Tropical islands generally draw throngs of visitors from all over the world for the allure of its beach-side attractions and water sports. What most tourists fail to explore are the even more magical greenery, sloping mountains, valleys, waterfalls, rivers and the symbolic buildings and structures. Among such monuments built in Sri Lanka that are woven around the surrounding nature, creating perfect harmony between the artificial and the natural, the Brief Garden is a relatively hidden, magnificent garden open for the enjoyment of the public. Visitors, who reside in luxurious resorts in Bentota town such as the Avani Bentota Resort in this popular holiday destination, need only venture a little inland to arrive at the Brief Garden.
This expanse of land was a creation of the renowned architect and landscape artist Bevis Bawa, the brother of Geoffrey Bawa, a famous architect who designed the new Parliament and Ruhunu University. This stretch of land, once a rubber estate, has been transformed into a beautifully landscaped garden including features such as alcoves, nooks, bowers and garden sculptures spread throughout the entire property. As they enter, visitors can witness sprouts of bamboo encasing the edges of the gate at the entrance to the garden. Visitors who explore this barely tamed garden will discover that it is subdivided and landscaped in varying themes that even include a Japanese water garden.
Within the garden lies the house of Bevis Bawa that displays intricate craftsmanship and an atmosphere of absolute stillness and peace created to bring any guest a feeling of absolute contentment during his or her stay. The house too displays the same division into to themes brought on by the clever placement of screens and contrastingly painted walls. The house displays valuable wooden antique furniture of a Dutch descent along with wall hangings, sculptures and a variety of paintings from a range of genres including Sri Lankan murals displayed throughout the house that attests to the artistic nature, taste and knowledge of the greater of this garden.
Intrigued by history, art and food, Shazzana Hamid is a writer who is passionate about the extraordinary. Disguised as Lavinia Woolf she writes of the exhilarating and enchanting.
