Garden of Brief

Text & Pictures by Ganga PRADEEPA

Bevis Bawa

Art is long, they say. Yet Bevis Bawa named his lovely, world famous garden ‘Brief’, at the entrance of which the white old bungalow stood on the landscaped garden with giant trees and ponds. A work of art is never finished. Yet ‘Brief’, the name of his famous home and garden, was finished now, making it almost possible to relax in his presence.

Bevis Bawa, the founder of Brief Gardens was born to Sinhalese and Dutch parentage in 1909; an elder son of Benjamin Bawa and Schrader. Bevis was the brother ten years elder than world famous architect Geoffrey Bawa who died in early 2003. Bevis was only 20 years when he came to stay in this garden. He spent nearly fifteen years in designing this garden.

Along the jungle border path, through the cool garden, across the wide grass and by the round pond, and everywhere in the garden its creator’s presence could be felt. It had fascinating sculptures; most of which were self-produced by Bevis.

Bevis Bawa’s house

Access to the 5-acre ‘Brief’ is by private vehicles as there are no public transport. To reach Brief Gardens, one has to turn left at Alutgama junction and pass through Dharga Town. Beyond the town, look for a turning to the left marked by a yellow wooden sign; the sign is quite small and says “Brief” in red letters. Follow the road for about two kilometres.

Staircase

The next turning is on the right, and marked by another red-and yellow sign saying “Brief Short Cut.” It marks a narrow road that ends at the Bawa estate. Another sign says “To gardens” pointing up the drive to Bevis’s front door. If in doubt at any point, ask the villagers. The villagers in Kálavila call it ‘Bevis mahaththayage watta’.

Huge trees and a gate surround the gardens. The garden was located down narrow lanes. There were tall trees, bushes and bamboo plants in the gardens which means this area was private and cannot be overlooked. There were many temple flowers in abundance and a number of orchids growing from the branches of trees. The bright and beautiful varieties of plants were surprising indeed.

BBQ area

One of my favourite areas was the landscaped garden where they had a variety of trees and flowers. The moonstone in the garden was set into the wild gardens made by an Indian architect.

Comparing with our houses, Bevis Bawa’s house, wall, roof, doors and windows were high because he was 6’7 in height.

It had a visitors’ room, dining room, two bedrooms and a big veranda.There were Bevis Bawa’s photographs in the visitors’ room together with antique furniture with a sofa. The house was full of art. The sculptures of male nudes that spot the house and garden were perhaps the most remarkable.

Moonstone	Garden

“He became a leading adviser to a succession of British Governors before independence came in 1948. His friends who came to stay at Brief included Laurence Olivier and Vivienne Leigh, and many other society faces of that era. His most famous guest was Australian artist Donald Friend”, beneficiary of the property Dooland de Silva said.

There were a number of styles of statues and paintings produced by Donald Friend and only one painting hanging on the wall by Bevis Bawa.

It was the naked couple black and white, one line drawing which somebody could not understand at a glance, giving me the feeling that he was a generous and talented artist. From Colombo, Brief Gardens is a two-hour’s drive and can be managed as a day trip.

It is also about two hours from Galle. The gardens are open to the public. There is a small entrance fee. Bawa died in 1992 and left his estate to his workers. Brief Gardens went to his head gardener. The gardens and house are maintained to the way that Bevis Bawa designed them.

 Bentota Beach Hotel Suitable for water sports

Located between Bentota’s white beach and the tranquil river, Bentota Beach Hotel is just about one and a half hour’s drive from Colombo. This magnificent structure designed by world famous architect Geoffrey Bawa is nestled within 30 acres of well landscaped coconut plantation.

The entrance to this hotel is shaded by a roof made of metal and with an embossed design of the sun made of copper under it. The car park and a shopping arcade are situated on this floor. The Reception is situated on the first floor with six oil presses (sekku gal) beside the staircase.

The Reception has a large lobby with the entire ceiling made of batik. The left side of the reception is covered by glass doors with a large pond at the other end.

The room on the top floor facing the Indian Ocean on one side and the calm waters of the river lagoon on the other faced a beautiful setting. The golden sandy beaches allow you to soak up the sun, entertain children, maybe take a beach stroll or enjoy a stunning sunset, all in one day.

There is an ayurvedic spa for guests seeking an excuse to de-stress at the end of the day with a top-to-toe treatment.

Arranged over 3 floors, the hotel has 105 Standard rooms including 15 Superior rooms, 6 Deluxe rooms and 4 Presidential Suites. The floors were tiled, keeping the rooms cool in the midday sun. Light day curtains mask the large bay windows onto the balcony, offering views over the gardens and out to sea or over the river.

The interiors had predominantly teak furnishings with generic fabrics. The rooms enjoy more space with a sitting room for private relaxation. The impressive Presidential Suite has pleasant views from its large windows.

Presently known as the Bentota Beach Hotel, and shortly to be renamed Cinnamon Beach this is ranked amongst one of the more friendly. “We have different kinds of theme nights such as European, Indian, International, Chinese, BBQ, Indonesian, Malaysian and Sri Lankan too. Every night we organise a live band, piano music, cultural show, firing and disco for our guests’ entertainment. There are some excursions near the hotel such as Lunuganga, Brief Garden, Turtle hatchery, Meetiyagoda gem mine and Madu ganga also”, General Manager of the Hotel, Sanjeewa Perera said.

The hotel has three restaurants and the main restaurant is called “Peacock”. The Fine Dining restaurant is named Araliya and another restaurant located in the garden covered by Sooriya trees called “Sooriya” restaurant beautifies the culinary area.

When one stays at this hotel he can enjoy the special boat ride called “Pontoon” on the Bentota river. Even special dinner nights are arranged on some days on this Pontoon journey.

This hotel is very famous among Sri Lankan and foreigners because they arrange water sports on the Bentota river which is a major draw card for the holiday enthusiast. This river is especially suitable for many kinds of water sports.

(GP)
 

Ramada international chain in Katunayake

For the first time in Sri Lanka the Ramada International chain signed with Ramada Katunayake with an investment of Rs 500 million to open a new hotel in Seeduwa.

The hotel comprising 68 rooms is on Negombo Road Seeduwa, a 10 minutes’ drive from the airport on the Negombo - Colombo Highway.

Being in the vicinity of the airport, it is ideally suited for airline crews and transit passengers for a stay before they embark on their next overseas journey.

Being in close proximity to the free trade zone and the investment promotion zones of Ekala and Biyagma, factories can utilise this hotel for their expatriates’ accommodation and get-togethers. Rooms equipped with high speed internet is the main advantage for guests who visit this hotel for business purposes.together with Flat screen T.V., mini bar etc being as standard features.

Ramada Katunayake has 29 Standard Rooms, 33 Deluxe Rooms, 4 Super Deluxe Rooms and 2 Suites.

“We are maintaining two banquet halls (350 pax, 150 pax) and a 425 pax conference hall. Out of Colombo this place is ideal for conferences.

The five acre property is largely suitable for transit passengers, business crowd and short term visitors via travel agents.

People who come to this hotel can even take pleasure in a boat ride on the Negombo lagoon”, said Director, General Manager, Ashoka Jayamanna.

“Within three years we are going to add another 40 rooms and we already provide all modern facilities for our guest” he added.

(GP)