Kandy

Pics captured by my N8 and E72 Nokia Phones.

 Sri Dalada Maligawa or theTemple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

 Located in the royal palace complex which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. 

Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Whales & Dolphins (at Mirissa, Sri-Lanka)

Mirissa is the best place for Whale and Dolphin watching in Sri Lanka. In warm Indian ocean you can see Blue whales, Sperm whales, Fin whales, sometimes Killer whales, and Common dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Spinner dolphins, Risso's dolphins and Striped dolphins. Sometimes you can also see turtles and various fish species, like Bluefin tuna and flying fish.
Whales are always about 10 minutes under water and then they occur for few seconds on the surface of ocean.  

The whale watching season starts in November and ends in April. The high season is from December to March when the ocean is warm and calm.
 

Sri Jayawardenapura

Sinharaja

Sinharaja (the name translates as ‘Kingdom of the Lion’) Forest Reserve, a hilly virgin rainforest & a part of the lowland rain forests, a treasure trove of endemic species including trees, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, is a national park in Sri Lanka.

It is a biodiversity hotspot and of international significance and has been designated as a World Biosphere Reserve (in 1978) and a World Heritage Site (in 1988) by UNESCO.

There are about 3 elephants and about 15 leopards & the commonest larger mammal is the endemic Purple-faced Langur. Because of the dense vegetation, wildlife is not as easily seen as at dry-zone national parks such as Yala.

The reptilian fauna of Sinharaja is represented by 45 species, of while 21 are endemic. This includes a large proportion of snakes, several lizards, tortoises and skinks.

 

Among the venomous species that occur in the forest are the Green-pit viper, the Hump-nosed Viper and the Krait.

Among the lizards, the commonest is the familiar Green Garden Lizard. Several rare and endemic species of lizards are found in the forest. 

The Sinharaja Reserve is rich in bird life with an impressive 147 species recorded to date. It is also the only locality where 18 out of 20 birds species endemic to Sri Lanka may be viewed. 

Leopards of Yala

Although this animal is still considered to be endangered, Yala National Park has one of the highest recorded densities of leopards in the world.

The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya), is a subspecies of leopard native to Sri Lanka.

The stars of Yala these days, the Rukvila Cubs in different moods...