighty army
of conquerors, or an invincible warrior nation defending her
honour against the British empire. The magic of this fairy tale
island extends far beyond the deeds of her people, who are among
the warmest and most hospitable in the world. In the days when
the world was young, it was said this enchanting island consoled
Adam for the loss of Paradise and made the beautiful Sita of
the Indian epic the Ramayana, forget a king's love. Sri Lanka's
legendary beauty, fragrant spices, precious gems, rare pearls,
sublime culture and hospitable people called princes, poets,
traders, empire builders, explorers and admirers to its shores.
As now, just as irresistibly, it calls you. For whether by accident
or design, Sri Lanka is a land of happy surprises, lavish abundance,
delightful paradoxes and improbable contrasts. Peerless natural
beauty is everywhere. Sunlit seas, sun-drenched beaches, verdant
tropical lowlands and dramatically beautiful highlands.
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Just 160 km away from the coconut and mango
groves of Colombo, its seaport commercial capital, the highlands
of Nuwara Eliya beckon as a veritable 'Little England', where
asparagus, carnations and strawberries flourish in misty mountain
gardens. From the stately architecture of ancient civilisations
to the wild beauty of jungle kingdoms, from the rich splendour
of its gem mining to the precious spices of the orient, from
the ancient rulers to the piquant potpourri of ethnic diversity
that make up Sri Lanka's population now, this is a land that
shares its enriching experience generously with all its visitors.
Small wonder that it was christened 'Serendib' by early Arab
traders, from which the English language coined the word 'serendipity'
- a happy discovery made by accident. |
