Franco, Christianity exists in many levels of orthodoxy around the world, especially outside of Protestant communities. If you saw religious practices in Spain they would probably horrify you, but try telling them they're not Christian.

This was a great set of pictures. I can understand people complaining that they didn't see what they wanted to see, but let's be reasonable; it would take thousands of photographs to provide a "complete" view and there's only so much room, and so much access to certain scenes.

I hope things work out for Sri Lanka. I'm sympathetic to the reasons for the Tamil uprising, and those reasons will have to be addressed for two-sided peace to be possible.

Great pictures! Sri Lanka seems like a beautiful place. Please forgive me as I don’t want to cause a fire storm, but I just can’t figure out what is happening in picture # 5? Did the guy with the long sleeve shirt miss the ball, or is he doing this to distract the batter? Please be advised that I am no way knocking the game of cricket, I am just looking at this through a baseball point of reference and I am befuddled. There is not a lot of cricket being played here in Garden Grove California and I don’t think I can you tube “ Dude jumping before or after ball being thrown to batter during cricket” to help me figure this out. Thanks. I would like to comment on picture # 8, but I don’t want to push my luck. Thanks.

lool@#23, coolest pic I have seen in ages.

Excellent pics..keep-up-da-good-work

This is excellent pictures after 30 years i saw

Arguably the most beautiful country on earth. Now that Tamil Terrorism is history this country will again become the Pearl of the Indian Ocean.

Friendly people, big smiles, unhurried lifestyle, ancient history, lush greenery, zoological paradise, botanists dream... just to mention a few things.

Pictures hide the nastiness in the SriLanka political psyche. The country is unlikely to reach the potential greatness due to the hostility of the majority towards all others, and the new world order chaotic. UN praise the butchery of 20,000 Tamil civilians.

Definitely very thought provoking collection of the good and bad of a country that is both vibrant and unique in its own way. Kudos to the photographers. Good job boys!

Great pictures that reflect where Sri Lanka is heading... It's so disappoint to see some ignorant set of people making false claims for no gain...

Hope without terrorism Sri Lanka will develop fast and gets the real place it deserves in the world! It is only a few months after teh end of the war, Sri Lankan economy and industries are showing a promising development. No more killings!!!

I reapeat 'no more killings'...

All should be thankful to the barve army personnel for all the sacrifies and come forward to help the Vanni community, who got the biggest hit from this war. All the previous leaders used these people to achieve their personal goals. Now after a long time Sri Lanka have got a chnace to work towards a national goal!!!

WOW..No words to explain this place beauty.
Amazing !!!1

Hi raul briseno ,
The guy is actually feilding behind the batter. He is the "wicket keeper" waiting to stop, catch or stumpt the batter. Bowler you can see faded infront of the batter.
good to see the optimistic comments dominate, now that the so called genocide talk has lost credibility. Go there with open mind and see yourself

what a wonderful place ..
i hope to really see it sometimes

Amazing......

Great pictures! What makes this collection even better is that there are a few Tamil Tiger supporters moaning the annihilation of their precious terrorists here :-)

Raul Briseno,

With regard to your query on pic #5, the guy has simply missed the ball.

Ethnic minorities predominantly living in the Northeast have been outside the view of the world. What the outsiders see is what the oppressors in the South want the outsiders to see.
People in the Northeast have been cut off from the rest of the country now for three years and several times earlier.
Now nearly 300,000 detainees in camps surrounded by barbed wire and heavily guarded by Army and now flooded by heavy downpurs.

#32 justin, take your terrorist propaganda lies elsewhere. They don't belong here.
Awesome pictures!

Small mistake in pic #25. The name of the town should Anuradhapura, not the Tamil Anuradhapuram. It was the first capital of the ancient Sinhala kingdom.

The pictures are beautiful and breathtaking. Your attention is drawn to picture no.25. Since when did Anuradhapura become Anuradhapuram. Is it another plot of dead tigers and their henchmen to change Lankas history.?

Excellent collection, photos of Central Sri Lanka where the lush green mountains covered by tea and East Sri Lanka with white beaches could have been more representative. North is to be discovered soon.

1. # 25 it should be "Anuradhapura" not "Anuradhapuram"

2. Comment number 16 posted by Q . hey Dear Q I rememeber you. We were working together when you were in Sri Lanka. Can you remember what happened on 1 st April 2003. LOL. Write to me brother.

3. I feel very "PROUD" when foreigners admire our mother land. I feel very SAD when some defeated LTTE sysphatisers tarnish our mother land's image. Think about it. You are also Sri Lankans. Dont do this. If you hate this much Sri Lanka and singhalese why do you want a seperate counrty with in Sri Lanka. Anyway you have to live next to us. Tamils can live any where in Sri Lanka with Singhalese. We need tourisum. Dont tarnish Sri Lanka's image. Think about how you can contribute to the development of the country. Sri Lanka will be a one country for ever. Dear Tamil brothers and and sisters (peace lovers only) who are in aboard, If you have not involved in terrorisum, please come to Sri Lanka and see how Tamil and Singhalese live together. But if you have involved in terorisum you wont be able to go beyond the AIR PORT. Our guys are wating for you. All peace full people are well come.

Spectacular photos of a beautiful country.

ooooooooowww,max

Excellent photos. For those who expected the 'horrors' publicized by the LTTE sympathizer's this is a disappointment. Well done Sir/Madam!

28 is a Tamil Festival in the Sri Lankan capital. If there is a Genocide of Tamils how is this possible?

wow... awesome set of pictures.... good work....

They are breath taking. Beautyful mother Lanka.May the most noble TRIPLE GEM BLESS our SriLanka. Thank you for the beautiful photos....

This is actual SRI LANKA. Eventhough we live abroad whenever we see something like this always feel like "wish I can fly right now" . Proud to be
a SRI LANKAN. Very beautiful and amazing pics. Thanks for posting them.

Nice pic. But, how come caption on picture no. 25 says Anuradhapuram. It should be Anuradhapura. Just wondering if this is a deliberate mistake.

Excellent pics..keep-up

So glad that Sri Lanka is getting back to normal again- we wish you all a peaceful future-we hope to viist next year.

I am sure there were beautiful places in Germany too that could be photographed during the holocaust. It is rather dehumanizing to the 300,000 Tamil civilians detained in the so called welfare camps to showcase these photographs. Where is the moral clarity?

Dear Mr. Peter Baxter,

You are always well come to our comuntry.

hey, absolutely loved the pictures. I guess you have tried to capture mostly the lighter moments in Srilanka. I respect that. But unfortunately, the beauty of this country is stained with the blood of many many people who are fighting for freedom and a life with dignity and peace. I am talking about both the Sinhalese and Tamizhs and they will continue to fight. For all those who think the war is over, sorry to break the bubble, it isnt. One militant ("terrorist" is a loaded word that needs to be used carefully.it is disturbing to see people use it easily without any political understanding of the usage of this word) outfit that called itself the representative of Tamils has been wiped out. But as long as there is state oppression and terrorism, this beautiful country is not going to find its peace.

I am from India, and I support neither the Government nor the LTTE. i declare this only because i don't want my comments to be rubbished as being tamizh nationalist or fundamentalist.

it will be great If you can also tell us the real story of the struggle for freedom that is going on now in Srilanka through your pictures.

The end of the war is truly God's miracle. ' With God all things are possible '
May every knee bend, every head bow and every tongue confess to this truth.

Beautiful place. But people are with lot of scars.

Thanks very much for this positive pictures... I miss Sri Lanka..

@55 Small mistake in pic #25. The name of the town should Anuradhapura, not the Tamil Anuradhapuram. It was the first capital of the ancient Sinhala kingdom.

The chavunism in Srilanka starts from the naming of the town too. Look how people defend the singhala name and even claim it wrong when it is called in Tamil. God save the rest of the Tamils in the island.

I am lucky enough to be a British man living in Sri Lanka. And have been doing for 2 years. It's a truly wonderful and inspiring place...

Great pictures.

Thank you Boston Globe for finally portraying positive images of Sri Lanka that have for 26 years been stifled by ravages of civil war.
As a Sri Lankan- American I take great pride in the beauty of my former mother- land brought to life in your pictures here. How wonderful it is to see that normalcy has finally arrived in the Resplendent Isle!

#30 seems to me like Channa Upuli Dance troup and NOT Budawatte.

Sri Lanka Needs a reality check on physical/emotional/Psychological/trauma caused to the Tamil people, while 300,000 Tamils languishing the camps of Vanni the the glamour doesnot appeal to any humanitarian unless they look only at pictures and not read.
Worldwide everyone os looking for answers/justification, remedy,attention and relief for these people still in such a pathetic state of life.
What matters to a human right now is 16/17/18/19

I have climbed to the top of Sigiriya (not an easy task on a very hot day in 2008) and I meet so many wonderful people at the Temple of the Tooth....Kandy was a beautiful city and I learned so much...but my favorite place was the Pinnawala Elephant Orphange...ti was a once in a life time experience...and I owe it to Nalaka...thank you my friend.

David Damario
Canada

Excellent!! Lovely pictures and thanks for promoting Sri Lanka! I am very thankful to you all!

And in important news....No 6: Is Murali's arm straight? That bowling action is suspect ...

#55, Anuradhapuram in Tamil, before it was a Sinhalese kingdom, it was a Tamil Kingdom too. So which ever the language the photographer knows, it is correct.

#62- Genocide is not in open, but silently it is done in the IDP camps. Even in Burma, they parade minorities to show they treat them fairly, but the world knows the truth. All those guys would have in on the parade (picture 28) clutching their police clearance cards and their Identity cards, see how many police (heads), you see in that picture 28, compared to the pictures 10 and 31. Then you decide yourself, whether it was a discrimination or not ! It is similar to what Jews have to endure under Nazis, - carry their special identity cards all the time. I wish the world knows the truth – pictures speaks thousands.

Wow..

lovely pic of SL..
As a SriLankam I am proud of my country..

I see the bloods on the hands of Singhalese. Especially pict# 27. I think Sri Lanka would be the world's number one country to its own ethnically minority people in open prison. I feel shame for those who praise the genocide. Where is the humanity?

in 25 photo not a Anuradaphuram its a Anuradhapura

@15 Johnny K - do it yourself, it took me 5 mins

Where robots?

There is beauty in every corner of the world, we are just not aware of how every country is beautiful in it's own way.

Pictures missing in this much-needed tourist promotion;
1. Refugees camps in mud & squalor, and human excreta
2. Slain journalists, MPs, aid workers, including 17 from ACF
3. 20,000 half-buried bodies to evade war crimes
4. Hambantota deep water harbour
5. Inauguration of buddhist temples in North by First Lady Rajapakse
6. Major Gen Sarath Fonseka, UNHRC Dayan Jayatilake

no comments.....................

Sri Lanka- “Proud and beautiful nation”

Great series, really love the insights on the country!

@Franco : the vast majority of Christians are Catholics, Orthodox and Anglicans, roughly 1.5 billions. The rest are Protestants roughly 700 millions. Of the Protestants the classical Lutherans ans Calvinists make the core, while the remaining 35 (?) denominations can be considered as cults or sects.
For the Christian majority the Bible is ALLEGORICAL and not literal, and the core is the Gospels of the New Testament. US fundies jump gladly over the Gospel's teachings (Jesus) and concentrate on the Book of Revelation pimented with cherry-picking from the Old Testament, the whole taken literally. Nobody can take such cultism seriously; but you obviously do.

Excellent pics..

Srilanka,my country is a wonderful place with natural; beauties..

@ 22, Ranjit Arvind U said it ........RIGHT I m with U.

&

@19, Madanraj try show some respect to your own country. Think once wht u have done for your brothers in your own country ????

Awesome pictures.....Amazing ones !!!

its evident that some are trying to justify the actions of terrorists through this page. I am currently on holiday in this beautiful country and i have come to realize that the Sri Lankans are some of the most tolerant, friendly, humane, etc people on earth.

to me this is the best country on earth and the locals are the best people on earth. if any one spends at least one day here, they are indeed very lucky.

go and see... experience Sri Lanka.
the beauty is way beyond what a 2D image can describe..
You feel the beauty in the atmosphere, in the people, in their food and in their smiles. Kudos to the photographer who has tried his best to capture every mood.
All are welcome (unless you are a drug runner, pedophile or a Terrorist supporter - in which case - stay hiding)

These are Fabulous photos to keep for life

I think these are fantastic you never see this in any other country in the world

#31 Comment is WRONG: Virgin Mary STATUE is not an "idol". The Bible condemns idolatry, not images themself. Just remeber the "desert snake" and images inside Salomon temple...

Pictures are awesome, as usual.

Guy in Pic No. 23 is a badass.

eccezionale!
grazie! grazie! grazie!
azzurra

First of all Thank you for the beautiful images. Thank you! for every1 who made nice comments about SL, especially to Ranjit Arvind for the other pictures.

#25. The name of the town should be Anuradhapura. The word derived from a combination of Sinhalese words "Anu"(ninety) "Raja Pura" (kingdom), meaning kingdom of ninety kings. In ancient srilanka before the kingdom was shifted to "polonnaruwa" ninety kings ruled the country making the town as the main capital. As the time past by "AnuRajaPura" became Anuradhapura.

thank you

Re #31 - it isn't an idol. Catholic Christians have statues, but, like the Orthodox icons, neither are considered God or a god of any kind. The images serve in Christian tradition as windows to heaven, to the actual, real person behind the statue or icon. The statue or icon itself is a means of recall, much like a photo of a family member isn't the family member, but rather a reminder of the real family member. In honoring (not worshiping) the image of a saint, Christian honor God who made that saint holy. When veneration (honor) is conferred upon the statue or icon, the love present there is conferred upon the real person, and solely due to the godliness of that person, all of which is from the one Christian God.

I LOVE U SRI LANKAAAAAAAA ... This is the land of lions and the land link no other

Nice photographs but it does not give the real picture of what happened or what's going on in Sri Lanka. A good website that has got a revealing photo essay is http://web.me.com/neomartian/Neo_Martians_Notes/Blog/Entries/2009/3/4_Elusive_Victory.html

Gives the whole background of the conflict as well as analysis of the situation.

There is no Innocent tamils in sri lanka . Majority know of us (tamils) know that we should live harmony with Sinhalese. But still we can found uncivilized brutal wild beast live in out tamil society. Most of brutal wild beats belongs to LTTE and most of them killed by sri lanka millinery. so we dont have any other options we have to live harmony with Sinhalese. Tamils live in all around the world must realize sri lanka is not a part of a tamilnadu.its sri lanka since King Ravana's era...

Agradezco al destino haberme topado con una tan linda mirada de tan espectacular pais. Nice view, excelent pictures.

Awesome!!

It's a pity how the whole world forget what Sri Lanka went through when the Big Bad Praba was rulling the North. Now the Rajapaksha Govt defeated the Terrorist & trying to rebuild the North. Give him a chance. Where are they going to put the displaced People? Call this Genoside? Please check your Dictionary.

Military victory gives the government
a historic opportunity to engineer the political
and economic turnaround necessary
for economic take-off. Given the
government’s record, the chances of an
enduring political settlement are not
great. The odds are also against an economic-
policy overhaul. But the political
opposition does not provide a credible alternative.
It is safe to say that without a
change of political and economic direction,
Sri Lanka will continue to be the
broken window-pane society, and will fail
to achieve its golden potential. Heaven
will always be promised and just around
the corner, but hell more often the reality—
at least for some.
(excerpts from a recent article

sir lanka is a beautiful contry

Is the guy in #23 smoking? I can't believe it!

Awesome Pictures...I am proud to be Srilankan

Ayesha Unais
Germany

Everyone is concerned about human rights violations, but you know what? Screw that. The governemt was finally able to put an end for a decades-long war and start rebuilding, its better in the long run -- for everyone -- than the short-sighted humane concern of accomidating a band of rebels.

We are so caught-up in our humanitarianism that we allow murderers to act freely under the guise of "reformers" and "freedom fighters." They intimidate, terrorise, destory and create nothing but suffering while we encourage it by crying "human rights" against any body that tries to restore order.

Picture #20. Lovely picture of a lovely statue. Wouldn't the money have been better spent on food, water and housing for the victims, Tamils & Singhalese alike? Where ever there is conflict there are, unfortunately, innocent victims that get caught in the crossfire. Sad indeed, but I am just glad it is over at last, and I hope Sri Lanka can return to it's former glory as one of the nicest country's on earth. Hopefully it wont take as long as the conflict itself.

Hats off to our valiant soldier bros who freed our beautiful country from the clutches of the GORY Tigers. Now that evil separatists are eradicated, we- Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers can live in harmony and work together with feelings of fraternity to the betterment of our Glorious Mother Lanka !!
For those who are bursting with rancour against the Sinhalese and the S.L army and for those who slander against them- I feel nothing but sympathy- you are groping in the dark- blind folded. You can't or you choose not to see the truth as it is.
Very proud to be a Sri Lankan !!!! Georgeous pics of a glorious land.

#23 Is the man smoking while fishing?

may allah bless my sri lanka..
insha allah i am comming soon.. i can't wait to see new sri lanaka/
sri lankan people are the golden heart people. sinhales not a bad people at all.
bad people all around the coner ''[ all over the world] i am muslim i allways enjoy the birth of lord buddah's birthday [wesak posan] sri lanka is a only contry more then a week give free food and hospitalty with heart full of love. who dous that? no where in this world..time to leave peace and love with harmony we don't wonna die any more..may allah bless all of us..proud to say that i am sri lanakan.

amazing shots.

The beauty of the photographs is sadly overwhelmed by the almost textbook nature of the authoritarian methods now being used by the Sri Lankan government to suppress dissent and cover up the truth of its brutality against the (often equally brutal) Tigers and the larger ethnic Tamil population. As long as they continue to act this way, this beautiful country will never heal. It will simply fester and simmer until the next round of hostilities begin and yet more innocents die.

Such a shame.

Forget the distinction between 'SriLankan' and Tamil - aren't they all Sri Lankans?

Convincing pictures showing the return to freedom and normalcy of life in the beautiful island of Sri Lanka again.Scars will take time to wear off but fresh ideals and goals will surge through.Love and compassion will win .

"There are none so blind as those who will not see"....Enjoy the beauty of each and every country on earth.Terrorism has been defeated finally in Sri Lanka. How many countries can boast of a victory like this.To all those who are posting negative comments about Sri Lanka.. I tell you, that they will not affect any Sri Lankan Only those of us who have witnessed the horrors of terrorism can truly comment. I wonder if those of you who lived a refugee life can ever comment on the defeat of the terrorist..We all know that good times are ahead. It will take time to rebuild, but we have all the time...To those who don't know of this beautiful island and its people.. Come and visit us... Its only then that you have the right to comment!!

Picture 25 : Its not AnuradhaPURAM, it is AnuradhaPURA. What happend to the Sri Lankan Muslim community ? Why no representation ?

WOW! So clear pics. I wonder what camera they used?

wow hots off for this all pics

Great Pictures...thanks for the collection.

Bhudda rocks!!!!

@ Jeny, Matt, Sen and all that it may concern

It is apparent that afore mentioned commentors, just as many others, have very little knowledge of the LTTE, and Sri Lanka in general - but speak as if you have lived there your entire lives.

The LTTE were Terrorists - NOT freedom fighters.

The LTTE forced Tamil children as young as 12 to join their forces and fight in a war instead of gaining an education. Is this freedom?

The LTTE planted bombs in public transport and public areas on an almost weekly basis. Public transport and areas that were used by all Sri Lankans, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, of whom were many Tamils - the very people they were supposed to be fighting for. Is this freedom?

The LTTE abused and threatened to kill many Tamil families in a bid to recruit women suicide carders. Is this freedom?

The LTTE were a ruthless terrorist organization, amongst the most dangerous and deadly extremists in the world, a fact that the US has forgotten themselves ( FBI report on the LTTE ). The US along with many other developed countries have given the war on terror high priority, but not only tolerated - but listened to the statements released by these terrorists, and given them the same credence as the statements issued by a democratically elected, internationally recognized government.

Another thing that no one seems to realize is that Sri Lanka is a third world country, a country that doesn't have the economic capacity nor the infrastructure to handle a refugee crisis in the manner a developed country would - Sri Lanka provided the best she could.

There was a war in Sri Lanka, but there was never a genocide. Why would we kill our own brothers and sisters?

I have lived in Sri Lanka for most of my life. I myself am a Sinhalese, and have never seen any racism between my fellow Tamil, Muslim, Burgher and Sinhalese countrymen, except from the very few severely ignorant - but that is a feature common to all countries. Sri Lankans have all ways appreciated the diversity of cultures that our island has been blessed with, we wouldn't dream of destroying it.

Sri Lankan born British Emcee M.I.A has all ways portrayed Sri Lanka as a country filled with ethnic hate with a government that strives to wipe out the minority - a dystopian society where she represents the oppressed, a freedom fighter willing to go against the system - but in actual fact its just another gimmicky marketing campaign by just another politically ignorant pop artist who markets herself as an intellect. She is one of the few posers that survived the independent music scene. Whats sad is that she not only promoted terrorism, but made money doing so and spread ignorance through her music. She's got quite desperate now that the war is over, promoting a "Don't buy Sri Lankan" campaign. Exactly the kind of support that Sri Lankans need to rebuild itself after a war.

News agencies weren't unbiased either, with journalists exploiting many Sri Lankans with a poor grasp of English rather than interviewing intellects capable of expressing their views on the subject.

News has become yet another commodity, they don't put out the truth - they put out what sells.

Correction Bhudda doesnt rock he just looks like a rock star

#20...this doesn't look cheap, I'm sure the resources could have better been use for helping the refugees and for rebuilding the country.

wow!these pictures are sooooo amazing...........

My SRI LANKA, the most beautiful place on Earth. I was born on this Golden Soil, despite me living abroad, I wan't to die and be buried in this Golden Country (Gampola in particular) of Mine. May Almighty Allah, bless this country with pease and prosperity!

Excellent Collection Sri lanka a beautiful paradise. Finish 30 years war . SINHALA TAMIL MUSLIM live without fear now. The people in refuguee camps because of worlds no. 1 murder PRABAKARAN will settel in their vilages soon. Prabakaran and his murdering group is finish. We can live without fear. Thanks Sri Lankan brave forces.

Come to Sri Lanka. see the beuty . Colombo Trincomelle, Jaffna, Anuradapura Kataragama, Galle no limits go any were U want.