Kaala Prayanam

  With the tourists of Iran, in the dining hall of Hotel Ramboda Falls in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka.   CIA-backed 1953 Coup overthrew Iran's PM Mohammad Mossadegh as he nationalized Iran's oil industry. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was reinstated as an authoritarian ruler. This deepened US' influence, expanded the secret police, and sowed resentment against foreign interference. 1963 White Revolution of Shah's Reforms included land redistribution, women's suffrage, industrialization, and literacy programs. These disrupted traditional power structures, including those of landowners and clergy. Rapid urbanization and inequality fueled opposition. The 1979 Iranian Revolution toppled the Pahlavi dynasty. Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to establish the Islamic Republic via referendum. The shift to theocracy under velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist) ended 2,500 years of monarchy and isolated Iran internationally. Iraq's invasion (1980-1988) rallied Irania...

  On 18th December 1865, the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery in the United States was adopted in the US Constitution. Now, the private prison corporations like Geo Group and Core Civil prey on the immigrants and the poor.     The 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery in the US. Passed by Congress on 31.1.1865 and ratified on 6.12.1865, it ended the legal chattel of slavery following the Civil War. Congress gained the power to enforce it by law. Prez Lincoln pushed for its passage after the Senate approved it in 1864. The House initially rejected it. It was built on the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in Confederate states. The 13th Amendment expanded civil rights with the 14th and 15th. The exception, in the 13th amendment, for criminal punishment enabled practices like convict leasing and Southern Black Codes, which restricted the freedoms of the freed.

  Philatelic Bureau of Sri Lanka Post, which sells postal products in Sri Lanka, with a Post Box in the Bandaranaike International Airport, Negombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Post, one of Asia's oldest, runs the postal system. This govt service, under the Ministry of Information and Mass Media, manages 1000s of post offices. The postal system was established in the 17th century under Dutch rule. Offices established in 1798 in cities. The British expanded it from 1815, appointed the first Postmaster General, and built the General Post Office in Colombo by 1882. Sri Lanka issued its first stamps in 1857 and joined the Universal Postal Union in 1877. Headquartered at the 9-story General Post Office in Colombo, Sri Lanka Post employs 22,000 staff in 4,738 branches. The PMG leads, with deputies in each province. Private couriers supplement deliveries in remote areas.

  Kingswood Tea Factory in Ramboda near Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Kingswood Tea Factory, known for Rambodde tea, is a historic site in Sri Lanka, a country of tea. The factory is in Ramboda, near Nuwara Eliya, among lush hills and clouds. Tea-making process from leaf to cup, old machines, and rhythmic production with extensive exploitation of labour can be witnessed. A promotion center sells premium Ceylon teas like Mangosteen. With a photo of James Taylor, the father of the Celon Tea in the Kingswood Tea Factory in Ramboda near Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. James Taylor introduced commercial tea planting to Ceylon (Sri Lanka). He was titled the Father of Ceylon Tea. Born in 1835 in Scotland, he came to Ceylon at 17 in 1852. Worked on coffee estates near Kandy. Coffee rust disease devastated coffee plants in the 1860s. He studied tea plantation methods in India. In 1867, he planted tea seeds from Assam on 19-21 acres at Loolecondera Estate in the Kandy district. Taylo...

  Hanuman, or Anjaneya, a representative of the Vanara Tribal men (Kings) mis-nomenclatured as Monkey God, in his temple near Ramboda, Sri Lanka.  Shri Bhakta Hanuman Temple, perched on a mountain summit in Tawalantenne near Ramboda town, lies 500 meters from the main road, 30 km north of Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka's central province, amid tea plantations and hills. Ramboda, meaning Rama's force in Tamil (Rampadai), is linked to where Rama gathered troops against Ravana. Built by the Chinmaya Mission of Sri Lanka and consecrated in 2001, the temple houses an 18-foot granite statue of Hanuman—the tallest in Sri Lanka—along with idols of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana. Legend holds that Hanuman rested here during his Lanka journey, with special poojas on the full moon day with Senthooram for victory.

  Ramboda Waterfalls, in Sri Lanka Ramboda Falls, also known as Ramboda Ella or Puna Ella, stands at 110 meters tall, ranking as the 11th highest waterfall in Sri Lanka and the 729th highest worldwide. Near Ramboda Pass in the Pussellawa area on the A5 highway, it forms from the Panna Oya tributary of the Kothmale Oya river at 945 meters elevation. The falls feature a Y-shaped structure where two cascades—Puna Falls and Dunsinane Falls—merge at the base amid tea plantations. This viewpoint is at the restaurant.

  Gemstones (raw materials for the gems) are exhibited in the Gem Museum in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Gem-ornamented idols in the Gem Museum in Kandy, Sri Lanka.   The Natural Gems and Gemmological Museum (Gem Museum Kandy) focuses on Sri Lanka’s geological history and gemstone heritage. It combines an educational museum-style exhibit with a commercial showroom of gemstones and jewelry. Exhibits cover how Sri Lanka formed geologically, how gem deposits occur, and how traditional gem mining works. Displays include rough mineral specimens, polished stones, and finished jewelry, with Ceylon sapphires and other local gems.

  Panorama of the Kandy artificial lake in Sri Lanka   A historic building in the cultural city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. An exterior view of the Temple of the Tooth in the hill city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. Kandy, the second-largest city after Colombo, is Sri Lanka's cultural heart. The last capital of the Sinhalese kings, Kandy, is at 500 meters near the artificial Kandy Lake built in 1807 and the Mahaweli River. The Temple of the Tooth Relic houses a Buddha tooth. The Royal Botanical Gardens have rare orchids and ancient trees. Kandy was the capital of the independent Kingdom of Kandy from 1592 until British conquest in 1815. It resisted Portuguese and Dutch invasions, preserving Sinhala culture for 2,500 years. Kandy city holds UNESCO status for its Buddhist heritage.

  The closed shrine, for worship, of the Temple of Tooth Relic (Sri Dalida Maligawa) in Kandy City, Sri Lanka.  The roof of the former Royal Palace Complex, accommodating the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy City, Sri Lanka.   Mothers with their babies sitting in front of the Buddha's Tooth, seeking blessings from Buddha in the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka.  The Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) in Kandy is Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist shrine, famed for enshrining a tooth relic of Buddha. The Buddha’s tooth relic is believed to have been brought to Sri Lanka from India in the 4th century CE. Tradition holds that whoever safeguards the tooth has the right to rule Sri Lanka. The relic was moved between capitals over centuries and finally brought to Kandy in the late 16th century. The first temple in Kandy to house the relic was built by King Vimaladharmasuriya I in 1600. It was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1603. A second temple built by Kin...

  View, from the ground, of the Sigiriya Fortress in Matale District near Kandy, Sri Lanka.   Sigiriya Fortress in Matale District near Kandy, Sri Lanka. Sigiriya (Sinha Giri), the Lion Rock, is an ancient rock fortress in central Sri Lanka's Matale District, rising 200 meters above the surrounding plain. Built in the late 5th century CE by King Kashyapa after he usurped the throne by killing his father, Sigiriya served as his capital for 18 years amid fears of revenge from his exiled brother Moggallana. From the 3rd century BCE, the site hosted Buddhist monastic caves. After Kashyapa's defeat and suicide in battle, it reverted to a monastery for centuries. UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1982 for its architecture, engineering, and cultural landscape. The fortress crowns a sheer granite plateau with ruins of palaces, advanced water gardens featuring moats and hydraulic systems still partly functional, and terraced boulder gardens. Iconic elements include the Lion...

  Main entrance of Koneswar Temple and Shankari Devi Shakti Peetham in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.  In front of the Koneswar Temple and Shankari Devi Shakti Peetham in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. Koneswaram Temple is a Shiva shrine of 1580 BC, as per a 17th-century stone inscription. Historians dated it to 400 BC as a rock cave shrine of bricks. Vayu Purana, in 300 AD, mentioned it as one of five Iswarams (Shiva shrines) in Sri Lanka of the 6th century BC, the mythical arrival of Prince Vijaya (543–505 BC). Linked it to Ramayana and Mahabharata, with Ravana as devotee. Chola king Elara (205 BC) renovated it as a Dravidian-style complex called the Temple of 1000 Pillars (not seen). Later, Chola ruler Kankan (103–88 BC) restored the site as a pilgrimage centre. It was considered a cultural hub by Tamil and Sri Lankan societies before destruction by Portuguese colonisers in the 17th century. Later, it is reconstructed.

  Locals and tourists are bathing in Kanniya Hot Water Springs near Trincomalee, in Sri Lanka. Kanniya Hot Water Springs is a natural site in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, featuring seven square-shaped hot wells averaging 42°C, with surface temperatures of 30-37°C. The Ramayana epic says King Ravana struck his sword into the ground seven times to create water for his mother's last rites, naming them after her. The site also served as a Buddhist monastic complex during the Anuradhapura period (377 BC–1017 AD). Each well is 0.91 to 1.22 m deep, visible to the bottom. People bathe with this water, believing the sulphur-rich water heals skin conditions, arthritis, and rheumatism. There are Shiva and Mariamman Kovils in this site. Kanniya Hot Water Springs near Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.  The hot water in Kanniya Hot Springs in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, results from geothermal heating, where groundwater is warmed by the Earth's heat—likely from magmatic activity in the nearby crust or deep ro...

  Naga Devata in Nagapooshani Amman Temple, Nagadeep Island in Sri Lanka. Buddha and Shiva temples are more in Sri Lanka.  Naga Devata modern statue in Nagapooshani Amman temple in Nagadeep, Sri Lanka. Unlike in India and Cambodia, the Buddha statues in Sri Lanka are not converted into Shiva and Vishnu idols.  Nagadeepa or Nagadeepa Purana Vihara / Rajamaha Viharaya is an ancient Buddhist temple on Nainativu Island in Sri Lanka's Jaffna District. It is one of Sri Lanka's 16 holiest Buddhist shrines, or Solosmasthana, where Buddha visited 5 years after enlightenment to resolve a dispute between Naga kings Chulodara and Mahodara over a gem-studded throne. The throne was offered to Buddha, and returned to the kings. Later enshrined in the Rajayathana Stupa, built at the meditation spot. Kings Devanampiya Tissa and Dutugemunu developed the temple. It was ruined in the colonial eras and the Civil War. The other temple is Naga Pooshani Amman Hindu Kovil.

  Sri Mahabodhi Tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. The branches of the tree are supported by gold-plated pillars.  Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi (Sri Maha Bodhi) is a sacred Bo tree (Ficus religiosa) in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, grown from a cutting of the original tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, India. Planted in 288 BC by King Devanampiya Tissa in the Mahamewna Gardens, it was brought by Princess Sangamitta, daughter of Emperor Ashoka. This is the oldest human-planted tree, 2,300 years old. Situated in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Anuradhapura's Mahamewna Gardens. The main tree stands on an elevated platform amid several others, surrounded by railings, prayer flags, and a shrine with a large seated Buddha statue. Anuradhapura is an ancient city in Sri Lanka. It was the country's first capital and center of Theravada Buddhism, founded in the 5th century BCE. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Anuradha Pura was the political and religious heart of S...

  Thuparamaya Buddha stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.   Buddhism is Hinduised. To fulfill their wishes, Buddhists wander around the Thuparamaya stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.  The Buddha stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, the first built after the arrival of Buddhism in Srilanka, is Thuparamaya, in the Mahamewna Park of the ancient monastic complex of Mahaviraya. It was constructed in the 3rd century BCE during the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa. It is believed to enshrine the right collarbone of Buddha, making it a revered pilgrimage site. The present white stupa is restored, surrounded by stone pillars that are the remains of a vatadage (circular shrine) that once sheltered the stupa, a unique Sri Lankan Buddhist architecture.

  Nallur temple of Murugan/ Skanda/ Kandaswamy in Sri Lanka, 3 kilometers from Jaffna. It rained heavily here on 23rd November, 2025.  Inner shrine of Nallur Murugan temple, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The architecture inside the temple is excellent. Photography inside the temple is prohibited.  Kandaswamy Kovil (Nallur Temple) is of Murugan, the god of war, love, and beauty, located in Nallur, 3 km from Jaffna town in Sri Lanka. One of the oldest and most significant temples in Sri Lanka, of 948 CE. Rebuilt several times. The current structure is of the 18th century under Dutch rule. Dravidian style with multiple gopurams, including a golden-ochre rajagopuram 25 m high, grand arches, and colors. Main eastern entrance, inner shrines for Ganesha, Vairavar, Surya, Sandana Gopala, a sacred pond, and a garden within the complex. Men should be bare‑chested. Photography is restricted inside the main shrine area.

  On 1st December 2025, the opening day of the winter session of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked his yes-men journalists to enjoy the weather. Later, he said that the Parliament was not a place for "drama" by the opposition parties and that they should not use it to vent their frustration due to the election debacle.   "You too should enjoy the weather." Said PM to the journalists in the rare press meet on 1.12.2025. In Delhi, being ruled by the Double Engine Circar, the Air Quality Index (air pollution) is in the range of Very Poor to Hazardous. In some areas, the AQI levels are 440 -500, and dangerous spikes in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations. Saying that (he enjoyed) the journalists too should enjoy is like the Modern Nero, the Roman Empire, who played the fiddle while the city burnt. Further, saying the Parliament is not the place of "drama" for the opposition is like the kettle calling the cup black. This is a mocking, deprecating remark ...

  Arrived at the Jaffna International Airport, Srilanka on 23rd November 2025 en route to a Sri Lanka tour  Jaffna International Airport, also known as Palaly or Kankesanturai Airport, serves northern Sri Lanka. It is located in Palaly town, 16 km north of Jaffna city. This was constructed by the Royal Air Force in World War II as a military base. Later functioned as Sri Lanka's 2nd international airport. In the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009), it was taken over by the Sri Lankan Air Force. Domestic civilian flights resumed in the mid-1990s. In 2019, it was upgraded as the third international airport after Bandaranaike (Colombo) Airport and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport. The upgrade was supported by India. As a small Airport with a single runway, it handles domestic and international flights.