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 *****

Showing posts with label traditional medicine. Show all posts

12 August, 2011

SRI LANKA - INDIGENOUS MEDICINE [ AYURVEDA ]

Sri Lanka has its own indigenous scheme of traditional medicine (Ayurveda)

This system has been practiced for many centuries in the island nation. The Sri

Lankan Ayurvedic tradition is a mixture of the Sinhala traditional medicine

Ayurveda and Siddha systems of India, Unani medicine of Greece through

the Arabs, and most importantly, the Desheeya Chikitsa, which is the

indigenous medicine of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka developed its own Ayurvedic system based on a series

of prescriptions handed down from generation to generation over a period of

3,000 years. The ancient kings, who were also prominent physicians, sustained

its survival and longevity. King Buddhadasa (398 AD), the most influential of

these physicians, wrote the Sarartha Sangrahaya, a comprehensive manuscript

which Sri Lankan physicians still use today for reference.

Ancient inscriptions on rock surfaces reveal that organized medical services

have existed within the country for centuries. In fact, Sri Lanka claims to be the
first country in the world to have established dedicated hospitals. The Sri
Lankan mountain Mihintale still has the ruins of what many believe to be the
first hospital in the world. Old hospital sites now attract tourists, who marvel
at the beautiful ruins. These places have come to symbolize a traditional sense
of healing and care, which was so prevalent at that time.

Historically the Ayurvedic physicians enjoyed a noble position in the country's
social hierarchy due to their royal patronage. From this legacy stems a
well-known Sri Lankan saying: "If you can not be a king, become a healer."

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