Discover-SriLanka

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 *****

06 December, 2010

SRI LANKA - MONARCHS [ SINCE 543 BC ]

The following is a list of Sri Lankan monarchs since 543 BC. The main

source for many of these monarchs are the chronicles of the island maint-

ained by monks, known as the Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa, Chulavamsa and the

Rajaveliya. This list should be used with the following factors kept in mind.

Firstly the dates provided for the earliest monarchs are difficult to objectively

verify; those which are particularly difficult to know have been denoted with

a (?) mark. Secondly in terms of succession it is difficult to divide the mona

rchs into 'houses' or 'dynasties' as often the throne was passed around

amongst related individuals within a particular clan; especially in medieval

times there were no articulated rules of succession and whoever was in

possession of the sacred Tooth Relic had a good claim to being called king,

which was around the times of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa to the Kingdom

of Kandy. Thirdly the list only includes monarchs who had possession of most

of the island and the power at any one time, therefore monarchs from kingdoms

and sub kingdoms such as Ruhuna, Maya Rata, Dhakkinadesa and the Jaffna

kingdom are not on this list. Also the island of Sri Lanka has been invaded by

many foreign powers over its 2500 year history, mainly from South India, and

some even seizing the throne making the island part of its empire. Most not

able is the Cholas in 985 and British in 1815. The Portuguese and the Dutch

however did not seize the Kandyan throne but only occupied territory within

the island.

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Source : Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia

05 December, 2010

SRI LANKA - NATURE

Big eyes, spotted wings, two tone and yellow
flowers; walk around with camera in
hand and discover nature

Sony cybershot DSC-H7

SRI LANKA - ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE

The architecture of ancient Sri Lanka displays a rich variety of

architectural forms and styles, varying in style and form from the Anuradh

apura Kingdom to the Kingdom of Kandy. Ancient Sri Lankan architecure

mainly grew around religion, styles of Buddhist monasteries were in excess

of 25.^[1] Buddhism had a significant influence on Sri Lankan architecture,

since it was introduced to the island in 3rd Century BC.^[2] Significant

architectural buildings include the stupas of Jetavanaramaya, Ruwanvelisaya

in the Anuradhapura kingdom and further in the Polonnaruwa Kingdom, the

palace of Sigiriya is considered as a masterpiece of ancient architecure and

ingenuity, the fortress in Yapahuwa and the Temple of the tooth in Kandy

are also notable for their architectural qualities. Ancient Sri Lankan

architecture is also significant to sustainability, notably Sigiriya which was

designed as an environmentally friendly structure.Monasteries were designed

using the Manjusri Vasthu Vidya Sastra, a manuscript which outlines the

layout of the structure. The text is in Sanskrit but written in Sinhala script.

The script is believed to be from the fifth century AD, It is exclusively about

Buddhist monasteries and is clearly from the Mahayana school. The text

shows much originality and there is nothing similar in the existing Indian

treatises, which deal only with Hindu temples.^[1]

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SRI LANKA - HISTORY

Sri Lanka has been inhabited for at least 30,000 years. Chronicles including the

Mahawansa, the Dipavamsa, the Culavamsa and the Rajaveliya record events

from the beginnings of the monarchy in the 6th century BC through to the arrival of Colonialist in the 16th century and the disestablishment of the monarchy in 1815. Some mentions of the country are found in the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the books of Gautama Buddha's teachings. Buddhism was introduced in the 3rd century BC by Arhath Mahinda (son of the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great).

From the 16th century some coastal areas of the country were ruled by the

Portuguese, Dutch and British. After 1815 the entire nation was ruled by the

British colonialists until political independence was granted in 1948. Armed

uprisings against British colonial rule took place in 1818 (Uva Rebellion) and in

1848 (Matale Rebellion).

After an armed youth uprising in 1971 known as the 1971 April Rebellion, Sri

Lanka became a sovereign state in 1972. A constitution was introduced in 1978, making the Executive President head of state. The Sri Lankan Civil War began in 1983 and again an armed youth uprising occurred in 1987-1989. The 26-year civil war ended in 2009.

SOURCE : Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia