Arts & Culture

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka 2025 brings together emerging talent, global designers, and sustainable innovation in a four-day celebration of fashion, craft, and island identity.

This article explores the quiet disappearance of Sri Lanka’s iconic bullock cart, tracing its journey from rural lifeline to nostalgic tourist attraction, and highlighting the artisans fighting to keep the tradition alive.

Sri Lanka has long had spiritual gravity. Ancient Buddhist monasteries, forest hermitages, pilgrimage routes, and centuries-old Ayurveda traditions have drawn seekers for generations. In more recent years, the island became a gentle stopover for yoga nomads, burnout professionals, and curious tourists seeking peace, practice, or personal reset.

The notion that Colombo could one day rival Dubai is both ambitious and contentious. Yet, the comparison surfaces often among government officials, urban planners, foreign investors, and Sri Lankans abroad. It reflects both aspiration and frustration - a desire to see the island capital rise into a global commercial hub, and the reality of how far there is to go.

Walk through any Sri Lankan village at dawn and you will likely hear the slow rhythm of a temple bell, smell the sweetness of jasmine in the air, and see barefoot devotees lighting oil lamps beneath a bodhi tree. On this small island, Buddhism is not simply a religion.

Set on the banks of Dedduwa Lake near Bentota, Lunuganga is not a typical hotel. It is not even a typical house. For over 40 years, this 25-acre estate served as the country home and experimental canvas of Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s most celebrated architect.