More paintings by Nihal D Amerasekera

More paintings by Nihal D Amerasekera

It gives me great pleasure to post another batch of Nihal’s beautiful paintings with brief and helpful descriptions.

Sigiriya, the citadel in the sky

It seems the area around Sigiriya was inhabited since prehistoric times. There is evidence that Buddhist monks lived in caves around Sigiriya since the 3rd century BC.

The intriguing historical story of Sigiriya is well known to every Sri Lankan. I first learnt about it from the primary school history book written by S.F De Silva who was then the Director of Education.  The rock fortress was established in 477 AD by King Kashyapa. This was after a coup, treachery and patricide. Kashyapa seized the throne from his father, King Dhatusena. The rightful heir was his half-brother Moggalana who then fled to India. Moggalana finally returned and fought a war to get his Kingdom back.  Kashyapa unwilling to surrender, took his own life.

After the reign of Moggalana, the Sigiriya complex became a Buddhist monastery.

I worked my internship in Kurunegala and lived there for a further 2 years in close proximity to this ancient rock fortress. I remember a trip that the interns organised to visit Sigiriya and recall Sirry Cassim being a part of that group.

As it is so well known worldwide for its mesmerizingly beautiful Sigiriya frescoes, tourists flock here in their thousands. To provide accommodation for tourists many posh hotels have sprung up in the area. Sigiriya is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Walking in the fortress amidst the ruins and visiting the frescoes I always felt a closeness to the past and the lives of the ordinary people that lived there. The simple folk must have been hugely inspired by the intense religious fervour of the time. I still recall most warmly the helpful kindness and the generosity of the rural folk of the area when I visited them in the late 1960’s.

 Table Mountain in Capetown

Table mountain is a tall awe-inspiring landmark in Cape Town that is an iconic backdrop to this beautiful city by the sea. It is 1085 metres high and has a length of 3 kilometres at the top. As its name implies this mountain has a unique plateau at the top. Occasionally  a thin band of clouds seem to sit on the plateau and people call this the “Table Cloth”.

On my trip to the city, I took the cable car to the top. From the summit there is a panoramic view of Cape Town and the wilderness around. The mountain is within a national park and is said to have its own unique fauna and flora.

It is a World Heritage Site. The local people consider the mountain as a spiritual place and a symbol of their heritage.

Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town has been described as one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the World. As a cricket lover I enjoyed visiting Newlands. At the time there was a game in progress. I watched the match with stunning views of the Table mountain in the background. This is something I will never ever forget.

 Uluru (Ayers) rock in Central Australia

This is a World Heritage listed icon in the Northern Territory of Australia, 450 miles from Alice Springs. This monolith is 348m high and 550 million years old. For the local Aboriginal people this has a special religious and cultural significance. I was immensely fortunate to visit the rock in the evening on a clear day in March 2009. The changing colours of the rock at sunset from ochre brown to deep orange and intense red is breathtakingly beautiful. These colour changes are seen in the reverse at sunrise. Being there at night is an awesome and magical experience never to be forgotten as one can feel the spirituality of the place.

I recall that many of us were keen to climb the rock . Our travel guide mentioned that it is a sacred rock and the local people preferred if we did not climb, and so we didn’t.  The Aboriginal people believe that their ancestors reside in the rock and in the surrounding area. Instead I walked around Uluru in the fading light of a fine evening. There were secluded spots to spend time in solitude. I did feel a deep sense of attachment to the place. It is a magical experience to see the stars drift inexorably in the sky with all its majesty. Although I schooled in the big city my roots are in the rustic part of Kegalle where my ancestors lived and died. The peace and tranquillity of the place  always invoked a certain calmness that transported  me to be close to those who lived their before me. It is a feeling I find hard to describe.

Much of the flora and fauna are unique to Uluru. I still have fond memories of our visit to the Uluru and Alice Springs.

 Utuwankanda, Saradiel’s hideout

My ancestral home was far away from the noise and grime of the big city, in a secluded place in Kegalle. From one of our rear windows, we could see the elegance and majesty of Utuwankanda in the distance towards Mawanella. Although I am now separated by huge swathes of land and oceans from home, I still dream of those years and recall with much nostalgia my happy childhood.

Utuwankanda and its most famous inhabitant, Saradiel,  have now entered the folklore and legends in Sri Lankan history.

Saradiel was born in 1835. For some, he remains a Robin Hood like hero. Locals believe he stole from the rich and distributed to the poor. To others he was a highwayman, bandit and an outlaw. Allegedly he had committed murder too. Some historians believe Saradiel intentions were to start an insurgency against British Rule and he was not just a common criminal. Saradiel was also famous for his prison escapes. Some locals were convinced he had special superhuman powers.

When Saradiel was finally apprehended he was tried in the Kandy Courts. The jury found him guilty. He was sentenced to death along with his fellow bandit Marrikar. They were both sent to the gallows in May 1864.

Saradiel’s legend lives on. Now there is a Saradiel Village with paddy fields surrounded by green mountains. The mountain is a steep and tiring climb to the top through rubber plantations. On the top are craggy rocks that have formed into caves. Many tourists travel to the top of Utuwankanda and explore these caves. The summit can be wet, windy and cold with many leeches for company. It has to be said, this can be a perilous journey to the top and need extreme care.

The view of the distant Utuwankanda that I saw as a child is still deeply imprinted in my psyche. This I will keep and cherish until the end of my days.