Sri Lankan soldiers march during the 76th Independence Day commemoration ceremony of Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, February 4, 2024. (Photo by Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo)





Foreign tourists visit the ancient rock fortress in Sigiriya on February 18, 2024. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Spectators gather in various vantage points as they watch play during the second Twenty20 international cricket match between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium in Dambulla, on February 19, 2024. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





A rickshaw drives past a wild elephant crossing a road in Habarana on February 20, 2024. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Traditional dancers perform during the annual Buddhist Navam procession to mark the Navam Perahera festival in front of the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo on February 23, 2024. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





A mahout and his elephant worship at the Gangaramaya Buddhist temple ahead of the temple's annual Nawam Perahera or street parade where dozens of gaily decorated elephants are escorted by hundreds of traditional drummers and dancers during the parade, in Colombo, Sri Lanka on February 23, 2024. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)





A model falls as she presents a creation by fashion designer Limak during the Colombo Fashion Week in Colombo on March 7, 2024. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





A street vendor sells prawns at the Galle Face sea-front promenade in Colombo on March 15, 2024. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





A general view shows the Sri Lankan capital Colombo as the sun sets on April 4, 2024. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





A worker makes firecrackers in the village of Kimbulapitiya on the outskirts of Colombo on April 5, 2024, ahead of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





A worker makes firecrackers in the village of Kimbulapitiya on the outskirts of Colombo on April 5, 2024, ahead of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Sri Lankan elephants are transported on a truck in Biyagama on April 18, 2024. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Men bathe at a public well on a hot summer day in Colombo on April 30, 2024. (Photo by Ishara S Kodikara/AFP Photo)





A base jumper leaps off the Lotus Tower, a 351.5 m tall tower in Colombo, Sri Lanka on May 13, 2024. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)





A worker is silhouetted as he applies the final touches on a Buddha statue for a customer at a factory ahead of Vesak Day, an annual celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death in Colombo, Sri Lanka on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)





A worker prepares a Buddha statue for the final paintwork at a factory ahead of Vesak Day, an annual celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death in Colombo, Sri Lanka on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)





A group of young people wear masks as they prepare to visit Vesak zones in the capital tonight on Vesak Day, an annual celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death at the Kelaniya temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)





Devotees gather to see illuminated installation on the occasion of “Vesak festival” which commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha, in Colombo on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Ishara S.Kodikara/AFP Photo)





A Sri Lankan Buddhist devotee prays at a temple on the day of Buddha Poornima, or Vesak in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, May 23, 2023. In many parts of Asia, the sacred day marks not just the birth, but also the enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. (Photo by Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo)





A boy wades through a flooded street after heavy rains in Malwana on the outskirts of Colombo on May 27, 2024. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)