Sri Lanka, is an island country in the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia.

Sri Lanka has a rich Buddhist heritage. The country is a rich producer of tea, coffee, gemstones, coconuts, rubber and the native cinnamon. The people here are humble, loving, smiling and ready to help.

I visited this country, when they were the host to the 11th IIFA awards which took place on June 5, 2010 at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo.

I started my journey with their national carrier SRILANKAN AIRLINES. We landed at Bandaranaike International Airport - Colombo and were given a warm welcome by the Srilankan girls who welcomed us with garlands and their beautiful smiles.

We stayed at the five star hotel GALADARI in Colombo which was just opposite the beach side.

We got to see some rare statues and decorations around us as it was just a few days since the Buddha Purnima festival was over.

We started our visit by first visiting the

1. Gangaramaya temple:

The temple was designed by Geoffrey Bawa, one of Asia's foremost architects. It is intended for meditation & inaugurations of Buddhist Bhikkus.

2. Pinnawala:

You can see the tamed and semi- wild elephants in close proximity at “Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage”. It is located northwest of Kegalle town along the Colombo -Kandy main road. The orphanage is in a twenty five acre coconut land near Maha Oya. Here you can see and learn about the feeding habits of elephants.

3. Kandy:

Kandy is a hill station in Colombo. The valley of Kandy is surrounded by magnificent hills and with Royal Botanic Gardens where you can get to see many types of herbs, teas spices etc.

4. Town hall in Colombo:

The Town Hall of Colombo is the headquarters of the Colombo Municipal Council and the office of the Mayor of Colombo.

5. Kelaniya Temple :

The temple is famous for its image of the reclining Buddha and paintings which depict the important events in the life of Buddha.

6. Independence Square:

The center of Independence Square is the Independence Hall, where England formally gave independence to Sri Lanka in 1948.

We also got a chance to learn about the Srilankan culture as the ministry of Srilanka had organized special programs in our hotel.

You can purchase precious and semi-precious jewelry from the airport duty free.

The best and the most memorable part of my holiday which made this holiday of mine very dear and special is, I could see the friendly match between the International Srilankan Cricket players and the Bollywood stars and could interact with them.

Cricket is my life and to get to meet my heroes live, so closely like I did and to interact with them was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. It was a dream come true. I am sure not everybody gets such opportunities. But I am thankful to God for giving me this rare chance. I will treasure these moments all my life.

The place is very beautiful with lovely people. You must visit this place once for its scenic beauty. It has got lots of greenery and reminds us of Kerala in India. The people are very down to earth. By looking at my above pictures I am sure you will agree that to get such photos with our Indian cricketers in India itself will be a difficult task.

I was truly touched by the humbleness and hospitality of the people in this country. This country and this holiday will always remain special to me.

So do visit this country to feel what I felt.

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