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The Trail of the Ignominious Political Path of Sri Lanka. – By Noor Rahim This article is based purely on my own experiences that I have gone through and that I experienced; since being born in Sri Lanka in the year 1937. My ancestors came to Sri Lanka with the Dutch Army which occupied the low country on the behest of the Sinhala King of Kandy to rid of the Portuguese who were occupied the land prior; in the late 16th century and early 17th century. The King could not bear to see his subjects being mistreated cruelly and heaping them with untold misery. Hence, in the early 17th century invited the Dutch to get rid of the Portuguese invaders. Having done so, they occupied all the territories that were occupied by the Portuguese. Peace prevailed during this period. It was in the late 18th century that the Dutch handed ...

Feb 21, 2024 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Noor Rahim Tagged Ceylon, Dutch Army, Kandyan Kingdom, Parliamentary System, Political Path of Sri Lanka, Sinhala King of Kandy, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan kings, The Ceylon State

Reporting from the spot at Kandy – By L.B.Senaratne The Cynosure of the first Kumbala Perahera was “Indi-Raja” flanked by Myan Raja and “Kamdula ” ( from Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihare ) in the ancient ritual of the Kandy Esala Ritual, which had 59 elephants and 15 of them were tuskers from the Sri Dalada Maligawa Tusker stables comencing from the 21st August 2023. It will continue till the 31st August and ends with the water cutting ceremony. The first Perhera which is termed “Kumbal” is the first of the series running for 12 days commencing at 7.10 in the night and running till around 11 p,m The ritual beginings with the sounding of a Cannon Boom from an ancient cannon, when the other Perahera’s from the Devales ( abode of three Gods, Sri Maha Vishnu, Natha, Kataragama and Goddess Pathini alligns itself to follow the Sri Dalda Maligawa Perhera which ...

Aug 23, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged Buddha, Indi-Raja, Kandy Esala Perahera, Kandy Esala Ritual, Kandyan Kingdom, Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihare, Kumbala Perahera, Miyan Raja, Pradeep Nilanga Dela, Sri Dalda Maligawa Perhera

Gaadi: History from below – By UDITHA DEVAPRIYA Source : sundayobserver Prasanna Vithanage’s Gaadi opens with a meeting between Ehelepola Adigar and John D’Oyly in 1814. The two of them are negotiating the deposal of the Kandyan King, and the issue of who is to follow him. The British have their motives: D’Oyly tells the Adigar that all they want is to access the region for trade. The Adigar has his: he tells D’Oyly that he and the other native chiefs wish to get rid of the “Vaduga king”, but want to preserve the social order in their realm. The Adigar grants D’Oyly permission to do what he wants, then makes him swear upon the Bible that he will protect that order. By this point, the Kandyan Kingdom was facing a blockade by the colonial Government, which had established control in the Maritime Provinces. As Gananath Obeyesekere has observed in his ...

Feb 26, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged Ehelepola Adigar, Gaadi, John D’Oyly, Kandyan Kingdom, Prasanna Vithanage, Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe

An insight into the Kandyan Convention of 1815 Source:Ceylontoday It was Kandy, the last kingdom of Sri Lanka, and there is no doubt that every Sri Lankan knows it. The beautiful remains of the Kingdom can be still spotted, scattered centring the sacred Temple of Tooth, and of course, one might be astonished by the magnificence of the city that it could have been back then. Nevertheless, the story behind this beautiful city is not so beautiful-and rather tragic. It is in this elegant city that the British, with their subtle war tactics and treachery, swallowed up Sri Lanka in their hunger for colonies. Perhaps, it could be one of the easiest invasions recorded in history. What happened? After the death of the last Sinhalese king of Sri Lanka, Sri Veera Parakrama Narendrasinghe, the Nayakkar lineage – with a South Indian ancestry-ascended to the throne. Tracing history, it seems the ...

Feb 9, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged Kandyan Convention of 1815, Kandyan Kingdom, Sri Veera Parakrama Narendrasinghe, Ven. Wariyapola Sri Sumangala Thera

Galmaduwa Viharaya – extraordinary building of unique architecture – By Arundathie Abeysinghe Photo By Gaurika Wijeratne Situated in Nattaramapotha (traditional craft village in Kandy) in Kundasale approximately 14 kilometers from Kandy City, Galmaduwa Viharaya is an extraordinary building of unique architecture. The Temple is an incomplete structure traditionally ascribed to King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe’s era (1747- 1782). The structure of the Temple has a Tamil-Hindu influence, although it is a Buddhist place of worship. Constructed of stone and brick with a high gopuram (monumental tower, usually ornate at the entrance of a temple, a feature prevalent in South India), it is the only temple in Sri Lanka with Tamil-Hindu influence within a Buddhist place of worship. The incomplete stone temple that combines Buddhist and Hindu architectural features is an edifice that displays the excellence of massive stone and brick masonry that existed during the *Kandyan Kingdom. Although, it is an ...

Jan 26, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged A.C Lawrie, Brahmi inscriptions, Galmaduwa Viharaya, Kandyan Kingdom, King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe, Mandapaya

Cenotaph – capture of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe – By Arundathie Abeysinghe After the fall of the *Kandyan Kingdom in 1815 to British Colonial rule, *Adigar Ehelepola, considered as one of the main conspirators who assisted British Colonials to take over the Kingdom sent a group of his people to assist the British to capture *King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha who had escaped from the Royal Palace. Yet, the team was unable to capture the King and his Queen. Several days later, the team got information that the King and his Queen Venkatha Rangammal were hiding in Bomure, a hamlet in Medamahanuwara. “Medamahanuwara” also spelt “Meda Mahanuwara” or “Meda Maha Nuwara” (“Mahanuwara” meaning “big city” in Sinhala and “Meda Mahanuwara” meaning Middle Kandy, probably, due to it being a suburb of Kandy) situated approximately 36 kilometers from Kandy in *Mahiyangana Road (A26) between Wegala (a hamlet in Central Province) and ...

Nov 30, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Cenotaph, Ehelepola Nilame, Kandyan Convention, Kandyan Kingdom, King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha, Knuckles Mountain Range, Malabar, Vellore

Prison cell of King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha in Colombo Fort: fact or fiction? By Arundathie Abeysinghe The prison cell of King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha (1798-1815), the last King of the *Kandyan Kingdom as well as the last monarch of Sri Lanka located in Colombo Fort is a well-known monument. Although, the majority of people working in Colombo Fort area are not aware of it (situated in the busy metropolis in close proximity to *Dutch Hospital in Colombo Fort), it is a popular destination of tourists. Situated in Janadhipathi Mawatha in Colombo Fort (Queen’s Street) at the turn off to Bank of Ceylon Mawatha within the premises of the Ceylinco House building, this small structure is engulfed in controversy, although there are paintings of King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha and his Queen Consort. The monument is in the shape of a half capsule with the curved half facing north with a small ...

Oct 14, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Adigar Pilimatalawa, Governor Robert Brownrigg, Henry Marshall, Kandyan Kingdom, King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha, L. Brohier, Vellore

Belumgala – defense fortress of Kandyan hills – By Arundathie Abeysinghe Located in *Kadugannawa Gap approximately 10 kilometers from *Pilimathalawa, Belumgala Rock offers spectacular vistas of the environs as far as the eye can see including surreal vistas of Kadugannawa valley. Many visitors hike the adjacent small rock, believing it to be Belumgala, mistakenly. Belumgala is visible from *Pahala Kadugannawa viewpoint too. Also spelt as “Balumgala”, the mountain was thus named due to its strategic location as a place of defense. Considered as a silent defender of Kandyan hills, Colombo-Kandy Road can be seen clearly for many kilometers from the summit of Belumgala. As the location was a great boon for Sinhalese soldiers tracking enemy invasions, the mountain was known as “Belumgala” (meaning viewing mountain in Sinhala) for centuries. During the *Kandyan Kingdom, Sinhalese soldiers had been dispatched to this location and it had served as a major checkpoint when ...

Aug 10, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Belumgala Mountain, Belumgala Rock, Gampola, Kadugannawa, Kandyan hills, Kandyan Kingdom, Pilimathalawa, Sri Lanka

Balana Fort – strategic rock fortress in Kandyan hills By Arundathie Abeysinghe Situated between *Kadugannawa Pass and *Alagalla Mountain Range, Balana Fort was constructed during the *Kandyan Kingdom as a strategic rock fortress and an outpost for the Kingdom. The mountain of Balana is located over 600 meters above sea level. At present, Balana is administered by the *Central Province and is also the boundary line between the *Sabaragamuwa and Central Provinces. Balana Fort (Balana meaning Look-Out in Sinhala) was utilized as a sentry point on the approach to Kandy and was a strategic defense post to prevent enemy invasions and the remains of the Fort can still be found on the summit. According to historians, the path behind the Balana Railway Station has been the old road which is a steep 2.5 kilometer climb to the summit of the mountain and extends comparatively flat to the open plains ...

Apr 9, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Alagalla Mountain Range, Balana Fort, Central Province, Colombo-Kandy railway line., Kadugannawa, Kandyan Kingdom, Kandyan Kings, Major Roland James, Sri Lanka

Rock-hewn Buddha Statue of Dowa Cave Temple By Arundathie Abeysinghe Situated a few kilometers away from the ancient hamlet of Dowa (or Dhowa) on *Badulla-Bandarawela Road, approximately seven kilometers from Bandarawela town, the location of the Temple is breathtaking as it is situated at the foot of a hillock on the banks of a charming hill stream. The Temple buildings are located downhill with steep steps that lead to the famed cave temple. The hamlet has gained the name of “Dowa” as it is located within a ring of breathtaking mountains and a river which flows across the plateau. The Temple is well-known due to the large Buddha Statue in the temple premises, considered as an example of Mahayana (a collection of Buddhist traditions: Zen Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism) sculpture. According to chronicles, the Temple has been constructed during the reign of King Walagamba (103 BC and ...

Mar 12, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Buddha Statue, Dowa, Kandyan Kingdom, Princess Sita