Photography Nalinda Harsha-(nkphotomag.com/wp/?page_id=300)

Sri Lanka- Small Miracle.Discover the natural beauty,exquisite wild life,extremely rich and diverse culture,and history of our beloved Sri Lanka.Welcome home!!!

 
 

One Country...One Nation...Mother Sri Lanka
Sinhala + Tamil + Christian + Muslim + Burgher+Malay.. One Country... One Nation... Mother Sri Lanka

 

 

 Five centuries before Christ, Sri Lanka was a land throbbing with vitality and a well-ordered civilization. Cities, palaces, reservoirs, parks, temples, monasteries, monuments and works of art bore testament to the character, imagination, culture, philosophy and faith of the people of Sri Lanka, the Resplendent Land. Vestiges of this ancient civilization are abundantly extant today.

"To me the beauty of Ceylon lies not so much in its blue seas and golden beaches, its jungles and its mountain peaks, as in its ancient atmosphere. There is no nation, from Egypt of the Pharaohs to modern Britian, in whose literature this island has not at some time been mentioned by one or other of its many names -- Lanka, Serendib, Taprobane, Cellao, Zellan, to recall a few. History lies buried in its sands, and ghosts of romance lurk among its bastioned rocks, for Lanka is very, very old." - D. J. G. Hennessy, GREEN AISLES, 1949.

 "The Island of Sri Lanka is a small universe containing as many variations of culture, scenery and climate as some countries a dozen times her size....."-Sir Arthur C. Clarke

 

 (source-www.lankalibrary.com/)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phtograph-Palitha Udayasiri

Sri Lanka is an island of no great size, yet it has an extraordinary number of facets. As Sir Arthur C Clarke remarked: "The Island of Sri Lanka is a small universe; it contains as many variations of culture, scenery, and climate as some countries a dozen times its size . . . I find it hard to believe that there is any country which scores so highly in all departments - which has so many advantages and so few disadvantages."  Lovely beaches, beautiful landscapes, impressive ruins, a vibrantculture and charming people. 

This article is part of a continuing series on the 'Mahavamsa', the recorded chronicle of Sri Lankan history.

Source-sundaytimes.lk/030615/funday/1.html

King Mutasiva

King Pandukabhaya was grateful to all those who helped him, in his struggle for kingship. To the east of the city, he built a shrine for the 'Yakkha' Kalavela. A shrine for Chittaraja was built near the Abhaya tank. He conducted religious rites to respect both these 'Yakkhas'. The day Pandukabahaya celebrated his victory, he had bathed in a pond. He enlarged that pond, converted it to a tank and named it the tank 'Jaya'. Abhaya tank built by Pandukabhaya, is known as Basavakkulama today. He built a number of shrines to respect various religious figures.

King Pandukabhaya is famous for building the city of Anuradhapura. It is believed that his town planning was as advanced as the modern day town planning. He was deeply concerned about the cleanliness of the city. He had employed 500 men to clean the streets, another 200 for cleaning sewers and yet another 150 for bearing the dead bodies. All these workers belonged to the 'Chandala' caste. To the north west of the cemetery, houses were erected for all these categories of workers. They were paid regular wages too. To the east of the cemetery, a house was built for 'Nigantha' Jotiya. (A monastery of a religious sect)

In the 10th year of his coronation, King Pandukabhaya demarcated all the villages. He succeeded in changing the lineage of King Vijaya. King Pandukabhaya supported the 'Yakkhas', who are believed to be the earliest settlers of this country. It was they who looked after Pandukabhaya, from his early childhood. As such, he was very generous in giving them whatever conveniences they needed. Some believe that the majority of soldiers in his army came from the tribe of 'Yakkhas'.

King Pandukabhaya, who was 37 years old, when he ascended the throne, is believed to have ruled for 70 long years. According to the 'Mahavamsa', it was his son Mutasiva, who succeeded him. But the 'Rajavaliya differs here, mentioning another son, who is said to have ruled before Mutasiva.

Mutasiva has ruled the country peacefully. He is responsible for developing the park - 'Mahamevna'. The day the king demarcated the boundaries of this park, an untimely, heavy downpour was experienced. Hence the name 'Mahamegha Vana'- which later was simplified to Mahamevna. King Mutasiva ruled from 367 BC to 307 BC.

King Mutasiva had 10 sons and two daughters. Devanampiyatissa was the second son. His virtue and intelligence made him popular among his subjects. When King Mutasiva passed away, Devanampiyatissa ascended the throne. Even the Mahavamsa mentions that several miracles occurred on the day of his consecration ceremony.

Treasures and jewels that had been buried deep down had risen to the surface of the earth. Jewels were seen upon the earth. All this is believed to have taken place, due to the merit of Devanampiyatissa. The king was glad to notice all this. He thought of sending some of these jewels to his unseen friend Dharmashoka of India. The king thought only he was worthy to receive a share of this priceless treasure.

The Chief Envoy appointed to take the treasure to India was his nephew, Arittha. There were a few others to accompany him. Among them were his chief Chaplain, a minister and a treasurer. They had embarked at 'Jambukola' and in seven days, he had reached the city of Pataliputra in India.

Home: The Mahavamsa

 

The Mahavamsa "The Great Chronicle" otherwise known as "The Great Dynasty" is the single most important work of Lankan origin (written in Pali language). It describes the life and times of the people who forged our nation, from the coming of Vijaya in 543 BCE to the reign of King Mahasena (334 – 361) (6th Century BC to 4th Century AD). A companion volume, the Culavamsa or Choolavansha ("lesser chronicle"), covers the period from the 4th century to the British takeover of Sri Lanka in 1815.

 

The Mahavamsa itself is actually comprised of three parts, all written at different times in Lankan history. The combined work, sometimes collectively referred to as the "Mahavamsa" or "Mahawansha", provides a continuous historical record of over two millennia and can be considered as the world’s longest unbroken historic record.

 

 

 

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FA HIEN (414 A.D)
The Chinese pilgrim spent two years in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) mostly at Anuradhapura then a famous center of learning was the furthest point from his home in his 15 year old odyssey.
He writes about Sri Lanka in his works

"This country is an oasis, prosperous and happy; it's people are well-to-do; they all have received the faith, and find their amusement in religious music".

Proud To Be Sri Lankan.

Please help us to take this powerful  message across. We can reach every corner in the planet. We need your engagement with THE LANKAN. Let’s show the world that we love Sri Lanka and we care for our beautiful motherland

This is an invitation to all of you out there, who love our motherland

THE LANKAN

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A Picture is worth a thousand words. Check out striking nature and wildlife photographs of Sri Lanka

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Hotels in Sri Lanka

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.

Buddha

History of Sri Lanka __ "Traditionally, the recorded History of Sri Lanka boasts of 25 chronicled centuries. But in actuality, history goes much longer than that, to the Balangoda Man and the Emperor Ravana."  An encyclopedic article with links to additional resources. - illustrated - From wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sri_Lanka

Director, Archaeology Dept. Siran Deraniyagala speaks

Looking for the link

Q:What is the significance of the Pallemalala site ?

A: We are looking for evidence of transition between the stone age and the iron age. That would mean evidence of domesticated plants, animals, basic pottery stone tools but no iron tools.

Q. Has there been no evidence of this transition or the neolithic period found before ?

A: There was one suspected site in Dorawaka Kanda.

Another skeleton found in Mantai was dated 1800 B.C considered to be the tail end of the mesolithic period, but at the site we also found copper workings. So there is doubt whether this could represent a transition phase.

Q:What is meant by the term "Balangoda man"?

A: Numerous human remains that have been found in the country largely belong to the mesolithic period. These people are commonly categorised as the Balangoda man, as they bear similarities.

Q:Where have the oldest human remains been found in the country?

A: The skeletal parts found in the Fa-hein cave have been accurately dated to a period between 38,000 - 40,000 years. But the oldest habitation sites found were in Bundala and Pathirjawela, where the dune layers were dated according to sea level fluctuations. The Pathirajawela site dates back some 125,000 years and the Bundala site at least 80,000 years. Here stone tools have been found. According to these dates the sites are considered to belong to the mid-paleolithic period.

Q:Would you put a date on the Pallemalala site ?

A: There is no evidence yet to accurately predict a date. But it could be believed that the skeletons are around 5000 years old. By January we should have dated the site. (Source: Sunday Times)

@WWW Virtual Library - Sri Lanka
 

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Culture and Heritage of Sri Lanka

By: Pushpitha Wijesinghe

Sri Lanka, a small island located just below the Indian subcontinent is an amazing tourist destination offering a variety of things to do and experience. The country with its natural beauty of sun kissed beaches and exciting wildlife is something any tourist would love to experience. However, there’s more to this small island nation, apart from its wonderful nature and wildlife, the country boasts of a proud history spanning over 2500 years.

The ancient kingdoms in this island nation speak of a rich culture and a heritage with its own arts, crafts and amazing architectural and engineering skills. One of the focal points of the country’s history was the introduction of Buddhism during the 3rd century BC, from which the kingdom developed into a much sophisticated and advanced monarchy with a strong inheritance from Buddhist teachings. Remnants of many architectural wonders that were built by past Sinhala kings still remain to date in their past glory and prestige.

The country due to its location at a main naval route and its close proximity to the Indian sub continent was affected by threats outside which lead the kingdoms being relocated during the course of time. The Kingdom of Anuradhapura and the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa and lastly the Kingdom of Kandy which succumbed to British rule in 1815 were at their epitome in contributing to the country’s history and heritage.

Some of the interesting remnants left from these former monarchies rang e from pyramid like Buddhist Stupas soaring in to the skies, magnificent Buddhist sculptures carved out of stone and a fortress built atop a magnificent lion like rock. The country also got its heritage from the colonial periods where parts of the country and eventually the whole country were under several colonial powers. Portuguese, Dutch and British influences from the 1500s have also played a significant impact on the Sri Lankan community as well. Some of the interesting historic attractions from these eras are the 17th century Dutch Fort in Galle, and many Dutch churches and forts in Negombo and Kalpitiya.

The country which is an exciting melting pot of cultures, has a vast and an exciting array of places to visit and explore. From Catholics, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhist there is a vast amalgamation of various colors and creeds making the country truly an exciting place to visit. Those who plan to spend some time and explore its rich cultural and historic heritage can do so by staying at a Sri Lanka hotel. A renowned hospitality provider,

John Keells Hotels Group has a range of resorts and hotels located close to many of the attractions making it a truly convenient and pleasurable experience.

About the Author

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Culture and Heritage of Sri Lanka