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
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
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
21 February, 2011
SRI LANKA - MONUMENTS [ THE CAPTAIN DAWSON TOWER ]
The road connecting Colombo and Kandy is the first main road
constructed in Ceylon, construction work began in 1820 under
the supervision of William Francis Dawson assisted by Major
Skinner, during British rule. Captain Dawson died before the
completion of the project and the Dawson Tower was erected
in his memory in 1832. at Kadugannawa.
02 February, 2011
SRI LANKA - ANCIENT LIGHTNING ARRESTERS [ 4TH CENTURY BC ]
Some of the most ancient lightning conductors can be found
in Sri Lanka in places like the Kingdom of Anuradhapura
[ 4th century BC ] that dates back to thousands of years.
The Sinhalese kings who mastered construction of stupas
and advanced building structures, installed a metal tip made
of copper on the highest point of every building to conduct any
lightning charge. In many parts of the world ancient Buddhist
monuments have been destroyed by lightning strikes but not in
Sri Lanka.
Source : Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
31 January, 2011
SRI LANKA - THE GOLDEN AGE OF LANKA [ THE RUINED CITIES OF CEYLON BY HENRY W. CAVE M.A., F.R.G.S. - 1900 ]
Let us take an imaginary glimpse of the island as it was about
two centuries after the introduction of Buddhism, and at the
condition of those provinces where dense forest now enfolds the
remains of mighty cities. Ceylon was the chief emporium of the
eastern world. The merchant fleets of India, China, Persia,and
Arabia entered its ports with silks, carpets,cloth of gold,
sandalwood, horses, chariots, and slaves.
There they met not only to "barter with one another, but to traffic
with the Singhalese,whose gems were coveted by the nobles and
princes of every country. There was no king in India whose wealth
could compare with that of the ruler of Ceylon, and the precious
products of his dominions readily commanded ample supplies of
the luxuries of other nations.The Singhalese had no need thems-
elves to convey their parcels of pearls, sapphires, and rubies to
distant countries. Such wealth brought their wants to their very
doors. Wherefore no vessel of their own is visible amongst the
motley throng that ride at anchor within the harbours so bountifully
provided by nature A few small dhoneys constructed of planks sewn
together by threads of coir serve all local requirements, and as yet
they have no fleet.
Source : Historic Books of Sri Lanka.
http://mahavamsa.org/e-books/
13 January, 2011
SRI LANKA - HISTORICAL MAP OF CEYLON 1623
Map of the island Sri Lanka,. “Ceilan insula.”
Beautiful old-colouring, Latin edition, Amsterdam, 1623
[Published in: "Atlas sive Cosmographicae meditiones de Farbrica Mundi..."]
copper engraving
copper engraving
Cartographers
Gerard Mercator (1512-1594) was a Flemish cartographer. He was born in
Gerard Mercator (1512-1594) was a Flemish cartographer. He was born in
Rupelmonde in East Flanders in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation
to parents from Gangelt in the Duchy of Jülich (modern Germany). Since 1552 he
lived in Duisburg. He is remembered for the Mercator.Jodocus Hondius
(* 1563; † 1612) was a Flemish artist, engraver, and cartographer.
Description
This is a very beautiful, old-coloured and heightended in gold copper engraving
This is a very beautiful, old-coloured and heightended in gold copper engraving
map out of a Latin edition of the “Atlas sive Cosmographicae…” from
Mercator-Hondius.
This interesting map shows the island Sri Lanka, former also Ceylon.
This interesting map shows the island Sri Lanka, former also Ceylon.
Early Map of Ceylon, Ceilan c.1623
INS. CEILAN QUAE INCOLIS TENARISIN DICTUR. An early engraved map of the
the country orientated with east at the top. Embellished with three
decorative cartouches. Animals on the land area.
Source : Historical Images of Ceylon [ Sri Lanka ]
http://lankapura.com/2008/08/map-ceylon-ceilan-1630/
http://lankapura.com/2008/08/map-ceylon-ceilan-1630/
08 January, 2011
15 December, 2010
SRI LANKA - BIDDHISM
- Buddhism (Pali/Sanskrit: बौद्ध धर्म Buddha Dharma) is a religion and philosophy
- encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on
- teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha
- (Pāli/Sanskrit "the awakened one"). The Buddha lived and taught in the
- northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th centuries
- BCE.[2] He is recognized by Buddhists as an awakened or enlightened teacher
- who shared his insights to help sentient beings end suffering (or dukkha),
- achieve nirvana, and escape what is seen as a cycle of suffering and rebirth.
Contents
[hide]
14 December, 2010
SRI LANKA - ESALA PERAHERA [ PAGEANT PAR EXCELLENCE ]
in Sri Lanka. It is very grand with elegant costumes. Happening in July or August
in Kandy, it has become a unique symbol of Sri Lanka. It is a Buddhist festival
consisting of dances and nicely decorated elephants. There are fire-dances,
whip-dances, Kandian dances and various other cultural dances. The elephants
are usually adorned with lavish garments. The festival ends with the traditional
'diya-kepeema'.
Contents[hide] |
Source : Wikipedia the free Encyclopedia
10 December, 2010
SRI LANKA - BRITISH ERA
During the Napoleonic Wars the United Kingdom, fearing that French control
of the Netherlands might deliver Sri Lanka to the French, occupied the coastal
areas of the island (which they called Ceylon) with little difficulty in 1796. In
1802 by the Treaty of Amiens the Dutch part of the island was formally ceded
of Kandy in the 1st Kandyan War, but were bloodily repulsed. In 1815 Kandy
was occupied in the 2nd Kandyan War, finally ending Sri Lankan independence.
Following the bloody suppression of the Uva Rebellion, the Kandyan peasantry
were stripped of their lands by the Wastelands Ordinance, a modern enclosure
movement and reduced to penury. The British found that the uplands of Sri
19th century Ceylon tea had become a staple of the British market, bringing
great wealth to a small class of white tea planters. To work the estates, the
planters imported large numbers of Tamil workers as indentured labourers
from south India, who soon made up 10% of the island's population. These
workers had to work in slave-like conditions and to live in line rooms, not
very different from cattle sheds.
The British colonialists favoured the semi-European Burghers, certain high-
caste Sinhalese and the Tamils who were mainly concentrated to the north
of the country, exacerbating divisions and enmities which have survived ever
since. Nevertheless, the British also introduced democratic elements to Sri
Lanka for the first time in its history. The Burghers were given some degree of
self-government as early as 1833. It was not until 1909 that constitutional
development began with a partly-elected assembly, and not until 1920 that
elected members outnumbered official appointees. Universal suffrage was
introduced in 1931, over the protests of the Sinhalese, Tamil and Burgher
elite who objected to the common people being allowed to vote [1],
Source : Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)