Marvellous Sri Lanka

Arcade Independence Square - Sri Lanka

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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Post war Sri Lanka
inspired a tapestry of development, framed into a comprehensive blueprint which
has been consistently and meticulously crafted to create stunning new
landmarks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">The inspiration for these iconic creations stemmed
from the desire to create “Expressions of Freedom”, which would present a
tangible real-life experience to the multitude of people residing and visiting
the capital city of Colombo. Spreading out from the capital, this philosophy of
modern city planning and development will embrace the entirety of Sri Lanka,
transforming a once ‘island nation’ into one of the most pulsating and dynamic
countries in Asia.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a tropical country blessed with comfortable weather
and inviting lush green surroundings, Sri Lanka inherently offers wonderful
spaces for good living. The city development plan envisioned under the astute
leadership of His Excellency the President, who has articulated the same in the
Mahinda Chinthanaya, and ably implemented under the stewardship of the
Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development attempts to weave in
the main different “green spaces” within cities, in order to uplift the
standard of city dwelling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The beautification and development of the city of
Colombo and its surroundings commenced immediately after the end of the war.
The Sri Lanka Armed Forces contributed in their numbers and tremendous skill
under the direction of the professionals of the Urban Development Authority,
and rallied together to systematically refurbish the city’s dilapidated structures.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The beautification and development of the city of
Colombo and its surroundings commenced immediately after the end of the war.
The Sri Lanka Armed Forces contributed in their numbers and tremendous skill
under the direction of the professionals of the Urban Development Authority,
and rallied together to systematically refurbish the city’s dilapidated
structures.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HISTORIC HERITAGE TRANSFORMED</span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arcade – Independence Square is by far one of the most important refurbishment and development projects undertaken by the Ministry of Defence and the Urban Development Authority. Once the project was identified, converting the old Auditor General’s Building into one of the grandest and trendiest shopping and entertainment arcades in the Asian region became the focal point of the team. The Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Navy were entrusted with the task of demolishing the former buildings and reconstructing this 85,000 square foot national monument within a period of just 2 years. A team of young and enterprising architects were dispatched to Paris, France to gain international exposure to heritage buildings and the beautification of a well planned city. Many global locations and cityscapes were studied in meticulous details, in order to painstakingly create a masterpiece etched with the glory of a nation with a proud heritage. The location is the most outstanding attribute of Arcade – Independence Square. Historically significant and strategically located facing one of Sri Lanka’s most prominent landmarks, Independence Square, this location holds great value in terms of the actual positioning in the city and its beautiful surroundings. It is this space, which has formed the bedrock of the Arcade’s eye-catching presence.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #545454; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Poetry in architecture creating
the impression that a beautiful city and a beautiful life is the right of every
citizen of Sri Lanka.</span><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></h4>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An interesting
collection of nooks, crannies and corners adorn the Arcade. From the street
lamp to the paved cobblestone and the myriad little wooden adornments decorate
the building. Special water features with a glass deck and the like hold the
visitor spellbound, especially at night when the lights make the entire arena
come alive. The landscaped garden with posies of many hues have been planned
and created, to add a touch of charm, order and glamour to the exterior. From
every little orifice that one would peek out from within the building, a
stunning picture garden view will emerge. The intention of the planners was to
create a complete experience of the entire arena. From a bird’s eye view, one
would most certainly feel that a ‘picture postcard’ ambience is greeting them
and inviting them to enjoy the pleasure of beautiful surroundings. The
centerpiece adorning The Arcade’s atrium is the sculpture of a pride of lions.
This is unique. Masterfully crafted in granite, this sculpture stands symbolic
of Sri Lanka’s inherent strength, courage and grace.</span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Arcade Independence Square - Sri Lanka

Post war Sri Lanka inspired a tapestry of development, framed into a comprehensive blueprint which has been consistently and meticulously crafted to create stunning new landmarks. The inspiration for these iconic creations stemmed from the desire to create “Expressions of Freedom”, which would pres…

28Jul2014

Tea of Sri Lanka

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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">While the winds of change blow softly but surely through the legendary rolling hills of Sri Lanka’s tea estates, the beautiful scenery that captivated Sir Thomas Lipton - who fell in love with the spectacular scenery around Dambatenne – still remains. From the highest spot in the region — a point known today as Lipton’s Seat — he would gaze over one of the most dramatic regions of the country, the seemingly endless hills and tumbling waterfalls giving way almost abruptly to the southern plains, which stretch as far as the eye can see, all the way to the coast.</span><br />
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Tea of Sri Lanka

While the winds of change blow softly but surely through the legendary rolling hills of Sri Lanka’s tea estates, the beautiful scenery that captivated Sir Thomas Lipton - who fell in love with the spectacular scenery around Dambatenne – still remains. From the highest spot in the region — a point k…

23Jul2014

Gems of Sri Lanka

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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-left;">A gemstone is the naturally occurring crystalline form of a mineral which is desirable for its beauty, valuable in its rarity, and durable enough to be enjoyed for generations. There are more than 30 popular gem varieties and many more rare collector gemstones. Some varieties also come in a range of colors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-left;">The Gem industry in Sri Lanka (also known as Ceylon, Serendib, etc..) has been in existence for over 2500 years. Some of the rarest of gem stones of exquisite beauty have taken pride of place, in the Crown jewels of Kings and Queens from time of Great Roamn Emperors.</span></div>
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<tr><td><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Ceylon Blue Sapphire is known for its beauty ? possessing the glorious cornflower blue shade ? as well as for being one of the few sapphires in the world that can be sold as a completely natural stone without heat treatment. The blues aside, Ceylon sapphires also come in beautiful hues including pink, yellow, orange, green, purple, lavender and of course, the inimitable padparadscha sapphire ? named after the lotus flower. All these highly marketable qualities of Ceylon sapphire has created brand recognition world wide - a brand not created by the producers of the stone, but by the sellers and consumers.<br /><br />Sapphires that show a star-like light effect are called star sapphires; the most famous star sapphire from<br />Sri Lanka is displayed in the Museum of Natural History in New York. Star sapphires or star rubies display a star-like marking and this effect, commonly known as asterism, occurs when light falls on the cut stone, cut in the cabochon form, and three rays appear giving a six-point star. However, stones with six rays have also been known to occur.<br /><br />Lastly, there is milky corundum, a white opaque form of corundum also called geuda, which for many years was regarded as useless and discarded, often ending up lining fish tanks in some gemstone merchant's house. This happened until dealers in Thailand learned to heat-treat geudas to change the colour of the stone from an unattractive cloudy grey-white to a bright, sparkling blue. They completed the work nature began and ended up with a blue sapphire - of much greater value than a useless pebble. The colour of heat-treated blue sapphires are stable and the chemical composition of the stone is that of a sapphire, although prices are lower than for a similar quality stone with natural colour.<br /><br /><br />Choosing a Sapphire<br />The most famous sources for sapphire are Kashmir and Burma, (now known as Myanmar). Kashmir sapphire, which was discovered in 1881 when a landslide in the Himalayas uncovered beautiful blue pebbles, has a rich velvety colour prized by connoisseurs. Burma sapphires, from the same region that produces fabulous rubies, are also very fine. However, today, these two sources account for a very small quantity of the sapphire on the market.<br /><br />Most fine sapphire on the market today comes from Sri Lanka, which produces a wide range of beautiful blues from delicate sky blue colours to rich saturated hues. Kanchanaburi in Thailand and Pailin in Cambodia are renowned for deep blue, even colours. Two relatively new mining localities are showing promise: Madagascar, which has produced some exceptionally fine stones in small sizes but has no organized mining yet, and Tanzania, which has long produced sapphire in other colours but is starting to produce blue colours as well from a new deposit in the south.<br /><br />The most valuable sapphires have a medium intense, vivid blue colour. The best sapphires hold the brightness of their colour under all different types of lighting. Any black, grey, or green overtones mixed in with the blue will reduce a stone's value. In general, a more pastel blue would be less preferred than a vivid blue but would be priced higher than an overly dark blackish-blue colour. As with all gemstones, sapphires, which are "clean" and have few visible inclusions or tiny flaws are the most valuable.<br /><br />Sapphires are most often cut in a cushion shape - a rounded rectangle - or an oval shape. You can also find smaller sapphires in round brilliant cuts or a wide variety of fancy shapes, including triangles, squares, emerald cuts, marquises, pear shapes, baguette shapes, cabochon cuts and smooth domes.</span></span></td></tr>
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Gems of Sri Lanka

A gemstone is the naturally occurring crystalline form of a mineral which is desirable for its beauty, valuable in its rarity, and durable enough to be enjoyed for generations. There are more than 30 popular gem varieties and many more rare collector gemstones. Some varieties also come in a range o…

22Jul2014

Kandy Esala Perahara - August 1st to 11th

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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">The month of Esala (July), during which period this annual pageant is usually held, had been considered a month of celebrations and festivity, both among Indians and Sri Lankans. Even from the lifetime of the Buddha in the 6th century BC, the Esala festival was held to commemorate the Buddha's Conception, his Renunciation and the First Sermon. Esala is also considered to be the beginning of the raining season (Vassana) when the monks commence their Retreat. Also, this month is considered to be the period when ritual performances to the protective divinities are held, (eg Pattini puja) as recorded in the text 'Pattini-Halla'. Being considered a 'chaste' month, the period is held sacred for the availability of water, hence prosperity.</span></div>
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Kandy Esala Perahara - August 1st to 11th

The month of Esala (July), during which period this annual pageant is usually held, had been considered a month of celebrations and festivity, both among Indians and Sri Lankans. Even from the lifetime of the Buddha in the 6th century BC, the Esala festival was held to commemorate the Buddha's Conc…

16Jul2014

Glamorous “Sri Lanka Night” Shines in Shanghai

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Sri Lanka Shines in Shanghai three day mega promotional campaign in China reached its climax with a glamorous ‘Sri Lankan Night’ which was held in the evening of 4th July 2014 at Pudong Shangri La Hotel in Shanghai. The event was graced by the distinguished presence of Hon. Basil Rajapaksa, Minister of Economic Development of Sri Lanka as the chief guest of this glamorous evening.</div>
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The other VIP guests who were present at the event included Hon. Shan Wijayalal, Chief Minister, Southern Provincial Council, Sri Lanka, Hon. (Madam). Zhang Li Li, Chairperson for Foreign Affairs, Shanghai Municipal Government, H E. Ranjith Uyangoda , the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China , Hon. Nazeer Ahamed, Provincial Minister (Tourism), Eastern Provincial Council, Sri Lanka , Hon. Dao Shu Ming, Chairman, China Friendship Association with Foreign Countries , Ms. Yasun Wang, Vice Chairperson, All China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese ,Mr. Yong Jiang Huang, CEO, Infinit-Tea Ltd, Mr. Wang Yingqi, Counsellor (Economic and Commerce), Embassy of China in Colombo, Sri Lanka and Mr. Gu Jun, Vice Chair of Municipal Commission of Commerce of Shanghai.</div>
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The rest of the VIP’s represented the evening from Sri Lankan side were Mrs. Hasanathy Dissanayake, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Shanghai, Mr. Anura Siriwardhane, Secretary, Ministry of Industry & Commerce, Mr. Bhashwara Gunarathna, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism, Mr. Nishantha Wickramasinghe, Chairman, Sri Lankan Airlines, Dr. D.S. Jayaweera, Director General, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and Mr. Rumy Jauffer, Managing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.</div>
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Glamorous “Sri Lanka Night” Shines in Shanghai

Sri Lanka Shines in Shanghai three day mega promotional campaign in China reached its climax with a glamorous ‘Sri Lankan Night’ which was held in the evening of 4th July 2014 at Pudong Shangri La Hotel in Shanghai. The event was graced by the distinguished presence of Hon. Basil Rajapaksa, Ministe…

16Jul2014

The Elephant Gathering at Minneriya National Park

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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Around August – September every year, the receding banks of the Minneriya Lake are covered by about 300 Asian elephants in search of food and water. This spectacular phenomenon known as ‘the Gathering’ is possibly the highest concentration of Asian elephants in a single location and ideal setting to observe and understand the social dynamics of elephants, especially the feeding, courting and fighting of the giant mammals and the matriarchs who tenderly guard their young. Many safaris are organized to the Minneriya National Park during the season and accommodation around Sigiriya, Dambulla, Habarana, Kandalama and Giritale would be the best options.</span></div>
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The Elephant Gathering at Minneriya National Park

Around August – September every year, the receding banks of the Minneriya Lake are covered by about 300 Asian elephants in search of food and water. This spectacular phenomenon known as ‘the Gathering’ is possibly the highest concentration of Asian elephants in a single location and ideal setting t…