Mosque Hunt - Dewatagaha Mosque, Colombo

We stumble upon the Dewatagaha Mosque after a long walk from the Town Hall and the Colombo National Museum. Located in Lipton's Circus this mosque is just across the famous Odel Outlet.

The Dewatagaha Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Sri Lanka. History of Dewatagaha mosque goes back to the 19th century, nearly 200 years ago. Around 1820, a Sinhalese woman who used to sell oil was going on her daily rounds, traveling from Bambalapitiya to Maradana.

Those days Colombo 7 was nothing but cinnamon fields. She accidentally tripped over the root of a cadju tree and fell, smashing her clay pot to pieces. This caused her to lose her only source of income. She broke down in agony and desperation and finally fell asleep. A person dressed in a green garb and a long beard suddenly appeared in front of the poor lady. He then asked her to fetch a pot. All trembling with fear the lady ran to Maradana to buy a pot from the house of a regular customer, a Muslim by the name of Mamina Lebbe.

When she returned with the pot, she saw the old man standing still at the very place where he had appeared, leaning against a ‘dawata’ or ‘devata’ tree. The saint had pressed his toe on the floor and to the lady’s amazement; oil started gushing out of the earth. The saint had then requested the lady to go and sell the oil and inform all her Muslim buyers about the incident. She had related the story to a physician called Mamina Lebbe Mesthiriyar. He then visited the place and prayed. Later, the Muslims in the area built a mosque and placed an oil lamp at the very place where the miracle happened. The identity of the saint is known as Shaykh Usman Valiyulaah; also known as Qutub of Seylan/Sri Lanka.

The mosque is also a sacred place for anyone who is into Sunnah of Jamaah. Frequently visted by many Naqshabandhi & Qadiri Order Shaykhs and Mureedeens (Desiples). 

Reflection of the old on a new

Story source: History of Dewatagaha Mosque

Mosque Hunt - Meeran Jumma Masjid, Galle

Another major city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka is Galle. Pronounced as “Gaul” it is located about 119 km from Colombo. It lies in Galle District and has a great variance of scenarios - from beaches to marsh lands to dry planes to hills.

The plan was to actually take a train down to Galle. Unfortunately, the train did not depart till later in the day. That didn't leave us with much choice but to travel to Galle on a local public bus. Took us ages to reach there as the bus stopped at practically all stops along the way (and it was a non air cond bus!!). I can't really recall when was the last time I rode on a bus back home, let alone the “bas lompat-lompat”.

But the ticket was dirt cheap – RM3.00 for that hundred over km ride. 

Ada on board entertainment and if you get hungry, no worries as you could grab a bit of kacang goreng from sellers who came on board at one station and left at the next one.

In the 16th century, the Portugese were the first Europeans to arrive in Galle. It was the main port on the island then. However, it wasn't till the Dutch came that Galle reached the height of its development.

The sea came into view along the journey from Colombo to Galle

Galle town - statue in the back was built to mark height of the tsunami waters when Gale was hit in 2004. The town was entirely wiped out.

One of the main attractions in Galle is the Galle Fort. Overlooking the Bay of Galle, this historical monument was first built in 1588 by the Portuguese. It was then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards. It is now an archaeological and architectural heritage monument.

Galle Fort and the calm sea at that time of our visit. According to our guide however, this was where the tsunami waters came from the sea and went right inland.

The Dutch brought labourers from Indonesia and Mozambique to build this massive fort. Upon its completion there was already a mixed community that lived within the fort. The significant population of Muslim neighborhoods gave rise to building of the magnificent Meeran Jumma Masjid.

Meeran Jumma Masjid is an important landmark to the large Muslim community who live within the Fort.

To the beholder, the mosque can in fact pass off for a church. Yet, it holds distinctive features to the Muslim culture, which is shown palpably through the intricate designs of the crescent and the star shapes.

The entrance of this architecturally beautiful building, which rises majestically with its unrivaled white splendor, amidst the background of the fort.

Prayer hall

Ablution area

The area is also called the Old Arab Quarters. 

The Meeran Jumma Masjid is over three hundred years old.

There was also a lighthouse close to the mosque. The old lighthouse is at a height of 92 feet above low-water. It was built in 1848, however was burnt down in 1936.

A new lighthouse now stood in place.

View of the mosque from the lighthouse. A local man approached Abe with some old antique Dutch coins. Being a coin collector himself, Abe managed to get some really peculiar looking coins.  

View of the sea - all so calm......

but one just couldn't help imagine how it was that day when the tsunami hit......

Mosque Hunt - Pettah, Colombo

Alhamdulillah....it's almost been a week of fasting. Time flies and it goes faster by the day. InshaAllah may we be given more sabr and taqwa to observe and fulfill His Commands. And may we be forgiven of our sins and shortcomings and may He always keeps us in the company of righteous muslims.

In the spirit of this holy month Ramadhan, I'll try to feature some of the mosques I've visited during my travels. Many are relatively old – dating hundreds of years, whispering stories of the days long gone and the generations of people who have lived in and around it.

As obvious as some may be, many of these sacred places of worship were located rather remote and not easily accessible. More often than not, those preconceived visual display of mosques looking like what they are in our country were not of any help.

I have been wrong many times. What stood in front of my very eyes would humble me - drumming this message of how lucky and blessed we are. We see in sincere moderations, evidence of minority Muslims striving hard at continuously propagating the message of Islam and conquering the hearts and minds of others around them.

Colombo in Sri Lanka was a city I visited sometime in 2010. Often referred as the capital of the country, the city reflects trade culture of the past and showcases many historic colonial buildings. Its colonial architectural marvels thousands of travelers to witness the heydays of Dutch and British era.

Pettah is a place where Sri Lanka's multi-culturalism at its most pronounced. A bazaar with definite Middle Eastern flair is known for its narrow streets, clogged with tuk-tuks and and bewildering assortment of shops buzzing with activities. The district has long been inhabited by Muslims, but a strong population of Sinhalese and Tamils contribute to its intoxicating mix of ethnicities.

Smacked in the alleys piled with crammed goods of colourful textiles, gold and silver, and colonial-era antiquities is the Jamiul Alfar Mosque. Its name reflects a long-standing heritage of contact with the Arab world. Built at the beginning of the 20th century, it is decoratively patterned with red and white brick- work.

The mosque is one architectural monument - enriched in Islamic culture along with its majestic colonial English looking structural detailing. Its close proximity to the Colombo Ports also provides a scenic yet very spiritual environment.

Acknowledged as a character to the neighborhood and yet visually pleasing and cohesive, the Jamiul Alfar Mosque is a special place for thousands of Muslims in upholding the teachings of Islam and its benevolent values.

Scene just before solat

Juicy rambutans was in season

Fresh bread loaves could be found in many of the coffee shops in Pettah area

Colombo - Part 5

Abdul Rahman our tuk tuk driver finally managed to win my heart. His sweet talking about the gem factory was slowly getting the curiosity out of me. And he could sense that.

Abe was cool about it. He had not shown any facial signals nor body gestures indicating interest on the gem place. But he lembut hati after I said, "Gi je lah...bagi lah this guy his commission cut for today."

So we agreed to go look look.

The Lanka Gem & Jewelery Exchange was located in Colombo 3, not far from the museum actually. Abdul Rahman took us on a somewhat longer route. Okay by me coz I got to see the more of city as well.

When we arrived at the place, we were greeted by an elderly man. "Assalamualaikum Madam...please come in and take a seat." he said. I wouldn't call the place a factory, it was more like a gem stones showroom. And then the lesson begun. We were shown one stone after the other. Banyak lah.....topaz ada, sapphire ada, aquamarine ada, cats eyes ada..... The list went on and on.....(teringat one fall semester in UW when I took geology. Rock recognition was one practical assignment I had to do. Sampai sekarang pun couldn't tell which is which...)

Anyway...cut the story short lah kan coz I'm sure you guys nak tau if I bought ke tidak lah kan. This weak-at-heart-for-anything-that-glitters sure lah akan beli kan..... Since the sales person took all the trouble to explain the so many different rocks and their compositions, kesian pulak nak leave the place empty handed. Plus the stones they had were pretty unique.

And you know these guys were really superb salesman (kalu bagi pangkat grade, harus grade Jusa kot!!). And why do I say that? Read on...

Initially, I had gotten two pendants for both Farah and Nissa - one was an deep coloured onyx and the other was a green & purplish rubylite. Just as we almost completed the purchase the sales person (a guy by the way....sebab tu lah I boleh tercair dgn pujuk rayu dia!!) mentioned this to me.

"You know Madam, you are so sincere about your buying, " he said.

"Why do you say that?" I asked again.

"Instead of getting something for yourself, you got for your daughters first," he replied and looked me in the eyes. Duhhhh.....terpanah terus ke lubuk hati..... Rasa nak menitis air mata there and then. I could only remain quiet for a while. I never expected anyone to have observed me in such a manner. So hati sudah sangat, sangat vulnerable and if he had asked me to buy a big diamond chunk I think I would have given him my card and swiped my life away...heh heh.

But thank God that didn't happen. He did manage to coax me into buying something for myself. No need to cerita lah what it is (takut timbul riak la pulak). But I was one very happy person when we walked out the door.

In fact I wasn't the only happy person. Abdul Rahman was too; his commission awaits him. Alhamdulillah...rezeki for him and his family.

Queen V

I was reorganizing files my portable hard disk and I came across pictures taken at Victoria Memorial in Kolkata.

Queen V's statue a prominent landmark at the memorial

Victoria Memorial is a memorial building dedicated to Victoria Queen of the United Kingdom. Located in Kolkata, India, it currently serves as a museum and a tourist attraction.

Nissa (then 5) was initially afraid to look at the statue. So fierce looking, she said.

Colombo - Part 4

It's been a while since my update and I couldn't help feeling that my Colombo stories are beginning to sound rather stale. With this new work assignment that has just come in, I hardly have time for anything else but go “spaced”. I hope to explain what I am doing someday. As for now, things are still in the development stage and I am not to reveal any info on what I am currently working on. Once our contract with the client is signed, like always we have to abide to the NDAs - lips are tied till project completion.

Now back to my corat coret Colombo. I am still at Day 1 of our visit….bila lah nak habis cerita ni??? When I was there I learned that Colombo is divided into 15 numbered areas for the purposes of postal services. So, adakah nak cerita sampai Part 15?? Harus Desert Rose pengsan nak follow penceritaan bersiri ni coz it no where matches the Korean soap series yang boleh membuatkan jiwa kacau, bengkak-bengkak mata leleh and usage of excessive klenex.

Anyway, I believe I stopped at the museum in my last posting. The Sri Lanka National Museum had a good collection of items during the ruling of the Portuguese, Dutch and the English. In many ways, there are similar stories of how the island received these three great explorers. Search for spice and more land got the East India Company to set sail all the way to Goa, Ceylon and Malacca later. (This little I know lah…more detailed, have to check in the old Tawarikh text; history was never my favourite subject.)

Abe was very much absorbed in what he learned in the museum. Me…?? Well, I was busy making friends with the museum's tall, dark and kinda good looking assistants. There was one guy who came to me and asked if I was from Malaysia. I said yes, and he reverted by saying, “Malaysia bagus.” Errr…okay, if you must say so.

Apparently he had worked in a steel factory in Klang many years back. He spoke some words in BM and told me he really liked working in Malaysia. Money was good, food was easy, good roads etc etc. Okay lah…I get your point. By then, Abe was giving funny looks at me…. Ohhh tak suka ke I dok peramah sangat?? Tak tau la pulak.....M.E.N…….

It was a nice day to walk around actually, not too hot plus it was very breezy. I must have been so admiring the courtyard of the museum that I didn’t realize I had dropped my travel notes – a very important document as it listed out the names and addresses of places we intended to go to. Most importantly, the list had names of shopping places which I had earlier searched on the Internet. Pucat…pucat….kejap!! How to shop if names of shops and where to head to pun tak tau. Red alert…red alert!!!

Abdul Rahman our pre-booked tuk-tuk driver was already waiting for us. I told Abe, I got to go find my notes. I was pretty sure I had dropped it somewhere in the museum courtyard. Dia kata, “Gi lah cari…good luck lah….” Duh….tak kesian kat I pun….bayangkan all the hopes to shop gone!! But never mind, if there is a will there is always a way kan (sambil pujuk diri masa tu and quickly strategizing plan B).

So…off I went to look for my folded notes and I was very, very sure I had dropped it when we were looking at Queen Victoria’s statue located close to the museum gardens. Tapi….so jauh to walk lorrr….dah lah letih and nak jalan lagi??? Ohhh…demi “N” ku gagahkan jua…..

Luck was really on my side. Wanna know where I found it? On a wheel borough used by museum gardeners for collecting litter. It was put nicely on the cart and it was the only supposedly litter the workers had picked up. Happy, happy, happy when I found it and there was colour back on my face!! And I actually didn’t have to walk that far into the gardens, fuhhh…thank you God kerana memahami hasrat yang tersirat di hati terhadap “N”.

The gardens across the museum complex.....provided good shade for those who want to take slow stroll.

Blossoming in the museum gardens...beautiful....

Standing tall statue of Queen Victoria. We have seen a similar one of her in Kolkata during our visit couple of years back.

Abe asked if I wanted to stop for local ice cream. Uhhh...ada berani ka?? With my 3rd hand stomach, I bet I'd be running to the loo minutes after the ice. I'll pass...tak sanggup sakit perut while traveling.

By the entrance of Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo's largest and most elegant and attractive green space, you'd find local artists exhibiting their work.

We just couldn't keep our eyes off this beautiful work by Naomi (pic) on pole fishing. Managed to get it for a steal and hati melonjak-lonjak gumbira :)

Colombo - Part 3

Just like in any other countries, I have visited, tourist traps are many in Colombo. I read in a Tripadvisor forum thread, many tourists got ripped off when taking the three wheeler or better known as the tuk-tuk in Colombo. A lady shared her experience when she was tricked into seeing an elephant parade in the city. Approached by a soft spoken tuk-tuk driver she ended up in a place where she had no intention of going to in the first place. And it wasn't just the destination, the tuk-tuk driver demanded that she paid an unbelievable amount for use of the tuk-tuk.

Lesson learned - always be careful when using the service of tuk-tuk drivers; this I paid extra caution the entire time I was in Colombo. (A similar incident happened to the three of us - Jupe, Muni and I when we were in Bangkok some time ago. Will blog about this next time.)

In the city of Colombo, there are so, so many tuk-tuks. There is no waiting time or queuing of these three wheelers, which most of the time are ever so willing to be at your service.

As we walked the main street in Colombo, hoards of these tuk-tuk drivers approached us. Each one has a story to tell. One guy wanted to take us on a tour of the city and promised good rates for using his service. There was another one who said that we should go to the local handicraft factories. Such great selling skills and so much determination.

After covering some distance in the city on foot, we decided to take a tuk-tuk to Sri Lanka National Museum located in Colombo 7. (Notice the distinct difference in my travel itinerary when I travel with Abe, compared to when traveling with my friends. With Abe it's museums... museums...museums..... but when I am with my girlfriends it's shop...shop...shop till you drop)

It was tough getting a good and trustworthy tuk-tuk driver, I must say. Some couldn't understand English...so no go with him. Some had really unpleasant dispositions, like those crooks seen in Tamil movies. Also no go.....takuttttt!!!

My interview with Abdul Rahman, our tuk-tuk driver that afternoon

We took our time in getting a tuk-tuk. I can't remember how many we flagged down in such a short time span. In the end, we settled with a big sized guy who greeted us with a salam before taking the liberty to explain the routes he was going to take us. In his explanation, he told us that we should go visit a gem factory. Ahah....I smelled fish already!! We insisted that we were not interested in buying gems. He was smart with his reply. He said, "No obligations Maam. No pay to look." Smart huh? And so cleaver playing with words to a person whose heart was already at the shops. Anyway, it's the museum that we want to go visit. My firm insistence made him give in but he did say, perhaps after our museum visit, if we still want to go visit the gem factory, he would be very happy to take us. Okay lahhh...when he put it that way, I sensed the honesty in him. Plus in my heart meluap-luap juga nak pi gem factory as I tried my level best to hide the excitement from Abe.

After bargaining how much we should pay for the trip (yessss...U MUST BARGAIN, else dia akan bagi rate yang suka hati dia je and bargain before you sit in the tuk-tuk), we got into his tuk-tuk and headed to the museum.

The museum established in 1877, was founded by built by Sir William Henry Gregory the British Governor of Ceylon at the time.

Directions to the various section in the museum

School children on an educational trip

All girls museum visit...notice their school uniform - all white!!

Side shot of the museum. Photography is not allowed in the building (errr...boleh but must pay, a common practice in India too)

In the museum gardens, one can find huge trees like this one.

The bus - a mobile museum

Dah penat....lepak bawah these huge rooted trees