Arundathie Abeysinghe

Colombo Dutch Museum – Colonial Era historical monument By Arundathie Abeysinghe     Constructed during the Colonial Era in *Ceylon the two storey colonnaded building on Prince Street, *Pettah among the hustle and bustle of Colombo City is a mine of information that showcases Dutch history and culture and had been constructed during the Dutch Colonial Era in Ceylon (1656 – 1796). The Museum building embodies unique architectural features of a Dutch Colonial town house. During the Dutch Colonial Era, they had built Dutch Forts, hospitals, military barracks, churches as well as residences for the governors. Dutch Hospital in Colombo Fort and Dutch Museum are such resplendent structures that are preserved well to date.  Originally, the residence of Governor of Ceylon Thomas van Rhee (1656 – 1701), the building had been used for diverse purposes; an orphanage under the supervision of the deacons financed by Dutch East India Company, army ...

Read More →

Kudumbigala Forest Hermitage – Sri Lanka’s first Buddhist Monastery By Arundathie Abeysinghe   Dating back to 246 BC, the era of King Devanampiyatissa (247 BC – 207 BC), Kudumbigala Forest Hermitage is the first Buddhist Monastery built for Buddhist Monks in Sri Lanka and has immense historical value. The Monastery is also known as “Chetiya Pabbatha” and is home to the only cylindrical dagoba (stupa) in Sri Lanka. According to scholars, this is the only dagoba in Sri Lanka that had been built according to Dhammachakka Stupa in Saranath in India.  This brick dagoba is the only remaining structure, whereas the other dagobas which had existed in the past have been destroyed over the years. Situated in Panama about an hour’s drive from *Arugam Bay in the southernmost corner of the Eastern Province, sprawled across 6000 acres of a rocky outcrop and in a picturesque setting in Kudumbigala Forest, this ...

Read More →

Ran Ayuda Mandapaya – majesty and grandeur of Kandyan Kingdom By Arundathie Abeysinghe   Situated within the premises of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Kandy, Ran Ayuda Mandapaya (Golden Armoury) also known as Ran Avuda Mandapaya is believed to be the place where the crowns and swords of the Kandyan Kings had been designed, moulded and bejeweled during the Kandyan Kingdom.     The building is an epitome of Kandyan architecture, Sri Lanka’s glorious history, culture and civilization.  Ran Ayuda Mandapaya had been constructed in 1592 during the reign of King Wimaladharmasuirya I (1590 – 1604). It had been renovated by King Senarath (1604 to 1635), King Rajasingha II (1629 -1687) and King Wimaladharmasuirya II (1687–1707). This building had been one of the first buildings that had been adjoined with the Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic) Complex. Due to foreign invasions the building had been damaged ...

Read More →

Wolvendaal Church – significant Dutch Era building in Colombo City By Arundathie Abeysinghe   Constructed in Doric Style (classical Greek or Roman order of Architecture), in the form of a *Greek cross with approximately 1.5 meter thick walls built with clay ironstone, Wolvendaal Church (Wolvendaalse Kerk) is located in *Pettah, Colombo. The Church has seating capacity for approximately 1000 people. At present, the Church is known as the Christian Dutch Reformed Church. During the period the Church was built, the area beyond the Colombo City had been a wilderness and there had been *jackals roaming in the area. The Dutch had mistaken the jackals for wolves and the area had been known as Wolf’s Dale (meaning dale of wolves) and named the area as ‘Wolvendaal’ (dale of wolves in Dutch). Dating back to the Dutch Colonial Era, Wolvendaal Church is the most significant Dutch Building and one of the oldest ...

Read More →

Kuragala – pre-historic archaeological site in the Intermediate Zone By Arundathie Abeysinghe   Dating back to the 2nd century BC, Kuragala is a pre-historic archaeological site with ruins of an ancient Buddhist Cave Temple Complex. Located on the *Balangoda – Kaltota Road approximately 24 kilometers from Balangoda town, Kuragala is derived from “hollow rock” in Sinhala. According to historians, during the Anuradhapura Kingdom, Kuragla was known as ‘Thanduleika pabbatha’ and ‘Daththa shaila pabbatha’. Later, it had been known as “Kuharagala” from which the present Kuragala has derived. According to archaeologists, Kuragala is the oldest archaeological site in the *Intermediate Zone. According to archaeological evidences, Kuragala had been inhabited by humans dating to pre-historic period. During the excavations carried out by archaeologists, they have found fossilized bone fragments, remains of a human skeleton dating more than 8000 years and stone stools. There is also evidence that humans who lived in Kuragala ...

Read More →

Keerimalai Springs – shrouded in myth and legend By Arundathie Abeysinghe   Situated adjoining the famous Keerimalai Naguleswaram Kovil (a shrine dedicated to Hindu God Shiva, considered as the destroyer of evil) in the northern coast of *Jaffna, this picturesque ancient stepped pool with bright aquamarine water set against the nearby Indian Ocean is a pool which according to locals has healing properties. At present, the site of Keerimalai Springs is a famous tourist attraction. According to locals, the *Kovil situated in close proximity to springs is an ancient Hindu Temple Complex as it has been mentioned in many Indian religious treatises such as Dakshina Kailasa Puranam and Skanda Puranam and the Kovil had been a pilgrimage center for South Indian Hindus. The pilgrims had bathed in the spring prior to visiting the Kovil. Keerimalai means ‘mongoose hill’ in vernacular Tamil. Situated towards west of *Palaly in Jaffna, Keerimalai Springs, ...

Read More →

Gregory Lake – spectacular tourist attraction in ‘Little England’ By Arundathie Abeysinghe   Surrounded by spectacular vistas, breathtaking misty mountains and serene blue skies, Gregory Lake also known as Lake Gregory is a well-known tourist attraction as well as a location for recreational activities and water sports that has been in existence in *Nuwara Eliya from the British Colonial Era to date. Gregory Lake is the most prominent, scenic attraction and historical landmark in Nuwara Eliya town visited by local as well as foreign tourists. The Lake and its surroundings are crowded during April, the tourist season in Nuwara Eliya, although, some people, especially locals visit the area during the off season too. During the British Colonial Era, the Lake had been created with the objective of providing electricity to Nuwara Eliya town. To date, electricity to Nuwara Eliya town is generated from the water of the Lake. Yet, from ...

Read More →

Badulla Pillar Inscription – Sri Lanka’s largest pillar inscription By Arundathie Abeysinghe   Badulla Pillar Inscription also known as Sorabora Wewa Pillar Inscription is the largest Pillar Inscription with the smallest letters found in Sri Lanka with a height of 2.43 meters.  The Pillar Inscription carved on a rock surface contains 203 lines and about 2000 mediaeval Sinhala scripts belonging to the era of King Udaya IV (946-954). Badulla Pillar Inscription had been found by Jone Belli, British Deputy Agent for *Badulla in 1857 about 4.8 kilometers towards north east of Mahiyangana Raja Maha Viharaya (an ancient Buddhist Temple in *Mahiyangana) and in close proximity to *Soraborawewa.  Initially, the Pillar Inscription had been placed at the *kachcheri in Badulla. Later, it has been placed at Senarath Paranavithana Memorial Library of Badulla, the present location, due to conservation purposes. According to archaeologists, the inscription has described about the king’s orders about ...

Read More →

Urban Forest Park in Colombo City – symmetrical manifestation By Arundathie Abeysinghe   Encompassing a network of verdant vistas with trees planted sporadically, water parks and a space to dine within magnificent greenery, Galle Face Urban Forest Park and the Beira Lake Open Air Restaurant is an urban oasis adorning the landscape of Colombo City that was declared open recently. As there are plants and trees intermittently in the Urban Forest Park with vistas of Beira Lake and the cool breeze, dining is within verdant vegetation. Spread within two acres in the heart of Colombo City, the Forest Park and the Open Air Restaurant is indeed a cynosure of all eyes. Situated in Scout Road which runs across Galle Face Road, along the Beira Lake, the Urban Forest Park is a symmetrical manifestation of trees and foliage. The corridor at the center of the Forest Park made of red beams ...

Read More →

Robert Knox Memorial – tribute to a British Traveler By Arundathie Abeysinghe   Located at Eladatte in Lagundeniya about 12 kilometers from Gampola town, this memorial is a tribute to *Robert Knox who lived in *Ceylon for almost 20 years as a captive of *King Rajasinghe II, the ruler of the Kandyan Kingdom.  Robert Knox was an English Sea Captain who served in the British East India Company. In 1659, when the ship he was sailing had a malfunction and landed in Ceylon, he was captured by King Rajasinghe II along with 15 other sailors and they were prisoners of the Kandyan Kingdom till he finally escaped to England (present United Kingdom) in 1680. Although, he was in captivity, the King had treated him well and he had been given land as well as houses to live in various places with almost unrestricted mobility within the Kandyan Kingdom. He had ...

Read More →