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Quote - Joseph Pulitzer

"PUT IT BEFORE THEM BRIEFLY SO THEY WILL READ IT, CLEARLY SO THEY WILL APPRECIATE IT, PICTURESQUELY SO THEY WILL REMEMBER IT AND, ABOVE ALL, ACCURATELY SO THEY WILL BE GUIDED BY ITS LIGHT" ***** JOSEPH PULITZER *****
DISCOVER - SRI LANKA: PROLOGUE

IN PRAISE OF MY BEAUTIFUL ISLAND,
INFORMATION, PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEO.

THE 13th CENTURY VENETIAN TRAVELER MARCO POLO DESCRIBED THE ISLAND AS 'THE JADE PENDANT IN THE INDIAN OCEAN'. THE ABUNDANCE OF GEMSTONES, SPICES, RAIN FORESTS AND WILDLIFE; THE MAGNIFICENT BEACHES, ANCIENT RUINS AND A WRITTEN HISTORY OF OVER 2500 YEARS MAKE THIS ISLAND A TOURISTS' PARADISE.

THE RUINED CITIES OF ANURADHAPURA AND POLONNARUWA ILLUSTRATE THE GLORY OF THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS. THE GIGANTIC STUPAS AND BUDDHA STATUES ARE AMONG THE BIGGEST MAN MADE STRUCTURES OF THE WORLD. THE MASSIVE RESERVOIRS, BUILT BY ANCIENT KINGS TO IRRIGATE THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF LAND, ARE MARVELS OF HYDRO ENGINEERING. THERE ARE EIGHT UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SRI LANKA

THE ISLAND WAS KNOWN TO THE GREEKS AS 'TAPROBANE' AND TO THE ARABS AS 'SERENDIB'. EARLY MERCHANTS VISITED THE ISLAND IN SEARCH OF GEMSTONES AND SPICES, MAINLY CINNAMON AND PEPPER. COFFEE AND TEA PLANTATIONS WERE STARTED BY THE BRITISH COLONIAL RULERS. CEYLON TEA IS FAMOUS THE WORLD OVER.

TOURISM INDUSTRY IS A MAJOR MONEY SPINNER FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL ISLAND. THE VAST EXPANSE OF BEACHES, RAIN FORESTS AND NATIONAL PARKS WITH HERDS OF WILD ELEPHANTS, THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS WITH LITHE WATER FALLS, BRING IN THE TOURISTS. THE ISLAND IS DOTTED WITH HUNDREDS OF HOTELS TO ACCOMMODATE THE TRAVELER. AN ISLAND OF 25,000 SQ; MILES HAS 103 RIVERS AND 25000 RESERVOIRS, MOSTLY MAN MADE. WITH VARYING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS THIS IS TRULY A 'SMALL MIRACLE'.

" 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 HAVE SO MANY ADVANTAGES AND SO FEW DISADVANTAGES. LOVELY BEACHES, BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES, IMPRESSIVE RUINS, A VIBRANT CULTURE AND CHARMING PEOPLE- NO WONDER SRI LANKA IS A SMALL MIRACLE ".***** Arthur C. Clark *****




Over: 70 Pages, 800 Posts, 1000 Photographs and 900,000 Page views

23 November, 2010

SRI LANKA - UVA REBELLION [ AGAINST THE BRITISH ]


The Uva Rebellion, also known as the 'Great Rebellion of 1817-1818' 
(or the 3rd Kandyan War by the British) took place in Ceylon against the British 
colonial government under Governor Robert Brownrigg, which had been contro
lling the formerly independent Udarata (Sinhalese: Up-Country), of which Uva 
was a province. People used to call this Independence Movement by the name 
of the two places where it started: the 'Wellassa Rebellion' and the 'Uva Rebellion'. 
It was the very first struggle for gaining Independence from the British.
It was led by Wilbawe (an alias of Duraisamy, a Nayakkar of Royal blood) and 
Keppetipola Disawe - a leader that the Sinhalese celebrate even today, who 
was sent initially by the British government to stop the uprising. The other 
leaders who supported this Independent Movement are; II Pilima Talauve 
Adikaram, Kohu Kumbure Rate Rala, Dimbulana Disave, Kivulegedara Mohottala, 
Madugalle Disave, Butewe Rate Rala, Galagedara Mohottala, Dambawinna 
Disave and Gode Gedara Adikaram. The Sinhalese were greatly affected by 
the administrative policies of the British and were not used to being ruled 
by a king who lived far away in another continent. This created unrest among 
the local people and the aristocratic Chiefs in the Kandyan Kingdom. Except 
for Molligoda and Ekneligoda, many Chiefs join the rebels. The rebels captured 
Matale and Kandy before Keppetipola fell ill and was captured and beheaded 
by the British. His skull was abnormal - as it was wider than usual - and was 
sent to Britain for testing. It was returned to Sri Lanka after independence, 
and now rests in the Kandiyan Museum. The rebellion failed due to a number 
of reasons. It was not very finely planned among the leaders. The areas 
controlled by some Chiefs who helped the British provided easy transport routes 
for the British to have transactions of food and other necessities. Doraisami 
who was said to have a claim to the sinhalese throne was found not to have 
any relation.
The rebellion was notable for the bloody manner of its suppression, with 'Search 
and Destroy' missions which presaged the Vietnam War. The inhabitants lost 
house, property, livestock and even the salt in their possession during the 
repression. The irrigation systems of the duchies of Uva and Wellassa, hitherto 
the rice-bowl of Sri Lanka, were systematically destroyed. Although, it was 
an Independence Struggle that was led by brave national heroes who wanted 
to see a peaceful country under one flag by even giving away their lives and 
contributing to save our Motherland.
In the 'Journal of Uva,' Herbert White, a British Government Agent in Badulla 
after the rebellion minuted: "It is a pity that there is no evidence left behind 
to show the exact situation in Uva in terms of population or agriculture 
development after the rebellion. The new rulers are unable to come up to 
any conclusion on the exact situation of Uva before the rebellion as there 
is no trace of evidence left behind to come to such conclusions. If thousands 
died in the battle they were all fearless and clever fighters. If one considers 
the remaining population of 4/5 after the battle to be children, women and 
the aged, the havoc caused is unlimited. In short the people have lost their 
lives and all other valuable belongings. It is doubtful whether Uva has at least 
now recovered from the catastrophe.


  1. ^ Keppetipola and the Uva Rebellion Virtual Library Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  2. ^ Uva Wellassa rebellion - 1817 -1818
  3. ^ Wellassa riots in 1818
  4. ^ Torture tree of the British Army
  5. ^ 1818 Uva Wellassa rebellion

Source : Wikipedia the free Encyclopedia

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