Famed garden, castle and taste of lobsters; head to Kalutara
You don’t need to travel a long distance to have a great break with your family or friends.
Bevis Bawa’s lush garden
Just 30 km from Colombo, Kalutara is a vibrant destination, well worth a visit and that is what the Sunday Times did as part of its ‘All In A Day’ travel series.
Our first pick of the day was a little away from Kalutara — the Brief Garden in Kalawila village, Beruwala. On our way there, driving along the coastal belt, we were lucky to catch a glimpse of the toddy tappers in Payagala — balancing precariously on a thin wire, as they crossed from tree to tree. If you do pass this area, look out for the tappers, stop by and have a chat with them.
The Brief Garden, created by Bevis Bawa, a renowned landscape designer and brother of famed architect Geoffrey Bawa can be accessed via Yatadolawatte Road, taking the left turn from Ambagaha Handiya soon after passing Dharga Town. A Major in the army, Bevis served as an Additional Aide-de-Camp to the last four British Governors of Ceylon. With yellow signboards in red lettering directing visitors, Bevis’s secluded garden ‘Brief’ is not hard to find.
Head to the Lobster Restaurant for a spicy dish
Situated on a five acre plot of land is the cosy bungalow and the lush garden which Bevis painstakingly designed since he first went there as a school leaver on his mother’s request to take charge of the management of the estate. He had fallen in love with the place and decided to settle down there some day. And so he did, spending his entire life there until he passed away at the age of 84.
Bevis is no more, but the beautifully-laid out garden that he has left behind is a treat for nature lovers. A bamboo-hedge car park, open courtyard with ponds, a moon gate and statues, open shower baths, an unusual creation of a bottled wall add to the look and feel of the place, while antiques and intricate pieces of furniture, paintings, statues, a huge wall mural by Australian artist Donald Friend and a picture wall of Bevis are notable sights that add to Brief’s unique appeal.
Brief is open to the public from 7.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day including weekends and holidays.
Richmond Castle and (right) a window pane at the castle. Pix by Susantha Liyanawatte
On a tip-off from the local toddy tappers, we made our way to the Innapowatte Toddy Canteen located seven km from Kalutara town, along St. Anthony’s Avenue. Drive right up to the railway line and look to your right or ask any men you see hovering around.
Another Kalutara attraction is Richmond Castle, the grand mansion built by Mudliyar Nanayakkara Rajawasala Appuhamilage Don Arthur de Silva Wijesinghe Siriwardena which is believed to have been first opened in 1910 on the day of the owner’s wedding.
A replica of a South Indian Maharaja’s palace, Richmond Castle has 16 rooms, 99 doors and 38 windows. It is said that construction took years and much of the material used had been imported – tiles and granite from Italy, glass for the window panes from Scotland, the iron stairway and toilet fittings from England and two shiploads of teak from Burma.
The story goes that the Mudliyar was inspired to build the castle following his visit to an Indian Maharaja’s palace. But when the Maharaja refused to share the original plan, the Mudliyar had taken two architects from Sri Lanka with him to look at the palace from outside and draw the plan. The Maharaja who had visited Richmond Castle for the wedding when the Mudliyar married Clarice Matilda Maud, had been stunned to see the replica of his palace in Sri Lanka.
Traces of the once majestic home still remain– a grand banquet hall where the Mudliyar’s music group performed and the balcony where the 
Mudliyar and his wife watched the performance from, sound proof bedrooms, stables, parts of a horse carriage etc.
A well preserved set of old photographs found in the castle today retells the story of the grand wedding ceremony of the couple.
The Mudliyar in his will bequeathed Richmond Castle to the Public Trustee’s Department to be used for the welfare of boys between the ages of 6-14. The public can visit the place from 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Kalutara Bodhiya, is a popular choice among visitors to the area — as much as it is a place of worship for Buddhists. Those passing by stop at the shrine to pay their respects and offer panduru seeking blessings for safe travel. With no resident Buddhist monk, the temple is managed by the Kalutara Bodhi Trust established by senior lawyer Cyril de Zoysa in 1952. It is said that the main Bo tree at the temple is one of the 32 saplings sent by Arahath Mahinda Thera to be planted around the country. Inside the dagoba containing the sacred relics of Lord Buddha you find paintings depicting His life.
When looking for a place to have a meal, the Lobster Restaurant down Sebastian Road in Katukurunda run by a local couple is a fun place to visit in Kalutara. Don’t expect anything too fancy for this is just a beachside restaurant on a bamboo platform, but for those looking for a mouthwatering dish of fresh lobsters prepared with local spices, this is the place!
While waiting for your food, check out the restaurant’s frontyard for owner Felix Nihal gets his foreign customers to plant coconut trees there. Each tree has a board in front of it giving the name and country of the tourist, so you will find Ukraine, Germany, the UK, Norway, Russia and many others. The place is also decorated with colourful national flags of various countries the visitors have sent Felix.