Sri Lanka – The Forgotten Jewel of the Indian Ocean

It’s rare to find a place still raw around the edges—untamed by commercial tourism, yet as opulent as a postcard fantasy. Sri Lanka is one of those places. A teardrop-shaped island south of India, it carries the heat and sensuality of the tropics, the grace of its spiritual soul, and a patina of colonial nostalgia that makes it feel part dream, part empire.

This is not just another travel destination. This is where Anthony Bourdain famously declared, “the best food I’ve ever eaten”—a land whose wounds from civil war preserved its unspoiled wildlife, whose villages hide the healing plants of Ayurveda, and whose coastlines still whisper stories of explorers, kings, and empires long gone.

A Brief History: Ceylon, Crown Jewel of the Empire

For over a thousand years, Sri Lanka was a coveted prize. Arab traders came for gems and cinnamon; Portuguese colonizers followed in the 16th century; then the Dutch; and finally, the British. Each left a mark, but it was under the British Raj that Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon, became the so-called "Crown Jewel" of the Empire.

The Central Highlands, with their cool misty air and fertile slopes, reminded the colonists of home. Tea plantations were planted, train tracks were carved through dense jungle, and bungalows with croquet lawns and “high tea” rituals emerged in towns like Nuwara Eliya, known as “Little England.”

Today, sipping Ceylon tea on a shaded veranda, with a symphony of jungle birds overhead, feels like time travel. You taste both empire and earth.

Glamorous Footnotes: Duran Duran, The English Patient & the Crown Jewels

The allure of Sri Lanka didn’t go unnoticed by creatives. In the early 1980s, Duran Duran shot their iconic “Save a Prayer” music video along the south coast and among the sacred ruins of Polonnaruwa. White linens billowing against emerald backdrops. Synth-pop floating in the humid air. It was a visual love letter to a land both sacred and cinematic.

Michael Ondaatje, author of The English Patient, was born in Sri Lanka. Though the novel is set in the deserts of North Africa, its haunting lyricism—the romance, the longing, the ruins—feels rooted in Ceylonese memory.

Arthur C. Clarke lived in Sri Lanka when he authored the famous novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was later adapted into a groundbreaking film by Stanley Kubrick.

And yes, the British Crown Jewels contain Sri Lankan gemstones. The largest blue sapphire ever discovered, the 400-carat “Blue Belle of Asia,” was unearthed here. Even in silence, the island glitters.

The Food That Changed Bourdain’s Life

Anthony Bourdain, the legendary culinary explorer, once said that the food in Sri Lanka was some of the best he'd ever tasted. Why? Because it punches with flavor yet feels deeply nourishing. It’s bold but intentional. No filler, no compromise.

Must-Try Dishes:

• Lamprais – A Dutch Burgher specialty of rice, meat curry, and sambol wrapped in banana leaf and baked.
• Kottu Roti – Street-side chopped flatbread stir-fried with egg, veggies, meat, and chili. The music of knives on metal as it’s made is half the experience.
• Pol Sambol – Coconut, chili, lime, and salt. Simple, fiery, unforgettable. 
• Fish Ambul Thiyal – A sour, blackened tuna curry made with dried goraka (a tropical fruit similar to tamarind).

Anthony's favorite- crab curry. Image courtesy of Eat Like Bourdain

This is food that heals, fires up metabolism, and delivers ancient medicine in a delicious form. 

Medicinal Plants & Ancient Herbs of Ceylon

Sri Lanka’s healing traditions predate colonial rule by centuries. Ayurveda here is not a trend—it’s a way of life. Many of the island’s plants are now making waves in the West through supplements, tonics, and adaptogens. Here are five native powerhouses:

1. Ceylon Cinnamon (True Cinnamon)

Unlike the cheaper cassia used elsewhere, Cinnamomum verum is native to Sri Lanka and contains powerful anti-inflammatory compounds with blood sugar-regulating properties—making it a natural ally for those using berberine, a Beautiful Holistic favorite for metabolic health. 

2. Bitter Gourd (Karawila)

Used to manage blood sugar and purify the blood. Often sautéed with onions and turmeric or juiced for liver support. 

3. Gotu Kola

A revered herb for cognitive enhancement and longevity. Locals eat it as a salad with grated coconut, lime, and chili.

4. Heen Bovitiya

Traditionally used for liver detox, skin disorders, and to reduce blood lipid levels.

5. Neem

Known for its antimicrobial properties and used in everything from oral care to skin detox tonics.

 

Wildlife Sanctuaries: Nature Preserved by Conflict

Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war (1983–2009) was devastating—but it paradoxically spared much of the country from overdevelopment. Forests, coastlines, and animal habitats remained untouched.

• Yala National Park boasts one of the highest leopard densities in the world.
• Udawalawe is famed for elephant herds in the wild, not in captivity.
• Mirissa and Trincomalee are two of the best whale-watching locations on Earth, where blue whales glide past untouched beaches.

Because development was frozen, these areas are more pristine than other Asian tourist circuits. You feel like a witness, not a consumer.

Sacred Mountains and Spiritual Pilgrimages

Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada)

Climb this sacred mountain before dawn. At the summit, you'll find a footprint—believed by Buddhists to be that of the Buddha, by Hindus to be Shiva, and by Christians and Muslims to be Adam himself.

The view is sublime: mist rising from jungle canopies, sun splitting the horizon, pilgrims whispering prayers in dozens of tongues.

Slow Life in Beach Villages

Just inland from the beach town of Unawatuna, the sleepy village of Heenatigala is a new mecca for creatives, herbalists, and slow-travel enthusiasts. Think jungle bungalows, Ayurvedic cooking classes, and handwoven sarongs drying in the wind.

Many digital nomads and wellness seekers have quietly made this their escape-from-the-escape.

 

Kandy: Where the Sacred Tooth Rests

In central Sri Lanka lies Kandy, home to the Temple of the Tooth, said to house the Buddha’s tooth relic—guarded under gold roof and ritual. Here, British colonial grandeur collides with spiritual tradition. Walk the botanical gardens, take a train ride through tea plantations, and time your visit with the Esala Perahera—a spectacle of elephants, fire-dancers, and ritual pageantry unmatched anywhere.

When to Go

• Best season: December to April (dry in the south and west); May to September (northeast)
• Avoid: Monsoon transitions in October/November

 

Final Word

Sri Lanka is a paradox—at once untouched and full of stories. It’s the scent of cinnamon drying in the sun, the echo of colonial train whistles through jungle mist, the hands that grind coconut sambol with stone. It’s a place you arrive at through history, but leave with something far older—something that changes you.

Take your time here. Eat with your fingers. Walk barefoot. Let the heat melt the armor you brought from the West.

And maybe—just maybe—you’ll understand why no one ever really forgets Ceylon.