OUR STORY

The story of Living Heritage Koslanda began more than 30 years ago when Manik Sandrasagra, a Sri Lankan film director and cultural visionary, dreamed of creating an oasis in “one of the most sacred and secret places on Planet Earth”.
Devoted to preserving Sri Lanka’s natural beauty and traditional heritage, Manik was a pioneer whose numerous projects sought to preserve the island’s traditions, while keeping them relevant in the modern world and protect its natural biodiversity.

Years before Facebook and other social media, Manik hoped to use the internet to bring together those who “delight in the faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident, the gift of serendipity and to replenish, to breathe, regenerate and heal”.
All of Manik’s passions and beliefs were brought together in Living Heritage Koslanda, which was designed in collaboration with renowned Sri Lankan architect Channa Daswatte and completed by his wife Lucy in 2012, four years after Manik s death.
The buildings on the site were constructed and positioned according to traditional Sri Lankan architecture and astrology. Jobs were created for local craftsmen who used traditional materials and building methods, some of which had to be relearnt and revived.

Living Heritage Koslanda is the realisation of the dream of introducing sustainable tourism to Sri Lanka. An eco resort which respects and preserves local culture, Sri Lankan heritage and rituals of the forest.
If you’re the kind of person who, like Lewis Caroll’s White Queen, can “believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast” then we look forward to seeing you here.