Day Eighteen: Poya Day and the too perfect Bawa Gardens
Jan, Zoe and I jumped up early to join Sanath for the usual perambulations around the Fort. It was a quiet desolate place as it was Poya Day, so no school buses, no traffic and no fish market! (And no alcohol can be purchased).
Poya occurs every full moon, but every 3 months there is a special Poya to celebrate the birth, death or the conception of Buddha. This Poya was the latter, although it's a mystery as to how you determine when conception occurred?! Presumably the temples were busy as people would flock there for full moon ceremonies and to place offerings on this special day.
After breakfast we piled into the van and headed for the Lunuganga Country Estate and Gardens, better known as the Bawa Gardens. Last time we couldn't visit them as they had been flooded, so we were eager to see them as everybody seems to know about them.
He purchased an abandoned rubber estate of 25 acres in 1949 and then proceeded to completely change it into his idea of perfection. And so the Lunuganga Estate was born.
At some point the Government had the audacity to build a small pumphouse on the far side of the large lake which he considered ugly. So he paid to have it renovated using the same Roof tiles and white stucco he used in the buildings on the Estate to ensure that it did not sully his view.
This is one of a number of pots created by Donald Friend, an Australian artist and close friend of Geoffreys
This is the 'public' road carefully screened from view and much lower than the surrounding countryside.
Lunch and a cool drink were much appreciated before we headed back to Why House.
However the walkers were out in droves!
After breakfast we piled into the van and headed for the Lunuganga Country Estate and Gardens, better known as the Bawa Gardens. Last time we couldn't visit them as they had been flooded, so we were eager to see them as everybody seems to know about them.
I have to admit that I was ambiguous about them. They were so perfect that I found them soul-less. I'll explain.
Geoffrey Bawa who designed these gardens (down to the last blade of grass!) was an architect and barrister. Born in Sri Lanka of mixed parentage he spent a considerable amount of time as a young man in Cambridge gaining both qualifications and experience and also spent time in other European countries. When he returned to Sri Lanka he led the Tropical Modernist Movement in Architecture and was influenced by both traditional and colonial architecture and the role of water in it: evident in these Gardens. He is known not only in Sri Lanka but across the world for his architecture.
He was openly gay and known for spectacular orgies with many famous people which he held in a house near the Estate.
He purchased an abandoned rubber estate of 25 acres in 1949 and then proceeded to completely change it into his idea of perfection. And so the Lunuganga Estate was born.
To say he was obsessive is an understatement as he placed every tree and every table and chair to avail himself of a perfect view, usually of the large lake. 
He even designed the house so he could sit at a huge long desk to accommodate his architectural plans and look directly towards the lake along the gravel road with no foliage blocking his view.
He even designed the house so he could sit at a huge long desk to accommodate his architectural plans and look directly towards the lake along the gravel road with no foliage blocking his view.
We arrived and went on tour for over an hour with a well-informed guide who clearly though 'Mr Bawa' was a God. It was very hot and humid and we spent most of the tour shade-hopping to avoid the direct sunshine.
The tour stopped at each outdoor table and chair where he would have his morning tea, and then in a different spot his lunch, and his afternoon tea. On each table was a bell which he rang when he wanted his staff to bring food and refreshments. (See Day 14 of this blog to see how we responded when we were expected to do that!). Each of these carefully chosen locations had a clear view of the Lake.
At some point the Government had the audacity to build a small pumphouse on the far side of the large lake which he considered ugly. So he paid to have it renovated using the same Roof tiles and white stucco he used in the buildings on the Estate to ensure that it did not sully his view.
A public road runs through the middle of the property, so in order to not have to see the 'public' using it he had the road dug out and planted bushes to obscure it from view.
He was focused on sustainability and had his own rice fields and vegetable garden, but as these did not align with his focus on aesthetic beauty, he planted thick bush to disguise them from any views from the House. 
He did use recycled timber panels and doors in his house too, clearly from some traditional Sri Lankan houses.
He did use recycled timber panels and doors in his house too, clearly from some traditional Sri Lankan houses.
The Gardens are immense and consist of rolling green lawns based on English landscapes reclaimed from the jungle and sloping gently towards the lake, with carefully chosen and placed trees and bushes, butterfly shaped ponds filled with waterlilies and and occasional statues for interest. They are beautiful and I can see why people rave about them.
He collected lots of artefacts and some of them remain in the buildings and other larger statues are placed in the garden.
The buildings are all very similar in style: symmetrical and open air with tiled roofs and white stucco walls. Very appropriate in the heat. He built Cinnamon Hill House in the mid-1990s as a place where artists could stay in order to create. Michael Ondaatje and other famous artists used this opportunity for isolation and quiet. Today the buildings are used as a 7 room boutique hotel. To that end a swimming pool has been installed, probably after his death in 2003. It has been carefully placed in a dip in some of the rolling lawns so it is still not obvious from the main house so the views are still not spoiled.
His vision was for one man - him - to have a perfect life with perfect views and perfect buildings which I found rather narcissistic and self-focused. Maybe it was the heat and humidity but it seemed a huge garden to be focussed on one person!
The Gardens are well worth seeing because they are magnificent, but the motivation behind their design was pure pleasure for one man.
He did however set up a Trust in 1982 before his death with the objectives of furthering the fields of architecture, the fine arts, and ecological and environmental studies so not all bad I guess.
Lunch and a cool drink were much appreciated before we headed back to Why House.
Chicken curry plus accompaniments, followed by very creamy curd and kittul treacle from the fish tail palm. Delicious!
Eagle eyed Jan had spotted a significant building on the main road back to Galle. It was the hospital building from 'The Good Karma Hospital', a TV series many of us had seen. Although the series was set in Kerala in India, it was filmed in Sri Lanka apparently. It's currently a Teachers Training college, but the beautiful ornate building remains.
Another pleasant evening - with no quiz thank heavens!- and kottu for dinner.
Kottu varies from one place to another but consists of pieces of roti or flatbread cut up into small pieces and mixed with vegetables, spices (of course!) eggs or meat. It's delicious.
Off to bed with some sadness as we leave for Colombo in the morning.....
your satisfied correspondent
Dianne
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