|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 21 September 2003 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Serendib Hotel gets new lease of life by CAROL ALOYSIUS Hotel Serendib, which was recently opened after being closed for re-furbishing, has brought back the magic of a by-gone era in a bid to lure both local and foreign tourists to one of Sri Lanka's oldest seaside resorts on the southern coast.
The newly re-launched hotel which opened for guests on September 1 set a new trend in hotel architecture and was the first hotel designed by that architectural giant Geoffrey Bawa in the late 60s. The original Dutch architecture of this picturesque hotel has now been re-captured by his student Channa Daswatte who has made a few additions of his own to make it more guest friendly. Media personnel who recently visited this scenic hotel at the invitation of Chairman A.N. Esufally and his General Manager Chari Witanachchi, had a first-hand experience of the relaxing atmosphere and warm hospitality that the hotel exudes from the time of arrival to departure. The first thing that strikes you on arrival is the central courtyard complete with its picturesque pond. In fact, as you look around you, the entire hotel seems to flow through a maze of open courtyards and endless corridors. Its original concept of a small open Dutch village is very much in evidence in the open verandahs in front of each room on the ground floor from which one can step into one's own little courtyard and entertain visitors on a moonlight night under the stars. The hotel also boasts of having some of the largest room balconies where honeymooners can enjoy a romantic dinner for two, or just sip champagne and watch the sunset. Every room incidentally gives you a breathtaking view of the sea, with its wide sandy beaches, a rarity for most hotels in the area.
While the 'new look' Serendib still retains its long sloping red tiled roofs, open verandahs and courtyards of a by-gone era, Bawa's disciple has incorporated several additional features of his own when re-furbishing the hotel keeping in mind the convenience and comfort of the guests. The arrival/reception area for instance has been completely opened out so that one enters to the central courtyard. The reception counter itself has been re-located and is a simple open type counter allowing direct interaction with arriving guests. By removing a wall here and widening a corridor there or by simply making a hole in a wall architect Channa has managed to give an illusion of long flowing corridors and courtyards that carry you through the entire hotel, merging, separating and merging again in a magical circle, allowing guests and hotel staff to interact easily. "The idea is to make it as guest friendly as possible, while keeping to the simple rustic original design and re-capturing the atmosphere of its creator Bawa which is what makes this hotel unique", Channa explained during an informal press conference. The latter was followed by a choreographed walk through the courtyards he had created where he pointed to various pieces of sculpture and paintings done by well-known sculptors and artists such as Lucky Senanayake and Ismeth Raheem, that lined the corridors and walls and which he says he had literally pulled out of their erstwhile hiding places and given pride of place in the 'new look' hotel. "One of our major changes is the re-location of the bar to an extended upper floor", says Chairman Esufally as he conducts us to the new bar in the making overlooking the pool and the ocean. Standing on the balcony to take in the spectacular sight of the entire sweep of the hotel and beach, was one of many treasured moments we shared that weekend. Promoted as a family hotel, there is no doubt that the Serendib Hotel lives up to its reputation. It is the ideal hide-out for a family seeking a quiet relaxed holiday away from the noise and pollution of the city. As the chairman reiterates, "We will retain its erstwhile image of a family hostel. The Serendib hotel is still a 3 star hotel and we want to keep it that way so that even families with a low budget can enjoy a relaxing holiday", says the G. M. Witanachchi. Other facilities provided by the hotel include ayurvedic massages and herbal steam baths, horse riding on the beach, wave boarding, surfing, wind surfing and stunt kite flying. A boat ride to the nearby Bentota mangroves is also available to those who want to discover the mysteries of the swamps while several other novel outdoor activities are also in the offing, says the chairman. Despite being surrounded by a string of bigger and perhaps better known resort hotels in the vicinity, the newly re-furbished Serendib Hotel is bound to lure a number of visitors in the future. Not only because of its distinctive architecture and cosy rooms that carry an attractive price tag, but because of its special brand of hospitality that makes every guest feel pampered and special. ############### Mulgirigala - a place of great historical interest by GODWIN WITANE Of all the interesting and beautiful rock temples in Sri Lanka Mulgirigala is one of the less advertised as a place of interest to any visitor but it is a place of great historical importance. Its picturesqueness and ease of access could be developed as a tourist attraction for visitors both local and foreign.
The place is only nine miles from Tangalle on the Southern coast. This sacred place consists of a massive rock nearly 400 feet high consisting of several cave temples, each of which has the image of a reclining Buddha with decorated walls illustrating the Jataka stories of Buddha where the old paintings have been obliterated with added colour in order to make them more attractive. It is believed that this Shrine was built by King Saddhatissa the brother of King Dutugemunu in 137 B.C. and gains antiquity along with the temples at Anuradhapura. (The earliest reference to this temple made by any foreigner was that of Ronald Furgusen of the Ceylon Observer. Although no reference had been made of this temple in the Mahawansa or Deepawansa it is one of the few places where historical literature was found. It was George Turner, the celebrated civil servant in the British Government who found a commentary of the Mahawansa, the Great Chronicle of Lanka in the Pali language among the valuable ola manuscripts in the Temple Library which he undertook to translate into English which was published in 1827. Later Prof Geiger made a translation of it into German. In olden days the importance of Mulgirigala lay in the belief that from the 7th Century the Dutch believed this rock to be Adam's Peak and they had named it Adam's Berg. It is a well-known fact that the Portuguese having conquered the coastal areas of this island devastated Buddhist temples and devalas in order to plunder their wealth but they had spared this rock temple because they believed that the images of the Buddha found in the several rock caves represented the "First Man" Adam. It is humorously related how, during the Dutch period in Ceylon a number of rich Persian visitors who had come to climb Adam's Peak were taken along a controversial circuitous route similar to how the Portuguese were taken to the Court of the Sinhalese King of Kotte. They who rode on horseback were taken over about 60 miles, a distance from Matara to Adam's Peak and finally led to Mulgirigala. The Persians were not aware that the route to Adam's Peak lay over rushing streams and log bridges or edandas over which no horse cold walk. The path to the summit of Mulgirigala is made of flights of steps cut on the rock and fortified with iron railings. The temple caves are similar to those of Dambulla where the built-up walls are covered with Jataka stories in pictures. One of Mulgirigala's principal claims to archaeological fame lies in its ancient inscriptions one of which carved high up on the rock at the lowest terrace reads "Cave of Kuda Tissa brother of--" the remainder of the sentence missing. Further up the Hill is another which reads - "Cave of the lay devotee, the brother of the Parumaka Banaka is given to the priesthood of the four quarters present and absent." A long flight of stone steps lead from the front terrace round the rock upto the small landing where there is a Preaching Hall. A climber can rest here a while before attempting to climb higher along the steep steps. At the end of the climb one comes to a group of four cave temples and a rock pool surrounded by a wall. Each cave temple contains a statue of the Buddha each of which is about 30 feet in length. The two elephant tusks turned brown due to age is supposed to have been gifted by the Seethawaka King Rajasinghe I. The last perilous climb to the top lay by means of a narrow flight of steps. The climb is facilitated by an iron railing. Mulgirigala had been visited by great personages at ancient times. From within the enclosure on top there is a wonderful view over the hill country of Giruwa Pattu with the great blue sea on the South and the hills of Rakwana in the North. Heige, a German visitor asserted that Adam not only lived at Mulgirigala but that his ashes after cremation were enclosed in a global Dagoba there. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
