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A TALE OF THREE CITIES – POLONNARUWA ANGKOR AND BAGAN – (LOWER MYANMAR).- By Bernard VanCuylenburg PROLOGUE. This article is pursuant to the one I last wrote for eLanka “Three religions and a Kingdom – The Glory of Angkor Wat.” The concluding paragraph of that article dealt with the diplomatic relations between medieval Polonnaruwa when King Parakramabahu the Great ruled Lanka and the Khmer empire, ruling from Angkor Wat in Kampuchea. (Cambodia). For reasons of brevity, I omitted to write the concluding paragraph which deals with King Parakramabahu’s foreign policy which had wider ramifications for two countries in South East Asia, Burma and Cambodia. For reasons of clarity Bagan in this article refers to the City – State of Burma, or Myanmar as the country is known today. KING PARAKRAMABAHU THE VISIONARY. King Parakramabahu’s policy of fostering ties with the Khmer empire had one negative  –  albeit temporary  – consequence ...

Jul 7, 2024 Posted by In Articles, Bernard VanCuylenburg Tagged , ,
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 SILENT SENTINELS OF ANCIENT GLORY. THE PRAMBANAN HINDU TEMPLES OF EAST JAVA – by Bernard VanCuylenburg After a spellbinding tour of the Borobudur Monument I took the road well travelled to Yogyakarta, because North East of this great city I was aware of another cultural pearl which for the past 1200 years has kept a silent vigil in majestic splendour, lost to the world in the solitude of the jungle defying time and the elements, until it was discovered in 1885. These are the spectacular Hindu temples of Prambanan which are the best examples of ancient Java’s Hindu culture, and Indonesia’s most outstanding example of Hindu art. I visited the site early morning when the majestic Shiva temples were punctuating the morning mists to present their timeless profiles to the new day. All the temples in the area were built between the 8th and10th centuries AD when religious harmony prevailed ...

Jun 4, 2024 Posted by In Articles, Bernard VanCuylenburg Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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BOROBUDUR – A JOURNEY TO NIRVANA – by Bernard VanCuylenburg Lost and forgotten, the temple lay in the heart of a thick forest embraced by a mantle of green, its ancient walls smothered by vines, ferns and shrubs of every description. By day and at night, the only sounds were those of the leopard, or the shrieking of monkeys, the piercing trill of birds, and other denizens of the jungle.  For over a thousand years, Borobudur the largest Buddhist monument in the world, was a word that was only a spectral memory, confined to the realms of invisibility. The eternal reverie of this architectural marvel came back to life in 1815 when it was rediscovered by a Dutch Engineer working under Sir Thomas Raffles the Governor of Java. This chance discovery which was one of the greatest archaeological discoveries at the time revealed the magnitude of the builders and architect’s ...

May 21, 2024 Posted by In Articles, Bernard VanCuylenburg Tagged ,
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ETERNAL SPLENDOUR IN STONE – THE STORY OF THE LESHAN BUDDHA – by Bernard VanCuylenburg. PROLOGUE. This story is about a Monk, a Buddha, and two rivers, which had its genesis over 1500 years ago in Leshan China, on a cliff face overlooking the confluence of the Dadu and Min rivers. Before I get to the crux of this article, some context by reference to the two statues of the Buddha in the Bamiyan valley in Afghanistan is timely. The destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in 2001 signalled the loss of a priceless legacy to humanity, and dealt a fatal blow to the cultural sensitivities of the world. One statue stood 180 ft tall, and the other was 124 ft. Both statues over 2000 years old stood in an area which was a holy site for Buddhists, on the ancient trading route between China and Europe known as The Silk ...

May 11, 2024 Posted by In Articles, Bernard VanCuylenburg Tagged , , , ,
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eLanka Newsletter – 14th April 2024 – 4th Edition Sri Lankans in Australia Click here or on the image below to read this week’s elanka Newsletter A short story- The Sinhala Avurudu Auspicious time- අවුරුදු නැකත By Dr Palitha Ganewatta, Sydney, Australia Sri Lankan expatriates in Melbourne rally at the Walawwa in Noble SUNDAY CHOICE – JUST AS I AM – By Charles Schokman ANDUREN ELIYATA—DARKNESS TO LIGHT INC. Celebrating the Success of eLanka Shop’s Sinhala Aluth Avurudu Rasakawili Hampers! Erabadu Mal Pipila – Bonny Fernando – An original song – by Bonny Fernando (of Sydney Australia) for the Sinhala & Tamil New Year ! Wil Iran attack Israel soon? Only time will tell! Liyya Water Villas – By Dr Harold Gunatillake Kaleidoscope with Savithri Rodrigo 205 11 04 2024 Michael Tissera: A Lifetime of Grounded Achievement-by Krishantha Prasad Cooray Celebrating Awurudu Jana Krida: Embracing Tradition through Sports-by Kalani-eLanka Good ...

Apr 16, 2024 Posted by In Articles, eLanka Newsletters Tagged , , , , , ,
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                   THE SECRET OF THE SANDS – by Bernard VanCuylenburg Epilogue. Pursuant to the articles which I wrote last year, “An Odyssey – A Search for Heritage, parts 1 and 2 “) following a foray into the cornucopia of ruins buried in deep jungle well off the beaten track, I embarked on a similar venture in March this year. I am passionately moved by the treasure trove of what could be the best in ancient Sinhala civilization, possibly the life force of Sinhala culture which remains buried in the sands still awaiting the archaeologists spade, and I wish to share my experience with a wider circle of lovers of history. Parting the veil of time, an unknown sculptor, architect, engineer, master craftsman, even a poet, reached out to me and held my hand leading me across the centuries in my quest. I read somewhere that “Quotations are thefts of other peoples wisdom.”  ...

Apr 10, 2024 Posted by In Articles, Bernard VanCuylenburg Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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From Little Things Big Things Grow – Antonians Who Excelled Beyond Excellence – By Bernard VanCuylenburg and SisiraWeragoda Prologue As an introduction to the subject of this article I had to choose a title which nails it all in just one line. It is the story of an academic miracle which emanated from a simple school in its infancy, St. Anthony’s College Katugastota, by a group of students who raised the bar of achievement and excellence in the prestigious London Matriculation Examination in 1934, with a 100% pass rate THUS OBTAINING THE BEST RESULTS IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE. It was a path breaking year for the College and a validation of the school’s excellence. Twelve students sat the examination that year of whom six obtained first division passes, and six obtained second division passes. Their names which should be emblazoned in letters of gold in the field of education will ...

Oct 24, 2023 Posted by In Articles, Bernard VanCuylenburg Tagged , , ,
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eLanka Newsletter – 10th May 2023 – 3rd Edition Sri Lankans in Australia Click here or on the image below to read this week’s elanka Newsletter Vale Mr Desmond Kelly – Condolences sent to eLanka AN INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGE FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2023 (MOTHER’S DAY) Remembering Deshamanya Professor Tony Furkhan On His First Death Anniversary – May 8, 2023 Holy Family Convent Dehiwala – Annual Dinner Dance at the Grand on Princes, Melbourne – Photos thanks to Trevine Rodrigo ABSC Inc. Launches EKONOMOS, Issue 4, 2023 at Annual Gala Dinner Eric Roles at Cricket in Perth: Rendering Service-by Michael Roberts Dansala’s -way side street cooked food stalls – By Dr harold Gunatillake Raising a hearty cuppa to gentle giant behind famed brew-By Yomal Senerath-Yapa Avijit Sarkar Feels honoured to be featured on “The Brand Called you”…. EPOCH OF POLONNARUWA – By Dr Tilak S. Fernando More on Nettasinghe All ...

May 11, 2023 Posted by In Articles, eLanka Newsletters Tagged , , , , , ,
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eLanka Newsletter – 7th September 2022 – 2nd Edition Sri Lankans in Australia Click here or on the image below to read this week’s elanka Newsletter “HOORAY FOR COORAY” – by Des Kelly Charity at Work Annual Dinner Dance – photos thanks to Trevine Rodrigo (Melbourne) Sri Lanka’s positive future- By Dr Harold Gunatillake Raveen Kariyawasam clinches Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford: First Sri Lankan in 54 years to do so Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Governor reveals the truth of crisis – in Sinhala Bandaranayake Mawatha: A Glimpse into its Glorious Past-By Tuan M. Zameer Careem Health & Views August 3rd issue 2022 – By Dr harold Gunatillake Connection Between Richness & Happiness – Are They Synonymous? – by Noor Rahim CandleAid Special Food Project – 2nd Interim Report School meal program in Sri Lanka-Rise Up Colombo’s trams Portrait of a portraitist from the mists of time-By Yomal Senerath-Yapa ...

Sep 7, 2022 Posted by In Articles, eLanka Newsletters Tagged , , , , , ,
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LIAM DODDRELL – ONWARDS AND UPWARDS – IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HIS FAMOUS GRAND DAD – LIAM DODDRELL MESMERIZES WITH BAT AND BALL – by Bernard VanCuylenburg EPILOGUE. The Grand Son of Anthonian Cricket great Charlie Joseph continues to weave a web of magic with bat and ball cutting a swathe of glory on the green turf ever since he began his cricket career as a junior, playing for his local club the St.Clair Hawks. Having advanced to grade cricket with the Penrith Cricket Club, Liam Doddrell has added another feather to his cap by winning the prestigious Basil Sellers Scholarship which will give him the opportunity to further his cricket career, not to mention the boost to his confidence ! I received an email from Liam’s Mum giving me the good news, together with an article in the local suburban journal which delighted cricket lovers everywhere. It is sure ...

Nov 13, 2021 Posted by In Articles, Bernard VanCuylenburg Tagged , , , ,
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