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Whatever historical conclusions can be drawn about the colonial period (1815-1948), there is no doubt that Britain's connection with Sri Lanka has been special. The British influence of that period can be seen all around Sri Lanka today. The city of Colombo is full of Old World charm in the sense that it is dotted with colonial buildings and parks. Some of the finest buildings arose at the turn of the century and the Lighthouse, the General Post Office, the old Senate building, deserve a special mention.
Talking about sport, there is no doubt that cricket is almost a religion in Sri Lanka and is played with a passion that far outstrips the way it is played in the Country that first introduced the Gentlemen's game to this island - Britain! Rugby is also a very popular sport and this originated on the playing fields of a certain British Public School! There is also golf in the most picturesque settings.
Experience the Royal Colombo Golf Club or the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club at an elevation of 6800 feet (1 600 meters) or for that matter, the Victoria Golf Club in Kandy, which to date has maintained its exclusive colonial charm and ambience. The world's most sought-after health drink - tea - was introduced by the British and now well known as Ceylon Tea.
The development of the rail and road networks opening this island destination to the world took place during the British period. Sri Lanka's strong and democratic political and judiciary systems are generally admired for their fairness - some British influences can naturally be found here. The English language is spoken widely in Sri Lanka with Sinhala and Tamil the main languages of the island.
Go down history with a stroll in the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens in Kandy, the onetime South East Asian Headquarters of Lord Louis Mountbatton during World War II. The most picturesque sites all along the road network were identified by the British as the ideal locations to take a break! ... and rest houses were built. These charming small hotels relive the bygone era.
The British touch continues to this modem day, with the recreation of the "Water wheels". Deep in the beautiful elevated valleys of Sri Lanka, near Kitulgala (the exotic site where the film "the Bridge on the river Kwai" was actually filmed) and Yatiyantota, you may meet a strange sight, that of an apparently ancient water wheel turning gracefully beside a tropical river or stream. These wheels are not grinding corn - their traditional role for a thousand years in distant Europe - but are the driving force behind a new electricity generating system developed to serve isolated villages, where a national grid electricity connection is simply not available. A partnership initiated by a UK charitable trust, the wheels are being locally manufactured and installed by the villagers themselves in a novel self-help programme, whereby whole communities can enjoy the benefit of their own AC, lighting, communications, improved health, education and initiating some local cottage industry. Villagers will be happy to demonstrate how one of man's oldest inventions - dating back over two thousand five hundred years - controlled by locally manufactured electronics, is improving their quality of life and opportunities, all in an environmentally friendly manner, with the British touch!
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