The tiny island of Sri Lanka is known as the Pearl of the Orient, providing images of paradise you never knew possible. Rich colonial history, fascinating Buddhist culture, tea plantations, turquoise waters and beautiful sandy beaches combine for a breathtaking adventure.
slackertoursSunday, January 29, 2012
Colombo
Colombo, Sri Lanka
A blend of East & West, past & present
The commercial capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo is the only gateway to the resplendent tropical island. Colombo, a fascinating city, a blend of East & West as well as a cozy mixture of past & present, is dotted with numerous interesting and important tourist attractions including colonial era buildings.
NameIn the 14th century, Ibn Batuta referred to Colombo as Kalanpu. Colombo is apparently derived from Sinhala name Kola-amba-thota which means "Harbour with leafy mango trees". It has been pointed out by Illustrious Julius de Lanerolle (Sri Lankan), in an article in the Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, that the first part of this compound noun, "Kolamba" itself is a Sinhala word meaning port, ferry, harbour of haven. Illustrious De Lanerolles of Sri Lanka are descendents of M. de la Narolle, personal envoy of Louis XIV of France to King Rajasinha the second (1634-1585) of Sri Lanka.
Colombo Harbour
During the nineteenth century Colombo port acquired the sobriquet the "Charing Cross of the East" thanks to its location at the crossroads of Indian Ocean trade. Colombo has one of the world's largest man-made harbors. Most of Sri Lanka's foreign trade passes through the port equipped with modern facilities for containerized cargo.
Grand Oriental Hotel
The Harbour Room restaurant bar of the Grand Oriental Hotel opposite the entrance to the port affords marvelous views of the seaport. In 1890 an unknown Russian writer checked into the hotel. Anton Chekhov rose to fame following his tour in the Island. Your visit would provide you with ample material to sit tight & write for years, especially in a European perspective.
Fort, the heart of the Colombo
The area between Colombo harbour to the north & the urban lagoon Beira Lake to the south is today called Fort. The fortress is no longer in existence: built by the Portuguese, taken over by the Dutch, demolished by the British.
Cargills at Fort
The grand department store, colonial building of Cargills located in Fort, is overlooked by modern 40 story twin towers of the Colombo World Trade Centre. The Cargills was established to supply British planters & colonial administrators with every essential luxury.
Laksala at Fort
The main branch of Laksala, Sri Lanka's largest handicrafts shop is packed with a wide variety of handicrafts produced all over the island.
Colonial Buildings at Fort
Presidential Secretariat (previously the Parliament house)
The Grand Oriental Hotel, built in the mid 19th century barracks for soldiers
The Lighthouse clock Tower
Red & White Cargills & Millers departmental stores with ancient brass signs & wooden display cabinets
General Post Office building
The Delft Gateway dating to Dutch period
The Fort Police Station which was once a Dutch Hospital
Lloyds Building
The Chartered bank building
The Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank building
The World Trade Centre
The 40 storied Twin Tower complex named The World Trade Centre of Colombo houses Colombo Stock Exchange (one of the most modern exchanges in South Asia, providing a fully automated trading platform), Board of Investment (BOI), & the national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines among many other commercial establishment.
Statue of Col. Henry Steel Olcott
In front of the principal train terminus of the island, Fort railway station, a rambling Victorian building is the statue of Col. Henry Steel Olcott (1842-1907) the co-founder of Theosophical Society of Ceylon. The American Buddhist Col. Olcott set about reviving Buddhism in the island during the time it was threatened by the European missionaries sponsored by of the British colonialists.
Pettah
Immediately east of Fort, across the narrow canal that separates the outer harbour from the Beira Lake is Pettah, the bazaar of the city. It's a maze of streets & alleys piled & crammed with a wide variety of goods, materials & provisions: colorful textiles, spices, fruits, vegetables, clothes, footwear, electrical equipment, dried fish, silver & gold.
Sea Street at PettahAt the northeast corner of Pettah is Sea Street studded with shop & workshops of gold together with shops of sarees.
Dutch period Museum at PettahBuilt in the latter part of the 17th century as the residence of Count August van Ranzow, the Dutch East India Company's governor in Colombo, this attractive old building is located at Prince Street on the fringes of Pettah. The museum is surrounded by boutiques, stores of traders, market stalls & antique shops. Opened to the public since 1982 this building embodies the unique architectural features of a colonial Dutch town house. The museum while displaying the Dutch legacy with the artifacts viz. furniture, coins, weapons, pottery, portraits, ceramics, coins, arms etc. portrays facets of contemporary life and culture. The picture of devilishly good-looking Gerard Hulft, commander of the Dutch forces at the siege of Colombo in 1636 ought not to be missed. Hulftsdorf inColombo is named after him.
Wolvendaal Kerk (1749) at Pettah
Inevitably, the Dutch (1656-1796, south western coastal belt) brought their religion with them along with their furniture. Constructed in the shape of a Greek cross the Wolvendaal Kerk is a testimony to the indefatigable faith of the Dutch in the Dutch Reformation. Within its 1.5-meter thick walls, this staunch work of Doric architecture holds elegantly carved ebony chairs, carved baptismal wooden font, canopied pulpit, crystal lamps & an illustrated Dutch Bible.
Dates on the tombs of several Dutch governors, whose remains were re-interred here indicate to untimely demises & reveal how risky life could be for the Dutch conquerors; even in peacetime, the death toll from decease was being high.
Galle Face Green
Galle Face Green, immediately south of the Fort, is a long, narrow park. A narrow channel of Beira Lake separates the park from Slave Island (Kaffir Veldt), actually a peninsula where the Dutch held the African slaves (Kaffirs) brought to Ceylon by the Portuguese in 1630.
The Galle Face Green is the city's most elegant promenade. Lined with palm trees & next to the coast, much like a tropical version of Hollywood Boulevard, this mile long stretch in the heart of the city is a beehive of seekers of leisure. Numerous small food stalls providing refreshments, the green brightens up in the evenings, hosting families & children playing sports & flying kites. The Green frequently hosts numerous international & local concerts & performances, such as the recently concluded World Drum Festival. Cannons used during Colonial war times still decorates the Greens. The famous colonial styled Galle Face hotel, known as Asia's Emerald on the Green since 1864, is next to the Greens.
Galle RoadColombo's long seafront boulevard runs south from Galle Face Green, eventually becoming the main coastal road to Galle & the south. It's always crowded with traffic but as the main thoroughfare it also has some of the best shopping & a number of important buildings, including the official residence of Sri Lanka's president, the US Embassy & the Indian High Commission.
Shopping complexes along the Galle Road
Majestic City (called MC), Liberty Plaza and Crescat Boulevard along the Galle road are popular among the locals where you could shop for garments, shoes, handicrafts, computers, audio & video CDs & DVDs & books.
Luxury hotels along the Galle Road
Ceylon Continental Hotel, Cinnamon Grand Colombo, Hotel Hilton, Taj Samudra, Holiday Inn, Galle Face Hotel (oldest hotel east of Suez) Mount Lavinia Hotel. More up market shopping destinations are towards the south of the city center along the Galle Road.
Nightlife
Numerous casinos, bars, nightclubs & pubs. Blue elephant at the Hilton, The Boom in the Galadari Hotel, Cascades at Cinnamon Grand Colombo & Legends at Majestic City.
Galle Face Hotel
Galle Face hotel, the oldest hotel east of Suez with its oriental charm & spaciousness attracted dignitaries from all overt the world. Among them were Lawrence Olivier, Gregory Peck, Noel Coward, Prince Philip &Thee moon men- Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon & Alan Bean.
A new wing called Galle Face Regency is added to the hotel recently.
Shopping complexes along the Galle Road
Majestic City (called MC), Liberty Plaza and Crescat Boulevard along the Galle road are popular among the locals where you could shop for garments, shoes, handicrafts, computers, audio & video CDs & DVDs & books.
Cinnamon Gardens
The Cinnamon Gardens district, approximately a block inland (east from) Galle Road, shows not a trace of the spice plantations from which it gets its name, but it is now the home to city's university. It is also the location of the diplomatic quarter & the wealthiest residential area of the city. With its boulevards lined with jacaranda & frangipani trees, it is in sharp contrast to the commerce of the Pettah area to the north.
Sinhalese Sports Ground at Cinnamon Gardens
Maitland place in Cinnamon Gardens leads to the Sinhalese Sports Club. The engagingly old-fashioned stadium serves as Colombo's main venue for test cricket matches.
National Museum at Albert Crescent of Cinnamon Gardens (1877)
Housed in a fine colonial-era building, the National museum exhibits an extremely rich archeological & artistic collection. Ancient royal regalia, Sinhalese artwork, sculptures, carvings, antique furniture & china, items displaying the cultural heritage of Sri Lanka & 4000 Ola (palm leaf) manuscripts. There are fascinating 19th century reproductions of English paintings of Ceylon. The excellent collection of antique demon masks is much more satirical than demonic. The most important items include the throne of the last royal court. Visitors could gain a good understanding of 2500 year history of Sri Lanka.
Also on site is the National Museum of Natural History. There are also displays which focus on some of the country's largest hydro-electric & irrigation engineering schemes.
Town Hall at Cinnamon Gardens
The all white Town Hall, with its colonnades & white dome in the centre brings into the mind a well known image; Washington's White House, home of US presidents.
Vihara Maha Devi Park (formerly Victoria Park)
Right in front of the Town Hall across the street is Vihara Maha Devi Park, named after the heroine of the nation, mother of the hero of the nation, King Dutugamunu (161-136 BC). This is the largest & most attractive greenery inColombo. The park is at its prettiest from March to May, before the monsoon arrives, when its trees & shrubberies are in brilliant flower. In the center of the park, a statue of Queen Victoria commemorates her rule over the island. On the lawns near the Town Hall is a golden image of Buddha. Among the trees & flora are the last surviving cinnamon trees of the Cinnamon Gardens. Ebony, Mahogany, Lemon, Fig & Eucalyptus Bo trees, Sal trees & enormous profusion of climbing & parasitic plants that grow amongst lotus ponds are supplemented with an Orchid house. The elephants from the temple near Beira Lake are often kept in the park. The children's park is on the southeastern side, with a mini zoo & a small train.
Gotami Vihara (Gotami Buddhist Temple) east of Cinnamon Gardens
Gotami Vihara is home to a striking series of murals depicting the life of Buddha, painted in 1939-1940 by George Keyt (1901-1993). Sri Lanka's most popular twentieth century artist, Keyt, a Christian Burgher, was deeply influenced by the Buddhist culture & art.
Lionel Wendt Theatre & Art Gallery, Guildford Crescent, Cinnamon Gardens
Lionel Wendt, a registered charity fostering the arts in Sri Lanka is the hub of live entertainment in the capital. Local artists are supported with temporary exhibitions, while there is a permant exhibition of Wendt's pictures. It stages musical performances & occasional sale of antique & other items.
The commercial capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo is the only gateway to the resplendent tropical island. Colombo, a fascinating city, a blend of East & West as well as a cozy mixture of past & present, is dotted with numerous interesting and important tourist attractions including colonial era buildings.
NameIn the 14th century, Ibn Batuta referred to Colombo as Kalanpu. Colombo is apparently derived from Sinhala name Kola-amba-thota which means "Harbour with leafy mango trees". It has been pointed out by Illustrious Julius de Lanerolle (Sri Lankan), in an article in the Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, that the first part of this compound noun, "Kolamba" itself is a Sinhala word meaning port, ferry, harbour of haven. Illustrious De Lanerolles of Sri Lanka are descendents of M. de la Narolle, personal envoy of Louis XIV of France to King Rajasinha the second (1634-1585) of Sri Lanka.
Colombo Harbour
During the nineteenth century Colombo port acquired the sobriquet the "Charing Cross of the East" thanks to its location at the crossroads of Indian Ocean trade. Colombo has one of the world's largest man-made harbors. Most of Sri Lanka's foreign trade passes through the port equipped with modern facilities for containerized cargo.
Grand Oriental Hotel
The Harbour Room restaurant bar of the Grand Oriental Hotel opposite the entrance to the port affords marvelous views of the seaport. In 1890 an unknown Russian writer checked into the hotel. Anton Chekhov rose to fame following his tour in the Island. Your visit would provide you with ample material to sit tight & write for years, especially in a European perspective.
Fort, the heart of the Colombo
The area between Colombo harbour to the north & the urban lagoon Beira Lake to the south is today called Fort. The fortress is no longer in existence: built by the Portuguese, taken over by the Dutch, demolished by the British.
Cargills at Fort
The grand department store, colonial building of Cargills located in Fort, is overlooked by modern 40 story twin towers of the Colombo World Trade Centre. The Cargills was established to supply British planters & colonial administrators with every essential luxury.
Laksala at Fort
The main branch of Laksala, Sri Lanka's largest handicrafts shop is packed with a wide variety of handicrafts produced all over the island.
Colonial Buildings at Fort
Presidential Secretariat (previously the Parliament house)
The Grand Oriental Hotel, built in the mid 19th century barracks for soldiers
The Lighthouse clock Tower
Red & White Cargills & Millers departmental stores with ancient brass signs & wooden display cabinets
General Post Office building
The Delft Gateway dating to Dutch period
The Fort Police Station which was once a Dutch Hospital
Lloyds Building
The Chartered bank building
The Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank building
The World Trade Centre
The 40 storied Twin Tower complex named The World Trade Centre of Colombo houses Colombo Stock Exchange (one of the most modern exchanges in South Asia, providing a fully automated trading platform), Board of Investment (BOI), & the national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines among many other commercial establishment.
Statue of Col. Henry Steel Olcott
In front of the principal train terminus of the island, Fort railway station, a rambling Victorian building is the statue of Col. Henry Steel Olcott (1842-1907) the co-founder of Theosophical Society of Ceylon. The American Buddhist Col. Olcott set about reviving Buddhism in the island during the time it was threatened by the European missionaries sponsored by of the British colonialists.
Pettah
Immediately east of Fort, across the narrow canal that separates the outer harbour from the Beira Lake is Pettah, the bazaar of the city. It's a maze of streets & alleys piled & crammed with a wide variety of goods, materials & provisions: colorful textiles, spices, fruits, vegetables, clothes, footwear, electrical equipment, dried fish, silver & gold.
Sea Street at PettahAt the northeast corner of Pettah is Sea Street studded with shop & workshops of gold together with shops of sarees.
Dutch period Museum at PettahBuilt in the latter part of the 17th century as the residence of Count August van Ranzow, the Dutch East India Company's governor in Colombo, this attractive old building is located at Prince Street on the fringes of Pettah. The museum is surrounded by boutiques, stores of traders, market stalls & antique shops. Opened to the public since 1982 this building embodies the unique architectural features of a colonial Dutch town house. The museum while displaying the Dutch legacy with the artifacts viz. furniture, coins, weapons, pottery, portraits, ceramics, coins, arms etc. portrays facets of contemporary life and culture. The picture of devilishly good-looking Gerard Hulft, commander of the Dutch forces at the siege of Colombo in 1636 ought not to be missed. Hulftsdorf inColombo is named after him.
Wolvendaal Kerk (1749) at Pettah
Inevitably, the Dutch (1656-1796, south western coastal belt) brought their religion with them along with their furniture. Constructed in the shape of a Greek cross the Wolvendaal Kerk is a testimony to the indefatigable faith of the Dutch in the Dutch Reformation. Within its 1.5-meter thick walls, this staunch work of Doric architecture holds elegantly carved ebony chairs, carved baptismal wooden font, canopied pulpit, crystal lamps & an illustrated Dutch Bible.
Dates on the tombs of several Dutch governors, whose remains were re-interred here indicate to untimely demises & reveal how risky life could be for the Dutch conquerors; even in peacetime, the death toll from decease was being high.
Galle Face Green
Galle Face Green, immediately south of the Fort, is a long, narrow park. A narrow channel of Beira Lake separates the park from Slave Island (Kaffir Veldt), actually a peninsula where the Dutch held the African slaves (Kaffirs) brought to Ceylon by the Portuguese in 1630.
The Galle Face Green is the city's most elegant promenade. Lined with palm trees & next to the coast, much like a tropical version of Hollywood Boulevard, this mile long stretch in the heart of the city is a beehive of seekers of leisure. Numerous small food stalls providing refreshments, the green brightens up in the evenings, hosting families & children playing sports & flying kites. The Green frequently hosts numerous international & local concerts & performances, such as the recently concluded World Drum Festival. Cannons used during Colonial war times still decorates the Greens. The famous colonial styled Galle Face hotel, known as Asia's Emerald on the Green since 1864, is next to the Greens.
Galle RoadColombo's long seafront boulevard runs south from Galle Face Green, eventually becoming the main coastal road to Galle & the south. It's always crowded with traffic but as the main thoroughfare it also has some of the best shopping & a number of important buildings, including the official residence of Sri Lanka's president, the US Embassy & the Indian High Commission.
Shopping complexes along the Galle Road
Majestic City (called MC), Liberty Plaza and Crescat Boulevard along the Galle road are popular among the locals where you could shop for garments, shoes, handicrafts, computers, audio & video CDs & DVDs & books.
Luxury hotels along the Galle Road
Ceylon Continental Hotel, Cinnamon Grand Colombo, Hotel Hilton, Taj Samudra, Holiday Inn, Galle Face Hotel (oldest hotel east of Suez) Mount Lavinia Hotel. More up market shopping destinations are towards the south of the city center along the Galle Road.
Nightlife
Numerous casinos, bars, nightclubs & pubs. Blue elephant at the Hilton, The Boom in the Galadari Hotel, Cascades at Cinnamon Grand Colombo & Legends at Majestic City.
Galle Face Hotel
Galle Face hotel, the oldest hotel east of Suez with its oriental charm & spaciousness attracted dignitaries from all overt the world. Among them were Lawrence Olivier, Gregory Peck, Noel Coward, Prince Philip &Thee moon men- Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon & Alan Bean.
A new wing called Galle Face Regency is added to the hotel recently.
Shopping complexes along the Galle Road
Majestic City (called MC), Liberty Plaza and Crescat Boulevard along the Galle road are popular among the locals where you could shop for garments, shoes, handicrafts, computers, audio & video CDs & DVDs & books.
Cinnamon Gardens
The Cinnamon Gardens district, approximately a block inland (east from) Galle Road, shows not a trace of the spice plantations from which it gets its name, but it is now the home to city's university. It is also the location of the diplomatic quarter & the wealthiest residential area of the city. With its boulevards lined with jacaranda & frangipani trees, it is in sharp contrast to the commerce of the Pettah area to the north.
Sinhalese Sports Ground at Cinnamon Gardens
Maitland place in Cinnamon Gardens leads to the Sinhalese Sports Club. The engagingly old-fashioned stadium serves as Colombo's main venue for test cricket matches.
National Museum at Albert Crescent of Cinnamon Gardens (1877)
Housed in a fine colonial-era building, the National museum exhibits an extremely rich archeological & artistic collection. Ancient royal regalia, Sinhalese artwork, sculptures, carvings, antique furniture & china, items displaying the cultural heritage of Sri Lanka & 4000 Ola (palm leaf) manuscripts. There are fascinating 19th century reproductions of English paintings of Ceylon. The excellent collection of antique demon masks is much more satirical than demonic. The most important items include the throne of the last royal court. Visitors could gain a good understanding of 2500 year history of Sri Lanka.
Also on site is the National Museum of Natural History. There are also displays which focus on some of the country's largest hydro-electric & irrigation engineering schemes.
Town Hall at Cinnamon Gardens
The all white Town Hall, with its colonnades & white dome in the centre brings into the mind a well known image; Washington's White House, home of US presidents.
Vihara Maha Devi Park (formerly Victoria Park)
Right in front of the Town Hall across the street is Vihara Maha Devi Park, named after the heroine of the nation, mother of the hero of the nation, King Dutugamunu (161-136 BC). This is the largest & most attractive greenery inColombo. The park is at its prettiest from March to May, before the monsoon arrives, when its trees & shrubberies are in brilliant flower. In the center of the park, a statue of Queen Victoria commemorates her rule over the island. On the lawns near the Town Hall is a golden image of Buddha. Among the trees & flora are the last surviving cinnamon trees of the Cinnamon Gardens. Ebony, Mahogany, Lemon, Fig & Eucalyptus Bo trees, Sal trees & enormous profusion of climbing & parasitic plants that grow amongst lotus ponds are supplemented with an Orchid house. The elephants from the temple near Beira Lake are often kept in the park. The children's park is on the southeastern side, with a mini zoo & a small train.
Gotami Vihara (Gotami Buddhist Temple) east of Cinnamon Gardens
Gotami Vihara is home to a striking series of murals depicting the life of Buddha, painted in 1939-1940 by George Keyt (1901-1993). Sri Lanka's most popular twentieth century artist, Keyt, a Christian Burgher, was deeply influenced by the Buddhist culture & art.
Lionel Wendt Theatre & Art Gallery, Guildford Crescent, Cinnamon Gardens
Lionel Wendt, a registered charity fostering the arts in Sri Lanka is the hub of live entertainment in the capital. Local artists are supported with temporary exhibitions, while there is a permant exhibition of Wendt's pictures. It stages musical performances & occasional sale of antique & other items.
Source : http://www.mysrilankaholidays.com
Friday, January 27, 2012
Kandy
Kandy
Kandy in a sweet nutshell geared to fast food mode
Kandy, then called Senkadagalapura, had been the Medieval Royal City of Sri Lanka during the period of 1469-1815 AD. In the year 1988, the sacred city of Kandy was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO organization. Today, the lovely city, also called Maha Nuwara (Great City) is officially designated as the "Cultural Capital of Sri Lanka" in spite of the undying glories of the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.
Kandy, day-in and day-out with an aroma of medieval history in the air, is also home to numerous Buddhist temples that proudly showcase Medieval Kandyan Architecture and Art, including the holiest temple of the world of Theravada Buddhism, Holy "Dalada Maligawa" Temple of the Tooth Relic. The temple houses the palladium of Sinhalese Buddhist nation, "the sacred tooth relic of Buddha".
Kandy, home to the one and only decorative lake of Sri Lanka, complete with a motorable road and walker's pavement surrounding it and topped with an island in the middle to the boot, that too in the very heart of the city, built in 1807 by the torch bearers of ancient reservoir engineers of Sri Lanka, as Sir William Gregory, the Governor General of Ceylon (1872-1877) put it "the loveliest town in the loveliest island in the world."
Kandy, located 116km west of Colombo, at an altitude of 500 meters, a city of mountainous terrain, greenery and Mediterranean climate is also the gateway to the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka that rises to 1800 meters at the valley of Little England Nuwara Eliya, the British colonial sanitarium of salubrious climate.
Kandy, the once impregnable natural fortress secured by rings of mountains and River Mahaweli, today is accessible by main road from Colombo, a triumph of military engineering by Major Thomas Skinner (1804-1877) and Captain E. F. Dawson of Royal engineers in the year 1821. That was during the enterprising governorship (1824-1831) of British Colonialist General Sir Edward Barnes in Ceylon. Barnes narrated with immense relief, that with the opening of the road to Kandy, a first-class macadamized road, 'one of the great military barriers on which Kandyans greatly relied was broken.'
Kandy, the cockpit of Sri Lanka in the seventeenth & eighteenth centuries till the capitulation, can also be ascended by British Colonial Railway line (originally built in stages to transport Ceylon Coffee and then Ceylon Tea) Colombo to Kandy (1867), Nawalapitiya (1874), Nanu-Oya close to Nuwara Eliya (1885), Bandarawela (1894) and Badulla (1924). Today, the city of many splendors that can be reached by domestic air passage too, in the backdrop of its central geographical location has become a major road transportation hub of Sri Lanka Holidays.
Kandy. The name couldn't get any sweeter, unless you are Honey Rider: that is Ursula Andress of magnificent pair of legs emerging from Pacific singing
"Underneath the Mango tree" to the bewilderment of Bond, James Bond. Honey: What are you doing here, looking for shells? Bond: No, I'm just looking. Looking cannot get any better either: Kandy's location over the river, Mango trees, the man-made lake right at the centre of the town, the surrounding hills, the nature reserve, the temple, the ambience, the royal history, botanical gardens, and cultural attractions around the city; everything about the town is beautiful. Look to the content of your heart & play. Golf too in the Mediterranean climate.
Source from
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Polonnaruwa - Sri Lanka
Polonnaruwa
135 miles from Colombo and southeast of Anuradhapura is Polonnaruwa which was the media eval capital of Sri Lanka, and the ancient city is today one of the most beautiful centres of this island?s cultural heritage. When early in the 11th century AD Anuradhapura suffered one of the worst of its many Indian invasions, Polonnaruwa became the next of rule
Histroy
The second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite the country once more under a local leader. While Vijayabahu's victory and shifting of Kingdoms to the more strategic Polonnaruwa is considered significant, the real Polonnaruwa Hero of the history books is actually his grandson, Parakramabahu I.
It was his reign that is considered the Golden Age of Polonnaruwa, when trade and agriculture flourished under the patronage of the King, who was adamant that no drop of water falling from the heavens was to be wasted, and each be used toward the development of the land; hence, irrigation systems far superior to those of the Anuradhapura Age were constructed during Parakramabahu's reign, systems which to this day supply the water necessary for paddy cultivation during the scorching dry season in the east of the country.
The greatest of these systems, of course is the Parakrama Samudraya or the Sea of Parakrama, a tank so vast that that it is often mistaken for the ocean. It is of such a width that it is impossible to stand upon one shore and view the other side, and it encircles the main city like a ribbon, being both a defensive border against intruders and the lifeline of the people in times of peace. The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa was completely self-sufficient during King Parakramabahu's reign.
However, with the exception of his immediate successor, Nissankamalla I, all other monarchs of Polonnaruwa, were slightly weak-willed and rather prone to picking fights within their own court. They also went on to form more intimiate matrimonial alliances with stronger South Indian Kingdoms, until these matrimonial links superseded the local royal lineage and gave rise to the Kalinga invasion by King Magha in 1214 and the eventual passing of power into the hands of a Pandyan King following the Arya Chakrawarthi invasion of Sri Lanka in 1284. The capital was then shifted to Dambadeniya.
Today the ancient city of Polonnaruwa remains one of the best planned Archeological relic sites in the country, standing testimony to the discipline and greatness of the Kingdom's first rulers
World Heritage Site
In 1982 Ancient city of Polonnaruwa be inscribed on the World Heritage list under cultural criteria of C (i) (iii) (vi). UNESCO is an organization of the United Nations which nominates cultural or natural sites as World Heritage.
Kings and History of Polonnaruwa
King Aggabodhi IV
King Aggabodhi IV (667 - 685) AD was the first Sri Lankan King who lived in Polonnaruwa, and the town came gradually to become the 'Country Residence' of royalty. Anuradhapura, the formal and administrative capital, was already a thousand years old, and kings increasingly favored the new city of Polonnaruwa, and developed it.
However it was the Cholas of South India who made Polonnaruwa the capital after looting and burning Anuradhapura in 993 AD.
King Vijayabahu I
In 1070 AD the Sinhala King Vijayabahu I liberated the country by defeating the Cholas, and kept Polonnaruwa as his capital. Vijayabahu succeeded in repairing much of the irrigation system in the island, encouraged trade and brought some prosperity back to the country.
King Parakramabahu I
King Parakramabahu I (1153-86) raised Polonnaruwa to its heights. He erected huge buildings, drained swamps and planted vast areas with crops, planned beautiful parks, created wildlife sanctuaries, restored earlier monuments & even undertook military expeditions against Burma and India.
However his crowning achievements were the creation of the 2400 hectare tank (about 15 Km2), so large it was named the Parakrama Samudra (Sea of Parakrama); and the unification of the three orders of monks, the Mahavihara, Jetavana and Abhayagiri into one Sangha or 'Supreme Order of Monks'. The greatness of his achievement was to ensure the survival of Buddhism in the dark centuries ahead.
Parakramabahu was the last great king of Sri Lanka.
King Nissankamalla
King Nissankamalla (1187 - 96), although claimed himself to be a great builder, was not. And squandered most of the country's wealth trying to match his predecessor's deeds.
Source from www.lanka.com
135 miles from Colombo and southeast of Anuradhapura is Polonnaruwa which was the media eval capital of Sri Lanka, and the ancient city is today one of the most beautiful centres of this island?s cultural heritage. When early in the 11th century AD Anuradhapura suffered one of the worst of its many Indian invasions, Polonnaruwa became the next of rule
Histroy
The second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite the country once more under a local leader. While Vijayabahu's victory and shifting of Kingdoms to the more strategic Polonnaruwa is considered significant, the real Polonnaruwa Hero of the history books is actually his grandson, Parakramabahu I.
It was his reign that is considered the Golden Age of Polonnaruwa, when trade and agriculture flourished under the patronage of the King, who was adamant that no drop of water falling from the heavens was to be wasted, and each be used toward the development of the land; hence, irrigation systems far superior to those of the Anuradhapura Age were constructed during Parakramabahu's reign, systems which to this day supply the water necessary for paddy cultivation during the scorching dry season in the east of the country.
The greatest of these systems, of course is the Parakrama Samudraya or the Sea of Parakrama, a tank so vast that that it is often mistaken for the ocean. It is of such a width that it is impossible to stand upon one shore and view the other side, and it encircles the main city like a ribbon, being both a defensive border against intruders and the lifeline of the people in times of peace. The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa was completely self-sufficient during King Parakramabahu's reign.
However, with the exception of his immediate successor, Nissankamalla I, all other monarchs of Polonnaruwa, were slightly weak-willed and rather prone to picking fights within their own court. They also went on to form more intimiate matrimonial alliances with stronger South Indian Kingdoms, until these matrimonial links superseded the local royal lineage and gave rise to the Kalinga invasion by King Magha in 1214 and the eventual passing of power into the hands of a Pandyan King following the Arya Chakrawarthi invasion of Sri Lanka in 1284. The capital was then shifted to Dambadeniya.
Today the ancient city of Polonnaruwa remains one of the best planned Archeological relic sites in the country, standing testimony to the discipline and greatness of the Kingdom's first rulers
World Heritage Site
In 1982 Ancient city of Polonnaruwa be inscribed on the World Heritage list under cultural criteria of C (i) (iii) (vi). UNESCO is an organization of the United Nations which nominates cultural or natural sites as World Heritage.
Kings and History of Polonnaruwa
King Aggabodhi IV
King Aggabodhi IV (667 - 685) AD was the first Sri Lankan King who lived in Polonnaruwa, and the town came gradually to become the 'Country Residence' of royalty. Anuradhapura, the formal and administrative capital, was already a thousand years old, and kings increasingly favored the new city of Polonnaruwa, and developed it.
However it was the Cholas of South India who made Polonnaruwa the capital after looting and burning Anuradhapura in 993 AD.
King Vijayabahu I
In 1070 AD the Sinhala King Vijayabahu I liberated the country by defeating the Cholas, and kept Polonnaruwa as his capital. Vijayabahu succeeded in repairing much of the irrigation system in the island, encouraged trade and brought some prosperity back to the country.
King Parakramabahu I
King Parakramabahu I (1153-86) raised Polonnaruwa to its heights. He erected huge buildings, drained swamps and planted vast areas with crops, planned beautiful parks, created wildlife sanctuaries, restored earlier monuments & even undertook military expeditions against Burma and India.
However his crowning achievements were the creation of the 2400 hectare tank (about 15 Km2), so large it was named the Parakrama Samudra (Sea of Parakrama); and the unification of the three orders of monks, the Mahavihara, Jetavana and Abhayagiri into one Sangha or 'Supreme Order of Monks'. The greatness of his achievement was to ensure the survival of Buddhism in the dark centuries ahead.
Parakramabahu was the last great king of Sri Lanka.
King Nissankamalla
King Nissankamalla (1187 - 96), although claimed himself to be a great builder, was not. And squandered most of the country's wealth trying to match his predecessor's deeds.
Source from www.lanka.com
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
History of Anuradhapura can be dated back to 380 BC when it was set up as the capital by the King Pandukabhaya. Anuradhapura remained in power for about one thousand and five hundred years. This city is one of the renowned destinations for Buddhist pilgrimage in Sri Lanka. It was abandoned by its residents after an invasion in 993. During 19th century British rulers rediscovered it and Anuradhapura was revived. Anuradhapura is an important centre of Sri Lankan civilization. There are a number of places to visit in this ancient city. The fascinating ruins and relics of Anuradhapura are worth visiting.Sri Maha Bodhiya is considered to be oldest living tree. It is a sacred religious spot for the Buddhists from all over the world. It is believed that Sanghamitta brought a branch from the Bodhi Tree and planted it here. Jetavanarama, Ruwanwelisaya, Mirisaveti Stupa, Dakkhina Stupa and Naka Vihara are some of the mostly visited stupas in Anuradhapura.
Some other noted tourist attractions in Anuradhapura are Lovamahapaya, Abhayagiri Dagaba, Lankarama and Isurumuniya. The Samadhi Statue of Lord Buddha situated in Mahamevuna Park is a beautiful granite sculpture. It depicts Lord Buddha in the posture of meditation.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Wonder Of Sri Lanka
Sigiriya is located in the district of Matale of Sri Lanka. It is a rock fortress built under the reign of King Kasyapa I. This site is one of the popular tourist destinations and is recognized as one of the World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.
According to legends, Kasapya I overthrown his father Dhatusena by killing him. Kasapya feared revenge from his half-brother Mogallana and built an invisible fortress. But finally he took his own life during a battle in 491 as his soldiers abandoned him.
In Sigiriya, there are number of attractions for tourists. The water gardens of Sigiriya steal the show and they offer splendid scenic beauty. The frescos found on the rock walls of Sigiriya are worth seeing. The gallery of paintings consist frescos of maidens, which are still in good condition. Different graffiti on walls of Sigiriya fortress were drawn during 7th and 11th century AD. One of the major attractions of this fort is its mirror coated wall.
The northern part of this rock fortress ends to a platform. Initially there was a brick lion situated on this platform from which the name Sigiriya has originated which means the Lion Rock. But only the paws of the brick lion have survived the test of time. The remains of the Sigiriya fortress cover around 1.6 hectares and from the relics the layout and design of the existing buildings can be figured out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)