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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
Showing posts with label Colonial Ceylon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colonial Ceylon. Show all posts

17 July, 2013

SRI LANKA - HISTORICAL BOOKS


23 July, 2012

SRI LANKA - HISTORICAL BOOKS



23 November, 2011

SRI LANKA - HISTORICAL BOOKS




  • Spolia zeylanica.

     by unknown author
    Published in 1903 by s.n.] • 362 pages • snippets in situ
    Read


    Ceylon was, in the olden time, known by the name of Serendib. In the enchanting " Arabian Nights," frequent mention is made of the Island, as the theater of many of the gorgeous scenes that are splendidly depicted in those Eastern tales. Serendib has ever been a terra incognita, and, therefore, a land of story and romance.

18 November, 2011

SRI LANKA - ANTIQUES


Civil disputes were solved by the provincial Chieftains appointed by the Government Agents in colonial Ceylon during the British era. Photograph shows a dais used by a presiding Chieftain in a Provincial Court House.



Pics by : Nelsonlanka

Photoshoot co-ordinated by : Udumbara Mapitigama

13 November, 2011

SRI LANKA - ANTIQUES [ DUTCH FURNITURE ]


Ebony has a very high density and will sink in water, this high density lends a fine smooth finish to any ornamental object made of this wood of high value. The intricately carved furniture belong to the Dutch period of Ceylon.


Pics by courtesy : Asoka

06 November, 2011

SRI LANKA - HISTORICAL BOOKS




  • Eleven years in Ceylon.

     by Jonathan Forbes
    Published in 1841 by R. Bentley • 482 pages • snippets in situ
    Read
    Great importance of the Island.-- Its population numerous and comparatively civilized at an early Period.-- Possesses a continuous History for Twenty-three Centuries.-- Liberal Policy of Great Britain to the Cingalese; consequent Prosperity of the Island.-- Compared with the Continent of India,-- Prospects of Christianity.-- My first acquaintance with Cingalese History, and Determination to examine the Antiquities of the Island.

20 October, 2011

SRI LANKA - HISTORICAL BOOKS




  • Ceylon in 1884

     by Ferguson, John
    Published in 1884 by S. Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington • 281 pages • snippets in situ
    Read

    Ceylon was, in the olden time, known by the name of Serendib. In the enchanting " Arabian Nights," frequent mention is made of the Island, as the theater of many of the gorgeous scenes that are splendidly depicted in those Eastern tales. Serendib has ever been a terra incognita, and, therefore, a land of story and romance.

07 October, 2011

SRI LANKA - HISTORICAL BOOKS



The rifle and the hound in Ceylon.

 by Baker, Samuel White SirPublished in 1874 by Longmans, Green and co. • 404 pages • snippets in situRead




Ceylon was, in the olden time, known by the name of Serendib. In the enchanting " Arabian Nights," frequent mention is made of the Island, as the theater of many of the gorgeous scenes that are splendidly depicted in those Eastern tales. 
Serendib has ever been a terra incognita, and, therefore, a land of story and romance.

20 October, 2010

SRI LANKA - COLONIAL ERA






Sri Lanka had always been an important port and trading post in
the ancient world,and was increasingly frequented by merchant 
ships from the Middle East, Persia,Burma ,ThailandMalaysia
,Indonesia and other parts of SoutheastAsia. The islands were 
known to the first European explorers of South Asia and settled 
by many groups of Arab and Malay merchants.
Portuguese colonial mission arrived on the island in1505 headed  
by Lourenço de Almeida, the son of Francisco de Almeida. At that 
point the island consisted of three kingdoms, namely Kandy in the 
central hills,Kotte at the Western coast, and Yarlpanam 
(Anglicised Jaffna) in the north. The Dutch arrived in the 17th century. 
Although much of the coastal regions of the island came under  the 
domain of European powers, the interior, hilly region of the island 
remained independent, with its capital in Kandy.
The British East India Company took over the coastal regions
island controlled by the Dutch in 1796, in 1802 these provinces 
were declared a crown colony under direct rule of the British 
government, The annexation of the Kingdom of Kandy in 1815 
by the Kandyan convention, unified the island under British rule.
Source : Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
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