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| Sunday, 20 March 2005 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Enchanting cave temple complex The historic cave temple complex, the Dowa Rajamaha Viharaya once the sanctuary for King Walagamba is considered to be one of the most interesting places of worship among the Rajamaha Viharayas of Sri Lanka.
It nestles amidst the scenic mountains and lush vegetation. Badulu Oya which lies closeby adds to the beauty of the temple. Overlooking the Dowa Rajamaha Viharaya are the enchanting plateaus that adorn the cave temple complex and it was the hideout of King Walagamba. This cave temple complex is very similar to the cave temple complex of Rangiri Dambulu viharaya. The cave temple was of great strategic significance to the rulers of Sri Lanka. The steps leading to the temple are elaborately designed to resemble the Rangiri Dambulu cave temple steps. The paintings belong to the Kandyan era and depict various Jathaka stories. The canopy is painted with lotus and other kinds of flowers. Some rare paintings are found only in this temple. There are two statues of Watuka and Kuvera on either side of the entrance. They are conserved by coverings of glass. These two images belong to the Raksha tribe. On the right side of the cave temple the granite plateau extends to form a wall and a sculptor has carved a Buddha statue protruding from the granite wall. The statue measuring 38 feet resembles the Avukana Buddha statue. Adjoining the statue is a giant Sapu tree supported by a granite slab. The preaching hall resembling the architectural designs of the Kandyan era was further developed during successive periods. It is believed that a dungeon about eleven kilometres in length is in existence starting from the Dowa Rajamaha viharaya cave temple towards the Ravana Ella Rajamaha Viharaya. (Courtesy Future Magazine) ########### Special promotions at The Colombo Plaza Two special promotions to make those 'breaks' even more enticing are being held this month at the Colombo Plaza's Coffeeshop, a spokesman for the Hotel said. She said for the health savvy there's a smoothie's promo with a range of smoothies in three flavours:passion-fruit, guava and mandarin in a delightful yoghurt and fresh fruit blend. For the caffeine addicts, there's a coffee cake combo deal. If you buy one of our delicious caffeine brews you will be rewarded with a sumptuous slice of the featured cake of the day free, she said. The two promotions will continue till March 31 between 7.00 am and 2.00 am daily. ########### Continental Airlines Colombo issues e tickets In 2003, Continental Airlines in Colombo was the first carrier in Sri Lanka to issue electronic tickets popularly known as e-tickets. These tickets are the same as a conventional paper ticket, a spokesman for the airline said. He said a reservation is made prior to departure as usual but at the time of purchase the passenger will receive a receipt detailing the full itinerary and the booking reference number rather than a standard air ticket which normally has up to four coupons. This is a very cost effective method for the airline and also from the passenger's point of view a much safer option than to carry a ticket when travelling abroad. Nilanthi Jayasinghe of Continental Airlines in Colombo received initial training in London and since then the option of requesting an e-ticket is quite popular among Sri Lankans especially when travelling to the United States. Apart from the major advantage of not having to worry about losing a ticket the other feature in e-ticketing is that most bookings can be done over the phone thus eliminating the passenger's need to call over personally to get a ticket issued, he said. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
The Dowa Rajamaha Viharaya bordering the Badulla Bandarawela highway is
six kilometres from Bandarawela. 
