Books lining shelves and books lying on tables and chairs keep company with an assortment of art and religious objects, and mementoes from near, distant and exotic parts. Two original Stanley Kirinde oils and a certified copy of a David Paynter painting adorn the dining room and the hall. Representations of the Buddha are thoughtfully positioned around the sitting room, which opens on a wide balcony rustling with sun-shot greenery. Framed by potted crotons, ferns and bamboo is a stone Bodhisattva.

The 27-year-old mother in the small hamlet in Dambulla called Bulanwala had decided to sleep on the floor to escape the unbearable March heat, but her slumber was short-lived. She was awakened by a painful bite early in the morning. She alerted her husband fearing it was a snake, but the search only resulted in finding a kadiya on the mat.