Total Area: : 65,610 sq km Coastline: 1,340 km Population : 19,238,575 Sri Lanka KDW Nandalal Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Peradenitya, Sri.

Total Area: : 65,610 sq km

Coastline: 1,340 km

Population: 19,238,575

Sri Lanka

KDW NandalalDept. of Civil Engineering, University of Peradenitya,

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is very popular for it’s beautiful beaches

It was a normal sunny day in December

26th of December 2004 a Sunday as as well as a Full moon day (Called as Poya-day and every Poya day is a Special holiday in Sri Lanka)

No one was busy

It was school vacation

Some of them were enjoying on the golden beaches

Some were resting at their homes

Everyone near coast noted some changes in the sea

Those who knew the behavior of the sea wanted to move away from it

Curious lot wanted to witness the changes

First waves rose more than usual

Then beaches were dried out and coastline extended 100s of meters.

Some of them started to mark the boundaries on the newly found land

Some of them were fishing on the naked beach happily

Waves started their journey back

Suddenly beautiful waves turned into a hungry dragon and started raging towards the land swallowing every thing on its way

Gushing the things in the Hotels

Swimming pools filled with sea water

It swirled, gushed, uprooted, destroyed and turned upside down of the lives of thousands of Sri Lankans within minutes

Where the Yala Safari Beach hotel had been

Like to study about a cross section of a road?

Roads washed off

Check weather the foundation was laid well

Who pushed the train out of it rails?

How many lives gone with the train?

Where had the cars gone?

Houses broken into two

Uprooted houses and trees

What can I do now?

Where are my children? My Husband?

Burrying the dead bodies

Burning some of them

Every thing is impermanent!

Is that what Statue of Lord Buddha is trying to say?

Every one rushed to help

Collecting food cloths what ever that can be useful for the victims of the deadly tsunami

Foreign aids also starts to flow in

Removing whatever that can be used to rebuilt

My dear friends, you all have lost your fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and friends but do not worry

We have experienced these kind of things all along the Samsara

That is what Lord Buddha taught me