In photographs

Gallery

The lake, the yoga shala, the mud huts, the table: the village, in photographs.

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The lake & the land

Ulpotha sits between a spring-fed lake and the Galgiriyawa ridge: water, granite and jungle in every direction.

Silhouette of a person in tree pose on a hilltop at sunrise, a blanket of golden mist filling the valley over the lake and paddy below

Seen from inside an open thatched hut at dim early light, a woman sits cross-legged in meditation on a bamboo deck facing the still lake, a lit hurricane lantern hanging beside her

A barefoot Buddhist monk in orange robes standing in quiet contemplation at the edge of the mirror-still lake, jungle hills and a rocky peak behind

Aerial view along the lake edge: dense jungle canopy, giant granite boulders, thatched roofs hidden in the trees, a sandy path tracing the shore and canoes at a small landing

A man meditates cross-legged on a wooden dugout canoe on a calm lake, beside a tall granite rock and jungle foliage.

Woman seated on a stilted thatched pavilion over a calm jungle lake, her reflection in the water and a canoe moored beneath.

A red wooden canoe beached at the edge of a calm lake at dawn, with misty jungle-covered hills and a rock outcrop reflected in the still water.

Wild elephants with a calf grazing on the far shore of a lake, jungle hills and a white stupa behind them.

A calm lake reflecting a forested mountain topped with low cloud, with jungle trees framing the shore.

Granite boulders reflected in the still green water of a jungle lake, with a bare tree rising behind them.

Wide aerial panorama of a green valley in Sri Lanka with a small lake, dense jungle, rice paddies and rocky hills fading into haze.

Layers of jungle canopy and granite outcrops fading into warm pink haze at dusk, seen from a hilltop.

Flooded rice paddy fields with young seedlings and mud bunds, jungle trees in the background.

Yoga

Practice unfolds every day, usually in two classes, in the open-air yoga shala, and sometimes on the granite above the canopy. All levels, every retreat.

A smiling teacher kneels on a terracotta mat instructing a small yoga class, gold curtains and orchids behind

A woman in a magenta scarf and plum trousers arching into wild thing pose on a lichen-covered granite outcrop, jungle canopy below a soft overcast sky

A young man balancing in side-crow arm balance on a granite boulder high above the jungle canopy, hazy hills beyond, grinning at the camera

A tanned, shaven-headed yogi seated against a weathered lime-plaster wall, one leg behind his head, hands in namaste, beaming

A woman in a mustard cover-up in a standing side-bend on mossy stone paving before a salmon-pink wall lined with dark tropical plants

Close portrait of a woman in a saffron-orange embroidered kurta, wrists crossed overhead in a mudra, gazing up through sun-flared foliage

Guests holding Warrior II pose together on orange mats in Ulpotha's open-air thatched yoga shala.

Woman doing a yoga pose inside a round window of a mud wall painted with lotus flowers, jungle behind her.

Guests lying over yellow bolsters on yoga mats in a candlelit open-air shala with thatched roof and ochre walls at dusk.

Woman in blue yoga clothes standing on a large boulder with arms stretched overhead, facing a misty forested mountain beside a lake at dawn.

A group of guests seated cross-legged on yoga mats in an open-sided thatched shala, with sunlight falling across the wooden floor and a teacher at the front.

Yoga teacher seated cross-legged on a mat under a banyan tree, speaking to a class, with a stone Ganesh statue and lit oil lamps behind him.

Guests seated in meditation on yoga mats spread across a granite rock outcrop, shaded by trees, with sunlit jungle in the background.

A group yoga class stretching with raised arms on mats under trees beside the lake, a young girl walking among them.

Woman hanging upside down in a rope-supported backbend against a yoga wall in an open-air thatched shala, jungle visible behind her.

Retreat guests seated in a circle in an open-sided yoga shala around a flower mandala with a burning candle, with jungle greenery beyond.

Ayurveda

The treatments run quietly in the background: oil, herbs and steam.

A guest resting with closed eyes in a carved wooden herbal bath, fresh neem branches floating on the dark herb-infused water, under a thatched roof

A therapist's hand wrings warm herbal oil from a cloth in a thin stream onto a guest's back, the treatment room soft-focus behind

Seen from above, a guest lies with closed eyes in a carved wooden tub, neem branches spread across the herb-infused water

A guest wrapped in green cloth sits on the woven mat of the steam bath, its rattan hood raised overhead

Open-air stone bathing enclosure with moss-covered walls, a brass bucket beneath a tap, a copper water pot on a flagstone floor, and jungle foliage above.

A hammered copper pot and bowl with a wooden ladle on the wet stone floor of the open-air bathing enclosure

The village & the huts

Wattle-and-daub huts under deep thatch, verandas made for doing nothing, a library that forgives long naps.

The white colonial walawwa with its red clay-tile roof glimpsed down a sand path through deep-green tropical foliage in dappled shade

A yellow-washed pavilion building with a red roof under palms, a bicycle leaning by the pillars and a sandy track in front

A traditional wattle-and-daub hut with a deep shaggy thatch roof and ochre-painted low walls, embedded in jungle greenery

Inside a mud hut: a sculpted mud platform bed with a patterned mattress and cushions, two coned white mosquito nets hanging from the woven-palm thatch ceiling

The indigo-blue inner courtyard in daylight: a gnarled tree rising from stone paving, terracotta roof eaves and a doorway glowing warm at the back

A vivid saffron-orange wall with an antique carved wooden daybed piled with silk cushions, a brass cobra mask and an amber glass lamp

A marigold-yellow lounge under exposed clay-tile roof beams: antique cane settees piled with jewel-tone cushions, a folk-art frieze and a brass lamp aglow

The indigo-washed library: a glazed wooden bookcase full of well-used books, guests sprawled barefoot on rush mats and cushions reading, cups of tea beside them

Stone Ganesha statue with offering bowls beneath a large banyan tree in the jungle.

Open-sided pavilion with wooden daybeds and orange cushions overlooking a calm lake, with a red canoe moored among trees beyond.

A red-earth footpath winding through dense jungle, morning sunlight streaming through palms and tall trees.

Open-air thatched lounge with earthen benches, bright cushions, a painted owl mural on the mud wall, and a guitar case leaning near the entrance.

Wooden swing bed with orange bolsters hanging from trees beside a green rice paddy, sun flaring through the leaves.

Colourful plaid cushions piled along a terracotta bench in an open wooden pavilion, with jungle foliage behind.

White colonial-era manor house with red tile roof and columned veranda, pairs of sandals left at the foot of its steps, surrounded by tropical trees.

The food at Ulpotha

Everything is picked steps from the plate: village-grown, cooked over fire, served on banana leaves.

Weathered hands slicing a knobbly bitter gourd on a dark wooden board in the open kitchen, a colander piled with just-picked greens beside

A buffet of clay bowls and woven trays against a vivid blue lime-washed wall: a spiral of cut mango and papaya at the centre, surrounded by curries, sambols and stacked terracotta plates

Overhead view of a communal floor dinner: dishes served on banana leaves in woven rattan trays laid out on rush mats, hands reaching in to serve

Four women guests sitting on woven mats around clay bowls of curry and rice in an open-air pavilion surrounded by jungle.

Baskets of fresh vegetables including beans, chillies, tomatoes and cauliflower arranged on a wooden table in an open-air kitchen with lattice walls.

Large blackened cauldron steaming over an open wood fire under a thatched canopy, with smoke rising against a stone wall.

Six glasses of king coconut water on a dark wooden board next to freshly cut orange king coconuts and a knife on a stone counter beneath a thatched roof.

Slices of watermelon arranged on banana leaves in a woven basket resting on a straw mat.

A woven basket with papaya, banana and cake arranged on a green leaf, next to a red mug of tea on handwoven mats.

The people

Villagers, guests, children with a canoe: Ulpotha is lived in, not staffed.

Three village children laughing and balancing on a wooden dugout canoe on the lake, jungle hillside behind

A weathered, heavily tattooed older man in orange shorts standing barefoot with a book in front of magnificent carved antique wooden doors, in dappled light

A woman in a crochet straw hat and sheer caramel kaftan reaching up toward sunlit leaves on a green garden path

A woman in red sits with a mug of tea on the edge of an open-sided cushioned pavilion, with dense green jungle behind her.

A man playing an acoustic guitar while seated on a striped daybed against a blue-washed wall with a jungle painting.

Three women sitting on a granite rock, viewed from behind, gazing over jungle and distant hills in soft golden light.

Two village farmers with four water buffalo on threshing straw between haystacks in rural Sri Lanka.

A group of villagers and retreat guests sitting on a large lakeside rock, sharing a picnic of bananas and food wrapped in banana leaves.

Three Buddhist monks in orange robes and a man in a maroon shirt walking among ancient stone temple ruins surrounded by jungle.

Ten happy retreat guests in bright sarongs raise their arms together on a sunlit sandy path beneath jungle trees.

Evenings

The light goes gold on the boulders, then the lamps come out one by one, until the whole village glows.

A man holds a straddle handstand on flat rock among giant boulders as the sun sets behind misty jungle ridges

A man in a black vest and striped orange sarong sitting on a granite slope at golden hour, straw hat in hand, a cactus overhead and pale sky behind

A Sri Lankan woman in a batik sarong reaching up to hang a lit blue-glass oil lantern from a tree in the indigo-walled courtyard at dusk, two green lanterns in her other hand

The stone-paved open-roof courtyard at twilight, a tree growing through it, dozens of small candles and lanterns glowing warm against the blue evening light

The white-columned walawwa veranda at deep-blue dusk, every step of the entrance stair lined with glowing candle lanterns, warm lamplight under the clay-tile roof

Two people performing an acro-yoga handstand balance on a boat on a still lake at sunset, with hills silhouetted behind.

When the lanterns are lit

A photograph holds the light, not the feeling

The birdsong before dawn, the stillness of the lake, the warmth of a lamplit evening: none of it quite fits in a frame.

Come see it with your own eyes