Original name: Ganegama
geographical location: Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka.
geographical coordinates: 6° 38' 0" North, 80° 31' 0" East
Set amidst a carpet of paddy fields it is difficult to miss the Ganegama Rajamaha Viharaya , when you are traveling on the Ratnapura -Palmadulla main road.
The Bo Tree in this temple is of historical value. According to the Bhodiwansa it is one of the 32 saplings of the sacred BO tree at Anuradhapura.
Among the several Buddha statutes in this temple is a valuable wooden Buddha statue, about which there is an interesting legend.
When the Portuguese were destroying and plundering the Buddhist temples in the Sabaragamuwa province, it is said that this statue was kept hidden immersed in the waters of the Denawaka river, and was brought back to the temple after many years when the threat had subsided.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Battles on the banks of the Kalu ganga
Many major battles were fought on the banks of the Kalu ganga between the Portuguese forces and King Mayadunne, King Dharmapala (of Kotte 16th century) and Bhuvaneka Bahu (VII) helped the Portuguese.
King Mayadunne (of Sitawake) led by his gallant son, then a boy of 13, Tikiri Rajjuru Bandara (later King Rajasinghe I) fought the Portuguese forces supported by Widiya Bandara's forces.
P. E. Pieris, in his 'Ceylon and Portuguese (1920)' describes the blood-battles fought on the banks of Kalu ganga and Kalutara itself: "In accordance with this the Sitawake army commanded by the youngest son of Mayadunne, Tikiri Rajjuru Bandara, a boy of thirteen, with whom was associated Wickremasingha Mudiyanse, the bravest of his father's generals, advanced to the Kalu ganga, and was joined at Kalutara by the Portuguese contingent of three hundred men. After crossing the limpid waters of the Pelen ganga the allied forces were met and attacked by Widiya Bandara, who after a hard fought battle was forced to flee, abandoning his wife and treasures to the conquerors."
Later on, Widiya Bandara was forced to seek refuge in the Udarata region under the protection of Karaliyadda Bandara. The fate of Widiya Bandara is another part of the story where he actually had to take refuge in Jaffna. In Jaffna he along with his son Wijayapala was slained.
Coming back to the battle scenes around Kalutara, the blood thirsty Portuguese in 1574, commanded by Diogo de Mele with his forces devastated that part of the country destroying shrines and temple. These ravages took place from Kelaniya, to the towns of Kalutara and Beruwala.
In late 1594 the Portuguese forces led by General de Azavedo were fast advancing towards Kalutara to capture it. Paul Pieris in his above quoted book has recounted how de Azavedo planned the capture.
The builder of Kalutara fort was Jorg de Albuquerque in 1622. Later it was captured by King Rajasinghe I of the Sitawaka kingdom. Then still later it was captured by the Dutch and re-captured by the Portuguese. On 14.10.1655 the Portuguese surrendered to the Dutch.
Phillipus Baldaeus was a Dutch Pastro who lived most of his sojourns in Jaffna. He wrote a book in Dutch (later translated into English by Pieter Brohier), titled 'A True and Exact Description of the Great Island of Ceylon (1672). In it, he gives the following vivid description of the Portuguese fort of Kalutara built by the Portuguese and captured later by the Dutch "Within days journey of Gale (present Galle), lies the fortress of Caletura (Kalutara) situated in a most locality near the mouth of a large and broad river close by the sea. The defence is strongly built with double earthen walls, and is at present under our sway, it was taken over by us (by gods' blessings) under the directions of Honourable Director General Hulft (sic) on the 15th October 1655".
Portuguese, Dutch named present Kalutara as Caletura. Dr. R. L. Brohier, the author of many books on ancient irrigation works in his 'Seeing Ceylon' (1965) summarises an historical account of Kalutara thus: "There is much to interest one in this hinterland, but it is rather on fragments of the earlier history was ruled by a Sinhalese king, and when, if you look from the northern bank across the waters of the Kalu ganga, near its mouth, you saw, on the outlying spur an insignificant hill, an ivory-white dagaba poised on its crest, Gangatilaka Vihara, they called it: and De Queyroz, the historian, says of the river flowing by, that it was named 'Santosa Ganga'. There large trees and avenues of teak which cast shadows over green maiden and gardens in bloom. All this, and more, the Sandesa poems have translated into song". That was the glorious past of Kalutara.
King Mayadunne (of Sitawake) led by his gallant son, then a boy of 13, Tikiri Rajjuru Bandara (later King Rajasinghe I) fought the Portuguese forces supported by Widiya Bandara's forces.
P. E. Pieris, in his 'Ceylon and Portuguese (1920)' describes the blood-battles fought on the banks of Kalu ganga and Kalutara itself: "In accordance with this the Sitawake army commanded by the youngest son of Mayadunne, Tikiri Rajjuru Bandara, a boy of thirteen, with whom was associated Wickremasingha Mudiyanse, the bravest of his father's generals, advanced to the Kalu ganga, and was joined at Kalutara by the Portuguese contingent of three hundred men. After crossing the limpid waters of the Pelen ganga the allied forces were met and attacked by Widiya Bandara, who after a hard fought battle was forced to flee, abandoning his wife and treasures to the conquerors."
Later on, Widiya Bandara was forced to seek refuge in the Udarata region under the protection of Karaliyadda Bandara. The fate of Widiya Bandara is another part of the story where he actually had to take refuge in Jaffna. In Jaffna he along with his son Wijayapala was slained.
Coming back to the battle scenes around Kalutara, the blood thirsty Portuguese in 1574, commanded by Diogo de Mele with his forces devastated that part of the country destroying shrines and temple. These ravages took place from Kelaniya, to the towns of Kalutara and Beruwala.
In late 1594 the Portuguese forces led by General de Azavedo were fast advancing towards Kalutara to capture it. Paul Pieris in his above quoted book has recounted how de Azavedo planned the capture.
The builder of Kalutara fort was Jorg de Albuquerque in 1622. Later it was captured by King Rajasinghe I of the Sitawaka kingdom. Then still later it was captured by the Dutch and re-captured by the Portuguese. On 14.10.1655 the Portuguese surrendered to the Dutch.
Phillipus Baldaeus was a Dutch Pastro who lived most of his sojourns in Jaffna. He wrote a book in Dutch (later translated into English by Pieter Brohier), titled 'A True and Exact Description of the Great Island of Ceylon (1672). In it, he gives the following vivid description of the Portuguese fort of Kalutara built by the Portuguese and captured later by the Dutch "Within days journey of Gale (present Galle), lies the fortress of Caletura (Kalutara) situated in a most locality near the mouth of a large and broad river close by the sea. The defence is strongly built with double earthen walls, and is at present under our sway, it was taken over by us (by gods' blessings) under the directions of Honourable Director General Hulft (sic) on the 15th October 1655".
Portuguese, Dutch named present Kalutara as Caletura. Dr. R. L. Brohier, the author of many books on ancient irrigation works in his 'Seeing Ceylon' (1965) summarises an historical account of Kalutara thus: "There is much to interest one in this hinterland, but it is rather on fragments of the earlier history was ruled by a Sinhalese king, and when, if you look from the northern bank across the waters of the Kalu ganga, near its mouth, you saw, on the outlying spur an insignificant hill, an ivory-white dagaba poised on its crest, Gangatilaka Vihara, they called it: and De Queyroz, the historian, says of the river flowing by, that it was named 'Santosa Ganga'. There large trees and avenues of teak which cast shadows over green maiden and gardens in bloom. All this, and more, the Sandesa poems have translated into song". That was the glorious past of Kalutara.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The Sadismof Azevedo
Crocodiles were whistled for to feed on humans
In 1505 Lorenzo de Almeida, son of the Vice Roy of Goa set foot in Galle accidentally when his fleet of ships got caught in a great storm at sea on the way to the Maldive Islands and was compelled to take refuge at Galle Harbour. Though they wrested Galle from the Sinhalese they were the first Europeans to settle down in Colombo. The news of the arrival of a strange fleet reached the ears of the King of Kotte Vira Parakramabahu VIII. The message was that there was a race of people of fair skin donning jackets and hats of iron, eating hunks of stone and drinking blood. They were lavish with their silver and gold coins, so that they gave two or three of them for one fish or lime. The report of their cannon was louder then thunder striking on the rock of Yugandaraa.
The King although willing to entertain the newcomers was reluctant to reveal the closeness of Kotte to Colombo. Therefore an envoy of Portuguese were led by a circuitous route for three days through hill and dale and thorny jungle crossing the same river many times at different points. The Sinhalese saying "Parangiya Kotte giyaa wage" even now is aptly quoted in similar circumstances in gay ridicule after nearly five centuries.
The ultimate result was that the Portuguese gained a permanent foothold in this country. Within a few decades several changes took place as one after another Royal descendants ascended the Throne of Kotte. Vijayabahu VII succeeded Vira Parakramabahu VIII, Vijayabahu’s son Buwanekabahu followed him. As Buwanekabahu had no sons his grandson Prince Dharmapala, the son of his daughter ascended the Throne of Kotte.
It is recorded history that Sri Lanka had never been devoid of traitors. Qveni was the first of its breed. She handed over the country to a foreigner. Moggalana brought an alien army to defeat his brother Kasyapa who was the reigning King. Dharmapala gifted the country on a deed to the King of Portugal on 12th, August 1580. He signed a document virtually bequeathing his kingdom, his subjects, his country and all his people to a foreign foe. The consequences were disastrous. Above all, his most foolhardy and treacherous act was embracing Christianity, under the name Don Juan Dharmapala. He became the first and the last Sri Lankan Monarch to become a Christian.
The Sri Lankan Monarchs were absolute and all powerful. They could dispose of their kingdom as they pleased. They allotted Nindagam, extent of land and villages to their favourites. Devalagam and Viharagam were given to Devalas and Temples. The King of Kotte ruled over the South-Western lowlands of the country and had Imperial Rights in the other two kingdoms Kandy and Jaffna. With the Christian King on the Throne, the Franciscan friars acted aggressively to stamp out Buddhism and Buddhists including the Bikkhus were treated brutally by the Portuguese. As a result, most people moved over to Seethawaka, the kingdom of Mayadunne. The ruthless hand of the foreign foe descended heavily on Kotte. Dharmapala divested the income from temple lands to the Franciscan Order, while temples were converted to churches by demolishing the sacred shrines. This angered the Buddhists, so that Mayadunne waged war against Dharmapala who being unable to resist the onslaught moved his council to Colombo where Portuguese held sway. Mayadunne’s son Rajasinghe attacked Colombo and a greater part of Colombo fell into Rajasinghe’s hands.
The Portuguese had no regard for Dharmapala and he was king only in name. Besides Dharmapala had no issues to inherit the Throne. Rajasinghe of Seetawaka died in 1592 following an accident where a bamboo splinter pierced his foot, which in turn led to blood poisoning. Whatever be the manner of his death, his personality looms large in the history of Sri Lanka both for courage and warfare. He defected to Hinduism and wantomly killed Buddhist Monks and burnt their temples and books. He transferred the custody of Adam’s Peak to the Hindus. His death brought about a complete change in the affairs of the Island. The Portuguese succeeded in recovering the lost territory. All uprisings were crushed by them and all lowlands were brought under their control. The Portuguese were masters there and Dharmapala was King only nominally.
Dharmapala died in 1597 and the Portuguese gained formal possession of his kingdom by virtue of his deed of gift and Philip II of Spain became Kotte’s king. Dharmapala was one of the most pathetic figures among Sri Lanka’s Royalty.
While Wimala Dharmasuriya was ruling in Kandy there appeared in Kotte in 1594 Don Jeronimo de Azevedo as Captain General to recover the lost territory and retrieve the lost reputation and avenge indignities endured at the hands of Wimala Dharma of Kandy. He was a soldier less distinguished for his military prowess than his cruelty. The Portuguese resorted to violent measures of retaliation unsurpassed in atrocity and blood shed. Those outrageous brutalities lasted as long as Azevedo, the arch imperialist who ruled the country. The Portuguese got all their wants in territory acquired by violence and brutal force. They dehumanized the population subjugating them, the effects of terror too revolting to relate. Wherever any hostility was reported troops were let loose on measures of repression: to harass, intimidate and manhandle all opponents in brutish manner.
The trigger happy soldiers simply shot at sight in wantom manslaughter. The Portuguese apportioned to themselves, an altogether disproportionate share of wealth. Trade was their main concern. Azevedo maintained his Headquarters at Malvana, established a judicial court and large elephant stables. While resident at Malvana, de Azevedo practised most appalling cruelties. One such wily act was that of throwing people from Raxapana Rock at Malvana into the Kelani River, where crocodiles had become so accustomed to their regular food that they raised their heads at the blowing of a whistle. This was one form of entertaining his sadistic soldiers who watched how the crocodiles devoured the unfortunate victims.
In his heyday he beheaded mothers after forcing them to cast their babes betwixt mill stones. The autocratic power-drunk top runger ruler Azevedo caused his soldiers to take up children on the points of their spears and get them to cry out to see "how the young cocks crow". The Portuguese branded the people of Lanka as Gallos or cock birds, consequent to the sound of the crowing of a cock bird they heard while they were anchored at the Galle harbour in their first encounter. Reparation has got to be made not only for his brutality but for the numerous massacres committed on innocent people for their pleasure. It is said that de Azevedo ended his days in a dungeon in Lisbon.
Dharmapala gifting his kingdom was tantamount to a betrayal of his Kingship. Sri Lanka which has a history of over two thousand five hundred years valued its traditional religion, culture and independence. The spirit of the nation based on its culture cannot be bartered away in anticipation of largess from foreigners. Gone are the days when Sri Lanka succumbed to any form of foreign rule. People have a better right to enjoy the fruits of their hard-earned Independence which one cannot allow to be undermined.
In 1505 Lorenzo de Almeida, son of the Vice Roy of Goa set foot in Galle accidentally when his fleet of ships got caught in a great storm at sea on the way to the Maldive Islands and was compelled to take refuge at Galle Harbour. Though they wrested Galle from the Sinhalese they were the first Europeans to settle down in Colombo. The news of the arrival of a strange fleet reached the ears of the King of Kotte Vira Parakramabahu VIII. The message was that there was a race of people of fair skin donning jackets and hats of iron, eating hunks of stone and drinking blood. They were lavish with their silver and gold coins, so that they gave two or three of them for one fish or lime. The report of their cannon was louder then thunder striking on the rock of Yugandaraa.
The King although willing to entertain the newcomers was reluctant to reveal the closeness of Kotte to Colombo. Therefore an envoy of Portuguese were led by a circuitous route for three days through hill and dale and thorny jungle crossing the same river many times at different points. The Sinhalese saying "Parangiya Kotte giyaa wage" even now is aptly quoted in similar circumstances in gay ridicule after nearly five centuries.
The ultimate result was that the Portuguese gained a permanent foothold in this country. Within a few decades several changes took place as one after another Royal descendants ascended the Throne of Kotte. Vijayabahu VII succeeded Vira Parakramabahu VIII, Vijayabahu’s son Buwanekabahu followed him. As Buwanekabahu had no sons his grandson Prince Dharmapala, the son of his daughter ascended the Throne of Kotte.
It is recorded history that Sri Lanka had never been devoid of traitors. Qveni was the first of its breed. She handed over the country to a foreigner. Moggalana brought an alien army to defeat his brother Kasyapa who was the reigning King. Dharmapala gifted the country on a deed to the King of Portugal on 12th, August 1580. He signed a document virtually bequeathing his kingdom, his subjects, his country and all his people to a foreign foe. The consequences were disastrous. Above all, his most foolhardy and treacherous act was embracing Christianity, under the name Don Juan Dharmapala. He became the first and the last Sri Lankan Monarch to become a Christian.
The Sri Lankan Monarchs were absolute and all powerful. They could dispose of their kingdom as they pleased. They allotted Nindagam, extent of land and villages to their favourites. Devalagam and Viharagam were given to Devalas and Temples. The King of Kotte ruled over the South-Western lowlands of the country and had Imperial Rights in the other two kingdoms Kandy and Jaffna. With the Christian King on the Throne, the Franciscan friars acted aggressively to stamp out Buddhism and Buddhists including the Bikkhus were treated brutally by the Portuguese. As a result, most people moved over to Seethawaka, the kingdom of Mayadunne. The ruthless hand of the foreign foe descended heavily on Kotte. Dharmapala divested the income from temple lands to the Franciscan Order, while temples were converted to churches by demolishing the sacred shrines. This angered the Buddhists, so that Mayadunne waged war against Dharmapala who being unable to resist the onslaught moved his council to Colombo where Portuguese held sway. Mayadunne’s son Rajasinghe attacked Colombo and a greater part of Colombo fell into Rajasinghe’s hands.
The Portuguese had no regard for Dharmapala and he was king only in name. Besides Dharmapala had no issues to inherit the Throne. Rajasinghe of Seetawaka died in 1592 following an accident where a bamboo splinter pierced his foot, which in turn led to blood poisoning. Whatever be the manner of his death, his personality looms large in the history of Sri Lanka both for courage and warfare. He defected to Hinduism and wantomly killed Buddhist Monks and burnt their temples and books. He transferred the custody of Adam’s Peak to the Hindus. His death brought about a complete change in the affairs of the Island. The Portuguese succeeded in recovering the lost territory. All uprisings were crushed by them and all lowlands were brought under their control. The Portuguese were masters there and Dharmapala was King only nominally.
Dharmapala died in 1597 and the Portuguese gained formal possession of his kingdom by virtue of his deed of gift and Philip II of Spain became Kotte’s king. Dharmapala was one of the most pathetic figures among Sri Lanka’s Royalty.
While Wimala Dharmasuriya was ruling in Kandy there appeared in Kotte in 1594 Don Jeronimo de Azevedo as Captain General to recover the lost territory and retrieve the lost reputation and avenge indignities endured at the hands of Wimala Dharma of Kandy. He was a soldier less distinguished for his military prowess than his cruelty. The Portuguese resorted to violent measures of retaliation unsurpassed in atrocity and blood shed. Those outrageous brutalities lasted as long as Azevedo, the arch imperialist who ruled the country. The Portuguese got all their wants in territory acquired by violence and brutal force. They dehumanized the population subjugating them, the effects of terror too revolting to relate. Wherever any hostility was reported troops were let loose on measures of repression: to harass, intimidate and manhandle all opponents in brutish manner.
The trigger happy soldiers simply shot at sight in wantom manslaughter. The Portuguese apportioned to themselves, an altogether disproportionate share of wealth. Trade was their main concern. Azevedo maintained his Headquarters at Malvana, established a judicial court and large elephant stables. While resident at Malvana, de Azevedo practised most appalling cruelties. One such wily act was that of throwing people from Raxapana Rock at Malvana into the Kelani River, where crocodiles had become so accustomed to their regular food that they raised their heads at the blowing of a whistle. This was one form of entertaining his sadistic soldiers who watched how the crocodiles devoured the unfortunate victims.
In his heyday he beheaded mothers after forcing them to cast their babes betwixt mill stones. The autocratic power-drunk top runger ruler Azevedo caused his soldiers to take up children on the points of their spears and get them to cry out to see "how the young cocks crow". The Portuguese branded the people of Lanka as Gallos or cock birds, consequent to the sound of the crowing of a cock bird they heard while they were anchored at the Galle harbour in their first encounter. Reparation has got to be made not only for his brutality but for the numerous massacres committed on innocent people for their pleasure. It is said that de Azevedo ended his days in a dungeon in Lisbon.
Dharmapala gifting his kingdom was tantamount to a betrayal of his Kingship. Sri Lanka which has a history of over two thousand five hundred years valued its traditional religion, culture and independence. The spirit of the nation based on its culture cannot be bartered away in anticipation of largess from foreigners. Gone are the days when Sri Lanka succumbed to any form of foreign rule. People have a better right to enjoy the fruits of their hard-earned Independence which one cannot allow to be undermined.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Search for Sri Lanka’s ancient ports and harbours
“Some of the important places of the B.C. period located in this presentation are places like Kelaniya, Nagadipa, Kuduramalai, Jambukola, Potana, coastal cities of the Chandanagama Kshtriyas of the Buddhachchana clan the coastal city of the Kataragama Kshatriyas, etc. The ports around Sri Lanka together with harbour sites and coastal settlements were occupied by several races and tribes who migrated to Sri Lanka in different periods as evident from the names in the above-mentioned maps and other literary sources indicated in this paper and I am sure, this would be of interest to the conference and the public in general.”
This introduction would serve as background information in respect to Sri Lanka’s contact with the rest of the civilised world from ancient times. Sri Lanka was known as Taprobane Palesimundum Serendib and Sinhaladipa in ancient times to the Greeks, Romans, Arabs and others. She lay across the main shipping lanes of Asia and was strategically placed across the Indian Ocean for all seafaring, trade, commerce and religious propagation activities, etc. Its seaports played a key role in such foreign contact and related activities.
In order to ascertain a better knowledge of Sri Lanka in relation to the Indian Ocean, we would first have to examine the external sources of information where reference is made to Sri Lanka directly or indirectly.
The main objective of this chapter is to bring to the notice of the reader the overview of the contacts Sri Lanka had with the rest of the world as our contacts were not confined to South India. This is very necessary to indicate as otherwise our concepts of our early contacts could be warped and distorted like the proverbial blind men describing the elephant.
This would also provide us the information to ascertain that in addition to its unique position in the Indian Ocean as to whether there were other reasons to attract the different people around the world to our shores. This would provide us with the overview and the role played by Taprobane from ancient times resulting in the settlement of different people and tribes from different cultures, resulting in the diversity of the Sinhalese, the Sinhalisation process which led to a blend of different cultures into a unique people and nation.
Fortunately today, we have access to new tools like Aerial Photographs as they also provide us with visual information to locate these places in their environmental setting very convincingly. A few examples of locating places of interest including ports; harbours and emporiums of Sri Lanka would be indicated in the next chapter.
1.1 Sailing, Travel and Immigration in the Indian Ocean
Periplus means sailing around or an account of a coastal voyage which described the form or ancient travel by sea where the ancient mariners coasted in close proximity to the land as they navigated using visible landmarks. This was the practice of the Persians, Cyprians. Phoenicians and Egyptians. These records were called Periploi. This form of travel prevailed till the Arab mariners used the monsoon to sail across the ocean, navigated by the stars, the moon and sun from the Arabian coast of Sabae, Hydramant and Oman to Maldives, Malabar, Sri Lanka and the Golden Cherconese (Indonesia).
The coastal voyage planned by Alexander the Great (circa 326 B. C.) from the mouth of Indus to the head of the Persian Gulf was executed by Nearkhos who gave a written account of it. It is also recorded that Alexander the Great built a fleet of ships during his eastern exploration so as to proceed southwards to explore Taprobane but as he fell sick, he had to return to Babylon where he died and was buried in Egypt. However, Onesicrities the Admiral of Alexander sailed south and mention is made of Taprobane, though there are hardly any details given of it and the sea named the Erythrean sea. Though the description of the voyage is not presented to us in the original, it is available to us in the second part of the Indika of Arrian. It would appear that the Kataragama Ksatriyas were part of that expedition and some would have remained back in Sri Lanka as would be explained later.
Ports from which the fleets sailed to the east from the Red Sea, together with the months of departure and return and the time they took for such journeys is indicated in the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea. A translation by Dr. William Vincent is quoted.
"Both from Myos Hormus and Berenice the fleets sailed for Africa and Arabia in the month of September and for India in July: dates which agree admirably with the regular winds as stated by Bruce. For in the first instance if they cleared the gulf before November, they in that month fell in with the wind which carried them down the coast of Africa and which served them to return in May. And in their voyage to India, failing in July, if they cleared the gulf before the 1st of September they had the monsoon for nearly three months to perform the voyage to the coast of Malabar which was generally completed in forty days".
We have Pliny (52 A.D.) who records his observation on Palesimundum (by which name Sri Lanka was then known) where he was driven to by the monsoon winds when he was farming for taxes in the Red Sea for the Romans. He says of Sri Lanka as follows:
"There was a haven therein regarding the south coast, lying hard under Palesimundum, the principal city of all that realm and the King’s seat and palace: there were by just account 200,000 commoners and citizens: as for the King, he is arrayed in apparel as Bacchus went in old times but the subjects and common people are clad in the habit of Arabians".
The description fits with Tissamaharama, the Nacaduma of Ptolemy, the Magama of the 3rd century B.C. A closer examination of Ptolemy’s work shows that the township of Kirinda called Dionysi Sei Bachi Civitas was possibly associated with the Greek God Dionysious or Alexander the Great by which name he was also known and the location of Kataragama being described as Nanigiri. Prof. Heinz Bechert is clearly of the view that Skanda deification at Kataragama associated with Deity Siva is a post 12th century phenomenon after there was Chola influence in Sri Lanka. Then the question arises as to who was the War God that King Dutugemunu worshipped at Kataragama in the 2nd century B.C. All evidence so far points to Alexander the Great.
1.2 The Spice Trade in the Indian Ocean
The term Mummia or Mumia was a term used for medicine and certainly not on account of its cadaverous associations but as an aromatic substance. It is well known that these spices were employed in the embalming of mummies in Pharaohnic times. The sources of spices in these times could be very revealing as all the aromatic oils (cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, etc.) could not have originated from Africa but from the East, better known later as the East Indies or spice countries.
1.3 The Dispersion of Metallurgy and Rice in the Indian Ocean
Though the Bronze Age triggered the forward march of civilization, as is notably seen in Mohenjo-daro and Harappa in the Indus Valley, China and Fertile Crescent, it was however the Iron Age that accelerated it by leaps and bounds. The well known cultures that based their advnaces on iron were notably the Assyrians, Sumerians, Philistines as well as the Egyptians in the Fertile Crescent.
It was the fabrication of Steel in Sri Lanka that made it possible to develop our Ancient Hydraulic Civilization. This has been recorded by Dr. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and Dr. Gill Juleff. This Ancient Hydraulic Civilization of Sri Lanka was dependent on the irrigation of rice. This civilization was in existence prior to the 6th century B.C. Rice had its origins in East Asia, while the technology of irrigation that was known in West Asia for wheat irrigation was adapted in Sri Lanka for rice irrigation with improved techniques.
1.4 The spread of Religious Beliefs through the Indian Ocean
We note that early religious beliefs like those of sun and moon worship, spread across the seas to islands like Sri Lanka from the Fertile Crescent. We note the presence of pre-Buddhist worship of the Greek Gods, as well, since there were also centres of their worship in Sri Lanka in Ptolemy’s time (150 A.D.) dedicated to Zeus, Dionysius, Iskander (deified as a War God), etc. We note that Buddhism spread not only along the land route across Asia, particularly, along the Silk Route, but also along the sea routes, notably through the Bay of Bengal to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Indo-China, the Maldives, etc. The Gandhara Buddhist iconography clearly spread to Sri Lanka along the sea route. A good example is the large statue of the Buddha at Aukana, a replica of what is in Afghanistan.
Mention is also made of the sea route and ports of departure and arrival during the journey in bringing the Sacred Bodhi Tree from Buddhagaya to the city of Anuradhapura in the 3rd century B.C. which indicates the principal seaport Tamalitti of India and Jambukola Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura is only 60 miles from Palavakki which is 5 days travel time when walking both morning and in the evening. Peninsula Jaffna is nearly 200kms away from Anuradhapura and would have taken more than 3 times the time as it has to cross the lagoon and through uninhabited terrains as well. The ancient port of Jambukola has been identified as lying between Tiriyaya and Kuchchaveli, where Tapussa and Balluka used that port as well as Ptolemy indicated that it was an International Emporium called Talakori Emporium.
2. SOURCES OF INFORMATION INDICATING SPECIFIC PLACES IN SRI LANKA
Ptolemy’s Taprobane indicates places of Sri Lanka in Circa 150 A.D. and was the only source that provided us with their absolute co-ordinates giving their specific locations mathematically and their locations are not subject to speculation like in other sources of information which are descriptive. These co-ordinates were corrected by me mathematically to rectify the inherent errors of Sun Azimuth and the size of the earth at Ptolemy had under-estimated the size of the earth by 30%. Sailing ships in that period had access to Sri Lanka either to the eastern seaboard or the western seaboard because of the monsoons operating in two distinct periods that gave rise to sun azimuthal errors which had to be corrected.
2.1 Other Sources of Information
Most of the information provided by several other authors in respect to place names in Sri Lanka, both foreign and local, often do not provide us with sufficient information to locate them on the ground, except where their locations have been supported by Archaeological evidence during excavations.
Descriptions of ports, harbours, coastal port cities and settlements and emporia are indicated in literary sources and chronicles like the Mahawamsa compiled in the 4th century A.D. from the collective memory and recordings by Buddhist monks. That provide us with much descriptive information of places during different periods of time, as well as places associated with different events of special significance like the bringing of the Sacred Bodhi Tree from India. But often, their descriptions have not been location specific, which has led to much confusion. Their locations have been interpreted at the whims and fancies of the interpreter, using etymology and present names as their guide, which had led to further confusion as there are several places with the same name.
3. PORTS, PORT CITIES, HARBOURS AND EMPORIUMS FROM ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL TIMES
Claudius Ptolemy in c. 150 A.D. provided us with the locations of nearly fifty places with their co-ordinates that fixes their position on ground. They comprise the capitals, major townships. International Emporiums and harbours as well as the location of the major tribes distributed in the different parts of Sri Lanka (refer RASSL sesquitional Vol. 1995 for further details).
In describing the coastal trade outposts, namely, the harbours, ports emporiums and associated cities and settlements, I would be using Ptolemy’s Taprobane, as it definitely indicates to us these place names together with their locations with co-ordiantes.
These would be supported by not only literary sources but also observations made by me on the ground with field verification in the course of several visits to these places in the last four decades in the course of my official duties and private explorations. I would indicate their presence both before and after 150 A.D. with reference to Ptolemy’s Taprobane which I have used as the benchmark survey for my presentation.
This map compiled by me gives the absolute positions of places in Sri Lanka for which Ptolemy provided three dimensional co-ordinates in addition to the relative positions of regional names in relation to the absolute position of places for which he had provided co-ordinates. After these co-ordinates were corrected by me they were subsequently plotted on a Transverse Mercator Projection.
Subsequently in the 13th century there were incursions by Magha and Chandrabanu. The large scale settlement of Jaffna commenced with the introduction of Tobacco in the Portuguese era after 1550 A.D. There were mass scale migrations from the Coramandal and they used the lift irrigation technology of well and shadaff to cultivate tobacco.
We have today, topographical maps compiled in the last century by the British which provides with place names some of which existed from ancient times but could sometimes confuse us because there are several locations with the same place names which cannot be linked with any period of history due to lack of other corroborative evidence. Sometimes new places are given old names lest historical names are forgotten when they settle in new places.
4. CONCLUDING
Though the tradition and collective memory of the Sri Lankans have indicated important ports and places of interest, there has been confusion in relation to their location in regard to some of the more important ones. This paper has attempted to locate some of them that were in doubt using the exact locations provided by Claudius Ptolemy and confirmed by modern Aerospace Technology and field verified together with related archaeological evidence and writings of erudite scholars.
Some of the important places of the B.C. period located in this presentation are places like Kelaniya, Nagadipa, Kuduramalai, Jambukola, Potana, coastal cities of the Chandanagama Kshtriyas of the Buddhachchana clan the coastal city of the Kataragama Kshatriyas, etc. The ports around Sri Lanka together with harbour sites and coastal settlements were occupied by several races and tribes who migrated to Sri Lanka in different periods as evident from the names in the above-mentioned maps and other literary sources indicated in this paper and I am sure, this would be of interest to the conference and the public in general.
Sri Lanka being centrally located on the hub of the sea routes was fortunate to be the recipient of cultures and technologies from all parts of Asia (ref. Advent of Rice and the Ancient Hydraulic Civilization of Sri Lanka 1998).
In fact, the settlement of different people and tribes from different cultures and races resulted in the diversity and the Sinhalisation process led to the blend of different cultures into a unique people and nation, who called themselves Sinhalese in the Island of Sinhaladipa and included pre-Islamic Arabs and Tamils of the pre-colonial period. Their language was likewise a fusion of many vocables from different languages. It also evolved a unique hydraulic civilization based on gravity irrigation, as distinct from the lift irrigation techniques of the Vellalar Tamils in Peninsula Jaffna. With the advent of Islam, the Muslims lived in a very closely linked community because of religious reasons.
It is only in relatively recent times with the dawn of the Colonial Era that tobacco was introduced by the Portuguese. During both the Portuguese and Dutch periods of occupation, they encouraged large numbers of Vellalar Tamils to grow tobacco in Peninsula Jaffna, using lift irrigation systems, which is quite different to irrigation systems practised by the Sinhalese. In the British period, with the introduction of coffee, tea and rubber in the hill country, large numbers of indentured Tamil labour were brought from the Madras area for planting these crops under rain-fed conditions. It is in this colonial era that the assimilation of these new immigrants to the body politic was slow, resulting in their relatively isolated existence from the rest of the community who had settled much earlier, have a bearing to the present problem which the country is facing today which is basically socio-economic. It is very clear that all measures have to be taken at the earliest to integrate them with the rest of the community.
Finally we would have to examine our Ancient Ports and Harbours indicated in this presentation if one is seriously interested in gathering further numismatic evidence and contacts we have had from aboard, especially in the submerged ports and harbours in southern Sri Lanka which were the first contact points of foreign traders in Sri Lanka.
(Sri Lanka Guardian)
This introduction would serve as background information in respect to Sri Lanka’s contact with the rest of the civilised world from ancient times. Sri Lanka was known as Taprobane Palesimundum Serendib and Sinhaladipa in ancient times to the Greeks, Romans, Arabs and others. She lay across the main shipping lanes of Asia and was strategically placed across the Indian Ocean for all seafaring, trade, commerce and religious propagation activities, etc. Its seaports played a key role in such foreign contact and related activities.
In order to ascertain a better knowledge of Sri Lanka in relation to the Indian Ocean, we would first have to examine the external sources of information where reference is made to Sri Lanka directly or indirectly.
The main objective of this chapter is to bring to the notice of the reader the overview of the contacts Sri Lanka had with the rest of the world as our contacts were not confined to South India. This is very necessary to indicate as otherwise our concepts of our early contacts could be warped and distorted like the proverbial blind men describing the elephant.
This would also provide us the information to ascertain that in addition to its unique position in the Indian Ocean as to whether there were other reasons to attract the different people around the world to our shores. This would provide us with the overview and the role played by Taprobane from ancient times resulting in the settlement of different people and tribes from different cultures, resulting in the diversity of the Sinhalese, the Sinhalisation process which led to a blend of different cultures into a unique people and nation.
Fortunately today, we have access to new tools like Aerial Photographs as they also provide us with visual information to locate these places in their environmental setting very convincingly. A few examples of locating places of interest including ports; harbours and emporiums of Sri Lanka would be indicated in the next chapter.
1.1 Sailing, Travel and Immigration in the Indian Ocean
Periplus means sailing around or an account of a coastal voyage which described the form or ancient travel by sea where the ancient mariners coasted in close proximity to the land as they navigated using visible landmarks. This was the practice of the Persians, Cyprians. Phoenicians and Egyptians. These records were called Periploi. This form of travel prevailed till the Arab mariners used the monsoon to sail across the ocean, navigated by the stars, the moon and sun from the Arabian coast of Sabae, Hydramant and Oman to Maldives, Malabar, Sri Lanka and the Golden Cherconese (Indonesia).
The coastal voyage planned by Alexander the Great (circa 326 B. C.) from the mouth of Indus to the head of the Persian Gulf was executed by Nearkhos who gave a written account of it. It is also recorded that Alexander the Great built a fleet of ships during his eastern exploration so as to proceed southwards to explore Taprobane but as he fell sick, he had to return to Babylon where he died and was buried in Egypt. However, Onesicrities the Admiral of Alexander sailed south and mention is made of Taprobane, though there are hardly any details given of it and the sea named the Erythrean sea. Though the description of the voyage is not presented to us in the original, it is available to us in the second part of the Indika of Arrian. It would appear that the Kataragama Ksatriyas were part of that expedition and some would have remained back in Sri Lanka as would be explained later.
Ports from which the fleets sailed to the east from the Red Sea, together with the months of departure and return and the time they took for such journeys is indicated in the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea. A translation by Dr. William Vincent is quoted.
"Both from Myos Hormus and Berenice the fleets sailed for Africa and Arabia in the month of September and for India in July: dates which agree admirably with the regular winds as stated by Bruce. For in the first instance if they cleared the gulf before November, they in that month fell in with the wind which carried them down the coast of Africa and which served them to return in May. And in their voyage to India, failing in July, if they cleared the gulf before the 1st of September they had the monsoon for nearly three months to perform the voyage to the coast of Malabar which was generally completed in forty days".
We have Pliny (52 A.D.) who records his observation on Palesimundum (by which name Sri Lanka was then known) where he was driven to by the monsoon winds when he was farming for taxes in the Red Sea for the Romans. He says of Sri Lanka as follows:
"There was a haven therein regarding the south coast, lying hard under Palesimundum, the principal city of all that realm and the King’s seat and palace: there were by just account 200,000 commoners and citizens: as for the King, he is arrayed in apparel as Bacchus went in old times but the subjects and common people are clad in the habit of Arabians".
The description fits with Tissamaharama, the Nacaduma of Ptolemy, the Magama of the 3rd century B.C. A closer examination of Ptolemy’s work shows that the township of Kirinda called Dionysi Sei Bachi Civitas was possibly associated with the Greek God Dionysious or Alexander the Great by which name he was also known and the location of Kataragama being described as Nanigiri. Prof. Heinz Bechert is clearly of the view that Skanda deification at Kataragama associated with Deity Siva is a post 12th century phenomenon after there was Chola influence in Sri Lanka. Then the question arises as to who was the War God that King Dutugemunu worshipped at Kataragama in the 2nd century B.C. All evidence so far points to Alexander the Great.
1.2 The Spice Trade in the Indian Ocean
The term Mummia or Mumia was a term used for medicine and certainly not on account of its cadaverous associations but as an aromatic substance. It is well known that these spices were employed in the embalming of mummies in Pharaohnic times. The sources of spices in these times could be very revealing as all the aromatic oils (cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, etc.) could not have originated from Africa but from the East, better known later as the East Indies or spice countries.
1.3 The Dispersion of Metallurgy and Rice in the Indian Ocean
Though the Bronze Age triggered the forward march of civilization, as is notably seen in Mohenjo-daro and Harappa in the Indus Valley, China and Fertile Crescent, it was however the Iron Age that accelerated it by leaps and bounds. The well known cultures that based their advnaces on iron were notably the Assyrians, Sumerians, Philistines as well as the Egyptians in the Fertile Crescent.
It was the fabrication of Steel in Sri Lanka that made it possible to develop our Ancient Hydraulic Civilization. This has been recorded by Dr. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and Dr. Gill Juleff. This Ancient Hydraulic Civilization of Sri Lanka was dependent on the irrigation of rice. This civilization was in existence prior to the 6th century B.C. Rice had its origins in East Asia, while the technology of irrigation that was known in West Asia for wheat irrigation was adapted in Sri Lanka for rice irrigation with improved techniques.
1.4 The spread of Religious Beliefs through the Indian Ocean
We note that early religious beliefs like those of sun and moon worship, spread across the seas to islands like Sri Lanka from the Fertile Crescent. We note the presence of pre-Buddhist worship of the Greek Gods, as well, since there were also centres of their worship in Sri Lanka in Ptolemy’s time (150 A.D.) dedicated to Zeus, Dionysius, Iskander (deified as a War God), etc. We note that Buddhism spread not only along the land route across Asia, particularly, along the Silk Route, but also along the sea routes, notably through the Bay of Bengal to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Indo-China, the Maldives, etc. The Gandhara Buddhist iconography clearly spread to Sri Lanka along the sea route. A good example is the large statue of the Buddha at Aukana, a replica of what is in Afghanistan.
Mention is also made of the sea route and ports of departure and arrival during the journey in bringing the Sacred Bodhi Tree from Buddhagaya to the city of Anuradhapura in the 3rd century B.C. which indicates the principal seaport Tamalitti of India and Jambukola Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura is only 60 miles from Palavakki which is 5 days travel time when walking both morning and in the evening. Peninsula Jaffna is nearly 200kms away from Anuradhapura and would have taken more than 3 times the time as it has to cross the lagoon and through uninhabited terrains as well. The ancient port of Jambukola has been identified as lying between Tiriyaya and Kuchchaveli, where Tapussa and Balluka used that port as well as Ptolemy indicated that it was an International Emporium called Talakori Emporium.
2. SOURCES OF INFORMATION INDICATING SPECIFIC PLACES IN SRI LANKA
Ptolemy’s Taprobane indicates places of Sri Lanka in Circa 150 A.D. and was the only source that provided us with their absolute co-ordinates giving their specific locations mathematically and their locations are not subject to speculation like in other sources of information which are descriptive. These co-ordinates were corrected by me mathematically to rectify the inherent errors of Sun Azimuth and the size of the earth at Ptolemy had under-estimated the size of the earth by 30%. Sailing ships in that period had access to Sri Lanka either to the eastern seaboard or the western seaboard because of the monsoons operating in two distinct periods that gave rise to sun azimuthal errors which had to be corrected.
2.1 Other Sources of Information
Most of the information provided by several other authors in respect to place names in Sri Lanka, both foreign and local, often do not provide us with sufficient information to locate them on the ground, except where their locations have been supported by Archaeological evidence during excavations.
Descriptions of ports, harbours, coastal port cities and settlements and emporia are indicated in literary sources and chronicles like the Mahawamsa compiled in the 4th century A.D. from the collective memory and recordings by Buddhist monks. That provide us with much descriptive information of places during different periods of time, as well as places associated with different events of special significance like the bringing of the Sacred Bodhi Tree from India. But often, their descriptions have not been location specific, which has led to much confusion. Their locations have been interpreted at the whims and fancies of the interpreter, using etymology and present names as their guide, which had led to further confusion as there are several places with the same name.
3. PORTS, PORT CITIES, HARBOURS AND EMPORIUMS FROM ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL TIMES
Claudius Ptolemy in c. 150 A.D. provided us with the locations of nearly fifty places with their co-ordinates that fixes their position on ground. They comprise the capitals, major townships. International Emporiums and harbours as well as the location of the major tribes distributed in the different parts of Sri Lanka (refer RASSL sesquitional Vol. 1995 for further details).
In describing the coastal trade outposts, namely, the harbours, ports emporiums and associated cities and settlements, I would be using Ptolemy’s Taprobane, as it definitely indicates to us these place names together with their locations with co-ordiantes.
These would be supported by not only literary sources but also observations made by me on the ground with field verification in the course of several visits to these places in the last four decades in the course of my official duties and private explorations. I would indicate their presence both before and after 150 A.D. with reference to Ptolemy’s Taprobane which I have used as the benchmark survey for my presentation.
This map compiled by me gives the absolute positions of places in Sri Lanka for which Ptolemy provided three dimensional co-ordinates in addition to the relative positions of regional names in relation to the absolute position of places for which he had provided co-ordinates. After these co-ordinates were corrected by me they were subsequently plotted on a Transverse Mercator Projection.
Subsequently in the 13th century there were incursions by Magha and Chandrabanu. The large scale settlement of Jaffna commenced with the introduction of Tobacco in the Portuguese era after 1550 A.D. There were mass scale migrations from the Coramandal and they used the lift irrigation technology of well and shadaff to cultivate tobacco.
We have today, topographical maps compiled in the last century by the British which provides with place names some of which existed from ancient times but could sometimes confuse us because there are several locations with the same place names which cannot be linked with any period of history due to lack of other corroborative evidence. Sometimes new places are given old names lest historical names are forgotten when they settle in new places.
4. CONCLUDING
Though the tradition and collective memory of the Sri Lankans have indicated important ports and places of interest, there has been confusion in relation to their location in regard to some of the more important ones. This paper has attempted to locate some of them that were in doubt using the exact locations provided by Claudius Ptolemy and confirmed by modern Aerospace Technology and field verified together with related archaeological evidence and writings of erudite scholars.
Some of the important places of the B.C. period located in this presentation are places like Kelaniya, Nagadipa, Kuduramalai, Jambukola, Potana, coastal cities of the Chandanagama Kshtriyas of the Buddhachchana clan the coastal city of the Kataragama Kshatriyas, etc. The ports around Sri Lanka together with harbour sites and coastal settlements were occupied by several races and tribes who migrated to Sri Lanka in different periods as evident from the names in the above-mentioned maps and other literary sources indicated in this paper and I am sure, this would be of interest to the conference and the public in general.
Sri Lanka being centrally located on the hub of the sea routes was fortunate to be the recipient of cultures and technologies from all parts of Asia (ref. Advent of Rice and the Ancient Hydraulic Civilization of Sri Lanka 1998).
In fact, the settlement of different people and tribes from different cultures and races resulted in the diversity and the Sinhalisation process led to the blend of different cultures into a unique people and nation, who called themselves Sinhalese in the Island of Sinhaladipa and included pre-Islamic Arabs and Tamils of the pre-colonial period. Their language was likewise a fusion of many vocables from different languages. It also evolved a unique hydraulic civilization based on gravity irrigation, as distinct from the lift irrigation techniques of the Vellalar Tamils in Peninsula Jaffna. With the advent of Islam, the Muslims lived in a very closely linked community because of religious reasons.
It is only in relatively recent times with the dawn of the Colonial Era that tobacco was introduced by the Portuguese. During both the Portuguese and Dutch periods of occupation, they encouraged large numbers of Vellalar Tamils to grow tobacco in Peninsula Jaffna, using lift irrigation systems, which is quite different to irrigation systems practised by the Sinhalese. In the British period, with the introduction of coffee, tea and rubber in the hill country, large numbers of indentured Tamil labour were brought from the Madras area for planting these crops under rain-fed conditions. It is in this colonial era that the assimilation of these new immigrants to the body politic was slow, resulting in their relatively isolated existence from the rest of the community who had settled much earlier, have a bearing to the present problem which the country is facing today which is basically socio-economic. It is very clear that all measures have to be taken at the earliest to integrate them with the rest of the community.
Finally we would have to examine our Ancient Ports and Harbours indicated in this presentation if one is seriously interested in gathering further numismatic evidence and contacts we have had from aboard, especially in the submerged ports and harbours in southern Sri Lanka which were the first contact points of foreign traders in Sri Lanka.
(Sri Lanka Guardian)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Saving Galle Fort and Ignoring Vijitapura
D. H. Gunadasa of Hikkaduwa has raised a valid question about our sense of values as a nation (The Island, 11-02-08). He has suggested that Sri Lanka could enter the Guinness Book of Records for being the only country in the world to glorify foreign invaders. The sarcasm involved here is quite appropriate, for successive Governments have not only neglected, but also allowed the desecration, of two of our most important ancient forts.
One of our heritage sites that is still a tourist attraction comprises the remains of the 12th century Fort of Polonnaruwa. Apart from caring for the ruins of religious edifices, the only concern here had been to conserve the impressive walls of the inner citadel and the walls of the burnt down Royal Palace therein. Plenty of ancient buildings and valuable artefacts still continue to be dug up by private owners of the land within walls of the ancient city.
The trunk road from Maradankadawala to Batticaloa (A 11) passes right through the Northern Wall of Polonnaruwa fort up to the Police Station close to its Southern end. From there, it turns northeast to pierce through the Eastern Wall to reach what is now being called Kaduruwela (Kanduruwela in Survey Dept. maps earlier.) It is the site of Kandavurupitya where King Dutugemunu pitched his Kandavura or Military Camp to lay siege on the Elara’s fort of Vijitapura, in the 2nd century BC. The road (branching off near the Police Station,) to the New Town passes through the southern wall. Thus more than two miles of major roadways have been built to pass through the northern, southern and eastern walls of this ancient Fort.
The land on the southern end of the Polonnaruwa Fort, and all along the road through the eastern wall, land has been alienated to private owners. It has become a haven for treasure hunters, some of whom have become rich thereby. That is the treatment given to a fort built by our own kings nearly eight centuries before the Dutch built their ugly fort at Galle, using the impounded labour of the indigenous folk.
In the 12th century, Vijitapura was a suburb of Polonnaruwa where Parakrama Bahu the Great built the Veluvana Vihara (Mahavamsa Ch. 73 v.87). It was the site of the greatest of all forts belonging to King Elara, 14 centuries before Parakrama Bahu. The moats of this rectangular fort are clearly marked on the one-inch to-a-mile maps. But it was recognised as the site of the ancient fort of Vijitapura with the three fold moats on the southern side as described in the Chronicles only in 1980. This was done by two officials, B. H. Hemapriya (then Secretary to the Ministry of Lands and Land Development), and Dennis Fernando when both were flying over it by helicopter. The pair of them, and especially Dennis, has been crying out aloud to the Government and to Dept. of Archaeology to recognize this ancient site and conduct archaeological excavations there, for over quarter of a century now.
I too visited the site and contributed an article on the subject to the Sunday Observer in April 1980. (Perhaps it will be converted back to a Sugar-cane Farm very soon). The legitimate plea of these two amateur archaeologists fell on the deaf years of the JRJ Government that was pushing ahead with the preservation of old Dutch buildings. It has been the same with all the subsequent governments up to now, as well as the so-called archaeologists of the Cultural Triangle Project at Polonnaruwa. The damage done to archaeology by the latter group has been rightly exposed by Dr. Raja de Silva in his recent book "Digging into the Past".
D. H. Gunadasa’s parting shot should be modified to read as follows: "We are the only country in the world to glorify foreign invaders and preserve their leftovers, while consigning the much older ruins of greater value to our heritage, to be desecrated and passed down to total oblivion."
One of our heritage sites that is still a tourist attraction comprises the remains of the 12th century Fort of Polonnaruwa. Apart from caring for the ruins of religious edifices, the only concern here had been to conserve the impressive walls of the inner citadel and the walls of the burnt down Royal Palace therein. Plenty of ancient buildings and valuable artefacts still continue to be dug up by private owners of the land within walls of the ancient city.
The trunk road from Maradankadawala to Batticaloa (A 11) passes right through the Northern Wall of Polonnaruwa fort up to the Police Station close to its Southern end. From there, it turns northeast to pierce through the Eastern Wall to reach what is now being called Kaduruwela (Kanduruwela in Survey Dept. maps earlier.) It is the site of Kandavurupitya where King Dutugemunu pitched his Kandavura or Military Camp to lay siege on the Elara’s fort of Vijitapura, in the 2nd century BC. The road (branching off near the Police Station,) to the New Town passes through the southern wall. Thus more than two miles of major roadways have been built to pass through the northern, southern and eastern walls of this ancient Fort.
The land on the southern end of the Polonnaruwa Fort, and all along the road through the eastern wall, land has been alienated to private owners. It has become a haven for treasure hunters, some of whom have become rich thereby. That is the treatment given to a fort built by our own kings nearly eight centuries before the Dutch built their ugly fort at Galle, using the impounded labour of the indigenous folk.
In the 12th century, Vijitapura was a suburb of Polonnaruwa where Parakrama Bahu the Great built the Veluvana Vihara (Mahavamsa Ch. 73 v.87). It was the site of the greatest of all forts belonging to King Elara, 14 centuries before Parakrama Bahu. The moats of this rectangular fort are clearly marked on the one-inch to-a-mile maps. But it was recognised as the site of the ancient fort of Vijitapura with the three fold moats on the southern side as described in the Chronicles only in 1980. This was done by two officials, B. H. Hemapriya (then Secretary to the Ministry of Lands and Land Development), and Dennis Fernando when both were flying over it by helicopter. The pair of them, and especially Dennis, has been crying out aloud to the Government and to Dept. of Archaeology to recognize this ancient site and conduct archaeological excavations there, for over quarter of a century now.
I too visited the site and contributed an article on the subject to the Sunday Observer in April 1980. (Perhaps it will be converted back to a Sugar-cane Farm very soon). The legitimate plea of these two amateur archaeologists fell on the deaf years of the JRJ Government that was pushing ahead with the preservation of old Dutch buildings. It has been the same with all the subsequent governments up to now, as well as the so-called archaeologists of the Cultural Triangle Project at Polonnaruwa. The damage done to archaeology by the latter group has been rightly exposed by Dr. Raja de Silva in his recent book "Digging into the Past".
D. H. Gunadasa’s parting shot should be modified to read as follows: "We are the only country in the world to glorify foreign invaders and preserve their leftovers, while consigning the much older ruins of greater value to our heritage, to be desecrated and passed down to total oblivion."
Friday, November 23, 2007
One dream – one world: Olympic free of terror threats
The nation of Dragons is fully geared to host the global event – Beijing Olympics 2008 - with every corner of the city is decorated with Olympic colours, symbols and its motto “One Dream – One World.” But whether its security establishments are prepared to take up the challenge of any ‘disturbing effort’ by global terror groups remains an unanswered question.
No one on earth can answer this hypothetical question, let alone the Chinese. But, Beijing is getting its eyes and ears sharpened through many avenues to make the global event free of any such disturbing incident, a move that needs assistance from all the nations around the world, including the US, an unsung arch rival of China.
The US, the main actor in the global war against terror, is still reluctant to collaborate with the Chinese in the counter-terrorism front. China, too, has its own way of ‘doing things’ which annoy the West. Like for many other instances, sport is the best opportunity to break the ice. Olympics and its preparations could play a significant role in bridging the gaps in security fronts between China and the West, especially with the US, at least in combating global terrorism.
China is not a declared ‘enemy’ of the global terror network Al-Qaeda. Bin Laden, in all his speeches since 9/11 has mentioned China only in two instances along with several other countries, without any specific references to Beijing. China so far is a neutral player for Al Qaeda, but closely watching its future role once it becomes a global leader. Would China join the West in its global war against terror and support ‘bogus’ Muslim states, is the present worry among Al-Qaeda leadership. It would also closely monitor how future China is going to treat the Jews. China, therefore, is not a target of Al-Qaeda, so far.
But the Olympic is. For Islamic extremists, Olympic is an event of the West and its activities and surroundings are very much against the ‘fundamentals of pure Islam.’ Hence, the event itself had been a major attraction of Jihadi movements for some time. The PLO launched an attack on Munich Olympics in 1972. Someone could claim that this attack is no more relevant to the present day context, but its reasons behind and the justifications are still remain valid, even after 35 years.
The attackers always look for better ways of getting maximum publicity for their cause through major cross-border impact. For an example, if one considers the July 07 attacks in London, it signified two events – the UK’s victory of the next Olympic venue against France (July 06) and the G8 Summit (July 8). Thus, Olympics provide a fabulous opportunity to gain maximum publicity through a major impact. Therefore, the intention of the potential terror networks would be extremely high to make use of the opportunity to reach their goals.
Who are the capable groups that could launch an attack on Beijing Olympics?
As Chinese authorities believe, it can be from many fronts. They suspect Tibetan movements, Southern Thai insurgents, Faalung Gong activists, anti China NGOs or some entities (probably countries) who are not happy with Chinese policies.
But the most capable groups which are highly active and motivated in conducting such an attack are the Jihadi movements operating in the East Tajikistan region. Among them, the most dangerous is East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a separatist Muslim group operating in China's western Xinjiang province.
The ETIM, one of the most militant and highly networked groups in the region, demands separation from China and the creation of an independent state called East Turkestan. With operating cells in Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Pakistan, ETIM has carried out more than 200 attacks since 1990, killing 162 people. Its close links with the Uzbek Islamic Movement (UIM), another Jihadi movement in the region, is also a strong worrying factor to Chinese.
China has long viewed the ETIM, a listed terrorist outfit by both US and the UN, and similar groups as a threat to its territorial integrity. The US has detained many ETIM members in Guntanamo Bay and refuses to hand over them to China fearing execution, a traditional punishment by China.
Its link with Al Qaeda is well known to the research and intelligence agencies. Initially a nationalistic movement lead by Hassan Maksum, ETIM has been turned into a major Jihadi movement under the present leadership of Abdul Qadeer Haj. Most of its cadres had been trained in Waziristan by two brothers - Abu Yahiya Lebbe and Abu Lethe Lebbe. Two prominent cadres who were recently arrested by Chinese operatives in Hong Kong divulged details about the movement and its future operations.
It is important to notice that the majority of the Xinjiang Muslim population do not support ETIM - they prefer the rule of Chinese government. China has destroyed more than 10 ETIM camps for the past couple of years and launched successful operations to crush the group while implementing socio-economic development programs in the region. The total number of ETIM cadres does not exceed 500 with a comprehensive portion of it gaining Al-Qaeda training in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The training included suicide bombing, a major concern for Chinese, especially during the Olympics.
According to intelligence reports Al Qaeda’s instructions to ETIM had been to operate in and outside of Xingjian. Hit small number of symbolic, high profile, specific targets with high impact and also to conduct suicide attacks.
Though they had been trained, it is highly arguable whether the ETIM can practically carry out such attacks against Olympics. It may have the intention, capacity to some extend, but whether it has the required opportunities is the million worth question.
Conducting a high intensity attack in Beijing by ETIM is a remote possibility, believe many security experts. They may have to transport explosives from far (probably from Tajik or Uzbek borders) to Beijing and conduct a highly secretive preparation in order to carry out such an operation, which is an extremely a difficult task given the high security network in the capital. But the threat probabilities could never be ruled out.
Chinese security services have already commenced their home work and adopting necessary precautions against such possible incidents, Beijing authorities said. Security has already been tightened and plain cloths sleuths are on high alert everywhere. However, they require more knowledge on modus operandi of terrorist activities and also networking with other intelligence agencies, especially those of the West. It should not confine to ETIM, but should even learn about the behavioural patterns of groups like the LTTE.
The threats shall necessarily be in China or its capital alone. All Chinese interests around the globe could be vulnerable, if the Jihadi movements intend to make some disturbance to the Games. In that case, not only the Chinese interests, but the key participating nations should also be vigilant.
Also, the Chinese should be vigilant on the infiltrations into its system by other groups like the LTTE which would, eventually open doors for many like-minded terror networks. For example, the US counter-terrorism experts who are investigating on Pradeean Thavarasa, the second in command of LTTE international finance and procurement division found that the LTTE has purchased arms and ammunitions from Norinco - the weapon dealing arm of the Chinese government. It was discovered that the dealing has taken place through a subsidiary of Norinco called Jang.
The LTTE has produced bogus end-user certificates for this purchase – its usual practice in procuring weapons from State entities. Such activities would not only undermine the credibility of Chinese State entities, but would also open doors for many other groups by setting unethical trends.
At last, the major threat does not always come from the major groups or networks. The present threats are basically emanating from the home-grown extremists who have learnt the know-how of attacks through internet. Indoctrinated by Islamic fundamental teachings through hundreds of websites, these attackers launch low-scale attacks against Western targets. China should be mindful of all these possibilities, if we are to enjoy a peaceful Olympic on 08.08.2008 – a day of happiness according to Chinese belief.
JVP statement clarified by Prof. Indraratna
"My attention has been drawn to a reference to me in the Daily Mirror today, in an interview given by Mr. Somawansa Amerasinghe on the 2008.Budget. He has quoted me quite out of context from my Presidential Address at the 2007 Annual Sessions of the Sri Lanka Economic Association, at which the Governor of the Central Bank, Mr. Ajith Nivard Cabraal was the Chief Guest. The theme of my address was on Inequity and Poverty: Causes and Consequences and Implications for Development. There was no reference in this whatsoever to either the vision of the Government or the 2008 Budget. My immediate comments on the Budget were telecast on the ITN and the Sirasa, in the course of which I, in fact, raised the question whether, in the context of serious challenges facing the Government such as the rocketing international fuel prices, the imminent need to significantly increase the defence expenditure to eradicate the menacing terrorism and to sustain high growth rate to reduce unemployment and poverty , two major problems of the country, the Government could have presented a better budget."
I shall be grateful if you will give the same publicity to the above statement as you have given to Mr.Amarasinghe's interview.
(www.dailymirror.lk)
No one on earth can answer this hypothetical question, let alone the Chinese. But, Beijing is getting its eyes and ears sharpened through many avenues to make the global event free of any such disturbing incident, a move that needs assistance from all the nations around the world, including the US, an unsung arch rival of China.
The US, the main actor in the global war against terror, is still reluctant to collaborate with the Chinese in the counter-terrorism front. China, too, has its own way of ‘doing things’ which annoy the West. Like for many other instances, sport is the best opportunity to break the ice. Olympics and its preparations could play a significant role in bridging the gaps in security fronts between China and the West, especially with the US, at least in combating global terrorism.
China is not a declared ‘enemy’ of the global terror network Al-Qaeda. Bin Laden, in all his speeches since 9/11 has mentioned China only in two instances along with several other countries, without any specific references to Beijing. China so far is a neutral player for Al Qaeda, but closely watching its future role once it becomes a global leader. Would China join the West in its global war against terror and support ‘bogus’ Muslim states, is the present worry among Al-Qaeda leadership. It would also closely monitor how future China is going to treat the Jews. China, therefore, is not a target of Al-Qaeda, so far.
But the Olympic is. For Islamic extremists, Olympic is an event of the West and its activities and surroundings are very much against the ‘fundamentals of pure Islam.’ Hence, the event itself had been a major attraction of Jihadi movements for some time. The PLO launched an attack on Munich Olympics in 1972. Someone could claim that this attack is no more relevant to the present day context, but its reasons behind and the justifications are still remain valid, even after 35 years.
The attackers always look for better ways of getting maximum publicity for their cause through major cross-border impact. For an example, if one considers the July 07 attacks in London, it signified two events – the UK’s victory of the next Olympic venue against France (July 06) and the G8 Summit (July 8). Thus, Olympics provide a fabulous opportunity to gain maximum publicity through a major impact. Therefore, the intention of the potential terror networks would be extremely high to make use of the opportunity to reach their goals.
Who are the capable groups that could launch an attack on Beijing Olympics?
As Chinese authorities believe, it can be from many fronts. They suspect Tibetan movements, Southern Thai insurgents, Faalung Gong activists, anti China NGOs or some entities (probably countries) who are not happy with Chinese policies.
But the most capable groups which are highly active and motivated in conducting such an attack are the Jihadi movements operating in the East Tajikistan region. Among them, the most dangerous is East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a separatist Muslim group operating in China's western Xinjiang province.
The ETIM, one of the most militant and highly networked groups in the region, demands separation from China and the creation of an independent state called East Turkestan. With operating cells in Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Pakistan, ETIM has carried out more than 200 attacks since 1990, killing 162 people. Its close links with the Uzbek Islamic Movement (UIM), another Jihadi movement in the region, is also a strong worrying factor to Chinese.
China has long viewed the ETIM, a listed terrorist outfit by both US and the UN, and similar groups as a threat to its territorial integrity. The US has detained many ETIM members in Guntanamo Bay and refuses to hand over them to China fearing execution, a traditional punishment by China.
Its link with Al Qaeda is well known to the research and intelligence agencies. Initially a nationalistic movement lead by Hassan Maksum, ETIM has been turned into a major Jihadi movement under the present leadership of Abdul Qadeer Haj. Most of its cadres had been trained in Waziristan by two brothers - Abu Yahiya Lebbe and Abu Lethe Lebbe. Two prominent cadres who were recently arrested by Chinese operatives in Hong Kong divulged details about the movement and its future operations.
It is important to notice that the majority of the Xinjiang Muslim population do not support ETIM - they prefer the rule of Chinese government. China has destroyed more than 10 ETIM camps for the past couple of years and launched successful operations to crush the group while implementing socio-economic development programs in the region. The total number of ETIM cadres does not exceed 500 with a comprehensive portion of it gaining Al-Qaeda training in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The training included suicide bombing, a major concern for Chinese, especially during the Olympics.
According to intelligence reports Al Qaeda’s instructions to ETIM had been to operate in and outside of Xingjian. Hit small number of symbolic, high profile, specific targets with high impact and also to conduct suicide attacks.
Though they had been trained, it is highly arguable whether the ETIM can practically carry out such attacks against Olympics. It may have the intention, capacity to some extend, but whether it has the required opportunities is the million worth question.
Conducting a high intensity attack in Beijing by ETIM is a remote possibility, believe many security experts. They may have to transport explosives from far (probably from Tajik or Uzbek borders) to Beijing and conduct a highly secretive preparation in order to carry out such an operation, which is an extremely a difficult task given the high security network in the capital. But the threat probabilities could never be ruled out.
Chinese security services have already commenced their home work and adopting necessary precautions against such possible incidents, Beijing authorities said. Security has already been tightened and plain cloths sleuths are on high alert everywhere. However, they require more knowledge on modus operandi of terrorist activities and also networking with other intelligence agencies, especially those of the West. It should not confine to ETIM, but should even learn about the behavioural patterns of groups like the LTTE.
The threats shall necessarily be in China or its capital alone. All Chinese interests around the globe could be vulnerable, if the Jihadi movements intend to make some disturbance to the Games. In that case, not only the Chinese interests, but the key participating nations should also be vigilant.
Also, the Chinese should be vigilant on the infiltrations into its system by other groups like the LTTE which would, eventually open doors for many like-minded terror networks. For example, the US counter-terrorism experts who are investigating on Pradeean Thavarasa, the second in command of LTTE international finance and procurement division found that the LTTE has purchased arms and ammunitions from Norinco - the weapon dealing arm of the Chinese government. It was discovered that the dealing has taken place through a subsidiary of Norinco called Jang.
The LTTE has produced bogus end-user certificates for this purchase – its usual practice in procuring weapons from State entities. Such activities would not only undermine the credibility of Chinese State entities, but would also open doors for many other groups by setting unethical trends.
At last, the major threat does not always come from the major groups or networks. The present threats are basically emanating from the home-grown extremists who have learnt the know-how of attacks through internet. Indoctrinated by Islamic fundamental teachings through hundreds of websites, these attackers launch low-scale attacks against Western targets. China should be mindful of all these possibilities, if we are to enjoy a peaceful Olympic on 08.08.2008 – a day of happiness according to Chinese belief.
JVP statement clarified by Prof. Indraratna
"My attention has been drawn to a reference to me in the Daily Mirror today, in an interview given by Mr. Somawansa Amerasinghe on the 2008.Budget. He has quoted me quite out of context from my Presidential Address at the 2007 Annual Sessions of the Sri Lanka Economic Association, at which the Governor of the Central Bank, Mr. Ajith Nivard Cabraal was the Chief Guest. The theme of my address was on Inequity and Poverty: Causes and Consequences and Implications for Development. There was no reference in this whatsoever to either the vision of the Government or the 2008 Budget. My immediate comments on the Budget were telecast on the ITN and the Sirasa, in the course of which I, in fact, raised the question whether, in the context of serious challenges facing the Government such as the rocketing international fuel prices, the imminent need to significantly increase the defence expenditure to eradicate the menacing terrorism and to sustain high growth rate to reduce unemployment and poverty , two major problems of the country, the Government could have presented a better budget."
I shall be grateful if you will give the same publicity to the above statement as you have given to Mr.Amarasinghe's interview.
(www.dailymirror.lk)
Historical places in the North Central Province lack tourists
Historical and religious sites of the Sigiriya and the Polonnaruwa areas has come to a standstill due to non arrival of local or foreign tourists and most of the small scale traders who run their businesses in the Cultural Triangle , Polonnaruwa say that they cannot manage their day to day expenses.
At present number of foreign countries have imposed travel warnings to their citizens on Sri Lankan security situation. Due to this there are no tourists at these historical sites.
“However some foreigners who work in local NGOs and other institutions visit these sites, but not many opportunities for us, said vendors.
A number of guest houses and small tourists’ resorts are also affected due to the dearth of tourists.
Britain has advised its citizens not to travel to the Yala wildlife sanctuary after a increase in killings and explosions. A travel advisory issued by Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth office said the British tourists must obtain advice of their tour operator or the local authorities before traveling to areas adjacent to Yala sanctuary.
Meanwhile Independent Safari Drivers Association has requested the government to provide concessions to meet their day to day problems due to the lack of tourists in Uda Walawe sanctuary. They issued a detailed report on their recent business and said most of hotels in Udawalawe also faced similar problem due to the lack of tourists.
The British Travel Advisory said it does not advise against travel to the city of Anuradhapura. Britons were advised that terrorist activity could take place anywhere in the country.
Local tourism industry faces number of difficulties due to these travel advisories. Beginning of this year, a number of countries including France relaxed their travel advisories.
But renewed LTTE activities have encouraged Britain and also Australia to tighten travel restrictions. On October 19, 2007 US Department of State has updated its travel advisory. It says this Travel Warning provides updated security information and alerts American citizens traveling to or living in Sri Lanka about the continuing danger of terrorist actions against military, government, and economic targets in certain areas of the country. This supersedes the Travel Warning for Sri Lanka dated April 5, 2007.
The Department of State specifically warns Americans against travel to northern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka.
While the government has effectively controlled the eastern part of the country since July 2007, security is not yet assured. Some LTTE members and larger numbers of armed paramilitary members are active in the area, leading to instability and incidents of violence. This situation is likely to continue for some time. Americans are particularly warned against travel to LTTE-controlled areas in the north, which may pose severe hazards.
Official travel by U.S. Government personnel to areas north of a line following the highway from Puttalam through Anuradhapura to Polonaruwa, Bibile, and Pottuvil in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka is restricted, and unofficial travel is prohibited.
The Department also alerts American citizens to the dangers posed by recent acts of terrorism throughout Sri Lanka. Although other parts of the country remain largely unaffected, the LTTE has conducted attacks outside of the northern and eastern areas.
Americans should comply with all instructions from security forces and police when traveling in Sri Lanka. American citizens, including those of Sri Lankan origin, living in Sri Lanka or traveling there for even a few days are strongly urged to register with the Embassy. Registration will allow the embassy to provide direct information on the security situation as necessary.
In last month the tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka dropped by 21 % after the LTTE attack in airbase at Anuradhapura.
Tourist arrivals during the month of September slipped 3.6 percent to 37,104 compared to the same period in 2006.
The drop for the first nine months to September was 21 percent to 350,779, Sri Lanka Tourism (SLT) said.
Inland tours account for about 10 percent of the hotel bookings, and tour operators are faced with many problems after a marked decrease in the arrival of tourists.
According to Central Bank data, earnings from tourism from January to September were 273.6 million dollars in 2007, down from 325.5 million dollars in the same period last year.
However most of small scale vendors in the historical sites said during the December season local tourists are expected to visit historical areas.
“We are waiting till they come, said D.M.Sujatha , a handcraft vendor who is located in Polonnaruwa historical site.
“Most of days we do not have sufficient business to pay our workers or maintain day to day activities,” said a guest house owner of the Polonnaruwa city.
“We do not need any concessions from the government, but need a stable peaceful situation in Sri Lanka , “said D.W.Piyathilaka , another hotel owner of the Polonnaruwa city.
At present number of foreign countries have imposed travel warnings to their citizens on Sri Lankan security situation. Due to this there are no tourists at these historical sites.
“However some foreigners who work in local NGOs and other institutions visit these sites, but not many opportunities for us, said vendors.
A number of guest houses and small tourists’ resorts are also affected due to the dearth of tourists.
Britain has advised its citizens not to travel to the Yala wildlife sanctuary after a increase in killings and explosions. A travel advisory issued by Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth office said the British tourists must obtain advice of their tour operator or the local authorities before traveling to areas adjacent to Yala sanctuary.
Meanwhile Independent Safari Drivers Association has requested the government to provide concessions to meet their day to day problems due to the lack of tourists in Uda Walawe sanctuary. They issued a detailed report on their recent business and said most of hotels in Udawalawe also faced similar problem due to the lack of tourists.
The British Travel Advisory said it does not advise against travel to the city of Anuradhapura. Britons were advised that terrorist activity could take place anywhere in the country.
Local tourism industry faces number of difficulties due to these travel advisories. Beginning of this year, a number of countries including France relaxed their travel advisories.
But renewed LTTE activities have encouraged Britain and also Australia to tighten travel restrictions. On October 19, 2007 US Department of State has updated its travel advisory. It says this Travel Warning provides updated security information and alerts American citizens traveling to or living in Sri Lanka about the continuing danger of terrorist actions against military, government, and economic targets in certain areas of the country. This supersedes the Travel Warning for Sri Lanka dated April 5, 2007.
The Department of State specifically warns Americans against travel to northern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka.
While the government has effectively controlled the eastern part of the country since July 2007, security is not yet assured. Some LTTE members and larger numbers of armed paramilitary members are active in the area, leading to instability and incidents of violence. This situation is likely to continue for some time. Americans are particularly warned against travel to LTTE-controlled areas in the north, which may pose severe hazards.
Official travel by U.S. Government personnel to areas north of a line following the highway from Puttalam through Anuradhapura to Polonaruwa, Bibile, and Pottuvil in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka is restricted, and unofficial travel is prohibited.
The Department also alerts American citizens to the dangers posed by recent acts of terrorism throughout Sri Lanka. Although other parts of the country remain largely unaffected, the LTTE has conducted attacks outside of the northern and eastern areas.
Americans should comply with all instructions from security forces and police when traveling in Sri Lanka. American citizens, including those of Sri Lankan origin, living in Sri Lanka or traveling there for even a few days are strongly urged to register with the Embassy. Registration will allow the embassy to provide direct information on the security situation as necessary.
In last month the tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka dropped by 21 % after the LTTE attack in airbase at Anuradhapura.
Tourist arrivals during the month of September slipped 3.6 percent to 37,104 compared to the same period in 2006.
The drop for the first nine months to September was 21 percent to 350,779, Sri Lanka Tourism (SLT) said.
Inland tours account for about 10 percent of the hotel bookings, and tour operators are faced with many problems after a marked decrease in the arrival of tourists.
According to Central Bank data, earnings from tourism from January to September were 273.6 million dollars in 2007, down from 325.5 million dollars in the same period last year.
However most of small scale vendors in the historical sites said during the December season local tourists are expected to visit historical areas.
“We are waiting till they come, said D.M.Sujatha , a handcraft vendor who is located in Polonnaruwa historical site.
“Most of days we do not have sufficient business to pay our workers or maintain day to day activities,” said a guest house owner of the Polonnaruwa city.
“We do not need any concessions from the government, but need a stable peaceful situation in Sri Lanka , “said D.W.Piyathilaka , another hotel owner of the Polonnaruwa city.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
Hundred days of terror under British
August 30 marks (today) exactly 92 years after the end of a 100-day rule by the monstrous Martial Law which the British Colonial Government enforced to quell the communal riots of 1915. It was like using a sledge hammer to kill an insect. The violent incidents were a glaring example of divide-and-rule colonial policy - the tragic consequences of which Sri Lankans are suffering to this day.
British policy on the Sinhalas at the time was virtually akin to deliberately provoking a dog to bite everybody in the vicinity so that vilifying and mercilessly beating or killing the poor the animal is then fully justified. The colonialists had done it twice previously – in 1818 and 1848. The third time it was done under a classic divide-and-rule colonial ethnic strategy.
Three years before the communal riots broke out, the Basnayake Nilame of the historic Walahagoda Devale, Gampola, applied for the usual license to conduct the Gampola Esala Perahera. (The licensing system had been introduced by the Colonial Government, although conducting the perahera was a traditional right of the Sinhala Buddhists). The Government Agent, a European, however informed the Basnayake Nilame that the license will be issued only on condition that the Perahera music is stopped 50 yards on either side of the Gampola Mosque.
The Perahera was a Buddhist and national festival. Sinhala Kings and even Tamil Kings (Nayakkars) who later ruled the Kandyan Provinces upheld the tradition without any conditions. The Muslims who were living in these areas too accepted these traditions with no complaints. In fact they had very cordial relations with the Buddhists. Due to such co-operation and understanding of the country's heritage and traditions there were virtually no incidents of ethnic clashes in Sri Lanka's pre-colonial history.
When the British took over they too ostensibly undertook under the Kandyan Convention of 1815 to protect Buddhist traditions and the special status the kings had accorded to Buddhism in the country. But in less than century it became crystal clear that the colonialists had treated the Kandyan treaty as a mere scrap of paper.
The Gampola GA's condition for issuing the license was a clear proof of it. He had made this unfair and unjust order despite the fact that the Buddhists gave to the Muslims the freedom to determine the time at which the procession would pass the mosque.
Reacting to the GA's decision, the Basnayake Nilame instituted legal action against the then Attorney General Sir Anton Bertram for unlawfully denying him the right to hold the Perahera that had been traditional privilege the Buddhists had enjoyed. Although after a long-drawn out trial at the Kandy District Court the facts turned out to be in the plaintiff's favour, the Supreme Court reversed the judgment on February 2, 1915.
The Sinhala Buddhists were in utter despair. They considered the SC's decision as an infringement on their age old rights and privileges.
These developments for which the British were totally responsible hardened the feelings of Buddhists on the one side and the Muslims on the other – two communities who were hitherto living in complete amity.
Trouble first erupted on Vesak night, May 28, 1915 when a minor clash occurred between a Buddhist carol group and some aggressive Muslims at Castle Street , Kandy. Soon wild rumours were spreading throughout the country. Among these were the destruction of the Dalada Maligawa, rape and mutiliation of Sinhala women. Soon Sinhala Christians too joined the fray following rumours of Muslims destroying churches including St. Lucia 's Cathedral in Colombo. It was a grand opportunity for criminal elements to fish in troubled waters.
Looting, plunder and bloodshed became the order of the day. But the ill-paid police force did little to arrest the breakdown in law and order.
World War I was raging at the time. And a sensational story that German spies in the guise of Buddhist monks were in league with the rioters, perhaps further alarmed the government. Consequently all German residents here including bhikkus were arrested and deported. Tension had already been high since the German cruiser `Emden' sneaked into the Bay of Bengal the previous year and attacked cargo vessels plying between Colombo and Calcutta and partly destroyed giant oil storage tanks in Madras (now Chennai).
Panic-stricken, the Colonial Governor Sir Robert Chalmers declared Martial Law, sparking off brutal repressive measures. People, mostly Sinhalas, fell victim to the sadism of half-educated European planters who had volunteered for law enforcement duty. The 100 days of terror they unleashed has become one of the most shameful chapters of colonial rule in Sri Lanka.
The military began to brutally suppress the Sinhalas. Men and women were arrested on all sides. According to Armand de Souza, editor of the English daily, The Ceylon Morning Leader, all who had shown any public interest or participated in any public movement – regardless of whether it was political, social, national or temperance – lived in terror.
Anyone whom the authorities suspected or someone denounced was in danger of his life. Anyone possessing a firearms or a dangerous weapon was similarly liable to be shot. And 'dangerous weapons' included even coconut scrapers!
A total of over 60 persons, mostly innocent, are reported to have been sentenced to death by the vengeful and incompetent Courts Martial. But the full story of legalized murder, rape and robbery by the Punjabi soldiers who were brought into quell the riots has never been told. They were unacquainted with the language and customs of the Sri Lankans. Yet they were employed to search the houses of the Sinhala peasantry and the consequences were often tragic.
Among the notable victims of the Martial Law was Edward Henry Pedris, a patriot and officer of the Colombo Town Guard. The only son of D.D. Pedris - one of Sri Lanka's richest men at the time – he was an outstanding sportsman and a former student of both St. Thomas' and Royal Colleges. The British suspected that he and his brother Albert were colluding with the Germans. The excuse for arresting him came when he on horseback fired in the air to quell a mob that was attacking a shop during the riots.
He was charged with attempted murder, treason and shop-breaking and executed by firing squad. Pedris was just 26 years at the time. After he was shot on July 7 at 6 a.m. the bloodstained chair on which he was sitting at the time of the execution was shown to others held in Welikada jail at the time. It was meant to be `warning' to them. Among those in prison then were F.R. Senanayake and D.S. Senanayake.
The funeral of Pedris was held at the Borella Cemetery under martial law at midnight. His body was not handed over to the family and it was the only burial not to be recorded in any official register since 1910.
``Men were shot in cold blood without any form of trial or enquiry, although even during the riots the sitting of a single Court of Justice was not interfered or interrupted. Except in one instance or two, these men were deliberately put to death in the presence of their mothers, wives, children and friends. In some cases the victims were roused from their beds, taken out and shot, notwithstanding their protests and insistent prayers for inquiry. In other cases persons who were arrested, were shot without being allowed the opportunity of proving their innocence.''
The above are excerpts of a memorandum sent on November 25, 1915 by a public committee to the then British Secretary of State, Bonar Law. The committee was appointed at a public meeting held in Colombo on September 25 – three months after the execution of Pedris. (Revolt in the Temple)
Even after the disturbances ceased, hundreds of men were severely flogged, chiefly in the Kelani Valley and Ratnapura districts. But no competent Court of Justice gave orders to inflict such cruel and degrading punishment.
Men were arrested and threatened, handcuffed and detained in custody solely for the sole purpose of compelling them to give evidence against particular individuals. Women were made hostages until male members accused of participating in the riots surrendered.
Eventually it was left primarily to the `Lion of Kotte,' E.W. Perera, a Sinhala Christian, to come to the rescue of the Buddhists. He braved submarine-infested seas to travel by ship with a petition concealed in his shoe to London where he succeeded in convincing the British Government the atrocities perpetrated under martial law in Sri Lanka .
As a result Governor Chalmers was recalled to England and a Royal Commission of Inquiry was appointed to probe the atrocities.
(http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/7174)
British policy on the Sinhalas at the time was virtually akin to deliberately provoking a dog to bite everybody in the vicinity so that vilifying and mercilessly beating or killing the poor the animal is then fully justified. The colonialists had done it twice previously – in 1818 and 1848. The third time it was done under a classic divide-and-rule colonial ethnic strategy.
Three years before the communal riots broke out, the Basnayake Nilame of the historic Walahagoda Devale, Gampola, applied for the usual license to conduct the Gampola Esala Perahera. (The licensing system had been introduced by the Colonial Government, although conducting the perahera was a traditional right of the Sinhala Buddhists). The Government Agent, a European, however informed the Basnayake Nilame that the license will be issued only on condition that the Perahera music is stopped 50 yards on either side of the Gampola Mosque.
The Perahera was a Buddhist and national festival. Sinhala Kings and even Tamil Kings (Nayakkars) who later ruled the Kandyan Provinces upheld the tradition without any conditions. The Muslims who were living in these areas too accepted these traditions with no complaints. In fact they had very cordial relations with the Buddhists. Due to such co-operation and understanding of the country's heritage and traditions there were virtually no incidents of ethnic clashes in Sri Lanka's pre-colonial history.
When the British took over they too ostensibly undertook under the Kandyan Convention of 1815 to protect Buddhist traditions and the special status the kings had accorded to Buddhism in the country. But in less than century it became crystal clear that the colonialists had treated the Kandyan treaty as a mere scrap of paper.
The Gampola GA's condition for issuing the license was a clear proof of it. He had made this unfair and unjust order despite the fact that the Buddhists gave to the Muslims the freedom to determine the time at which the procession would pass the mosque.
Reacting to the GA's decision, the Basnayake Nilame instituted legal action against the then Attorney General Sir Anton Bertram for unlawfully denying him the right to hold the Perahera that had been traditional privilege the Buddhists had enjoyed. Although after a long-drawn out trial at the Kandy District Court the facts turned out to be in the plaintiff's favour, the Supreme Court reversed the judgment on February 2, 1915.
The Sinhala Buddhists were in utter despair. They considered the SC's decision as an infringement on their age old rights and privileges.
These developments for which the British were totally responsible hardened the feelings of Buddhists on the one side and the Muslims on the other – two communities who were hitherto living in complete amity.
Trouble first erupted on Vesak night, May 28, 1915 when a minor clash occurred between a Buddhist carol group and some aggressive Muslims at Castle Street , Kandy. Soon wild rumours were spreading throughout the country. Among these were the destruction of the Dalada Maligawa, rape and mutiliation of Sinhala women. Soon Sinhala Christians too joined the fray following rumours of Muslims destroying churches including St. Lucia 's Cathedral in Colombo. It was a grand opportunity for criminal elements to fish in troubled waters.
Looting, plunder and bloodshed became the order of the day. But the ill-paid police force did little to arrest the breakdown in law and order.
World War I was raging at the time. And a sensational story that German spies in the guise of Buddhist monks were in league with the rioters, perhaps further alarmed the government. Consequently all German residents here including bhikkus were arrested and deported. Tension had already been high since the German cruiser `Emden' sneaked into the Bay of Bengal the previous year and attacked cargo vessels plying between Colombo and Calcutta and partly destroyed giant oil storage tanks in Madras (now Chennai).
Panic-stricken, the Colonial Governor Sir Robert Chalmers declared Martial Law, sparking off brutal repressive measures. People, mostly Sinhalas, fell victim to the sadism of half-educated European planters who had volunteered for law enforcement duty. The 100 days of terror they unleashed has become one of the most shameful chapters of colonial rule in Sri Lanka.
The military began to brutally suppress the Sinhalas. Men and women were arrested on all sides. According to Armand de Souza, editor of the English daily, The Ceylon Morning Leader, all who had shown any public interest or participated in any public movement – regardless of whether it was political, social, national or temperance – lived in terror.
Anyone whom the authorities suspected or someone denounced was in danger of his life. Anyone possessing a firearms or a dangerous weapon was similarly liable to be shot. And 'dangerous weapons' included even coconut scrapers!
A total of over 60 persons, mostly innocent, are reported to have been sentenced to death by the vengeful and incompetent Courts Martial. But the full story of legalized murder, rape and robbery by the Punjabi soldiers who were brought into quell the riots has never been told. They were unacquainted with the language and customs of the Sri Lankans. Yet they were employed to search the houses of the Sinhala peasantry and the consequences were often tragic.
Among the notable victims of the Martial Law was Edward Henry Pedris, a patriot and officer of the Colombo Town Guard. The only son of D.D. Pedris - one of Sri Lanka's richest men at the time – he was an outstanding sportsman and a former student of both St. Thomas' and Royal Colleges. The British suspected that he and his brother Albert were colluding with the Germans. The excuse for arresting him came when he on horseback fired in the air to quell a mob that was attacking a shop during the riots.
He was charged with attempted murder, treason and shop-breaking and executed by firing squad. Pedris was just 26 years at the time. After he was shot on July 7 at 6 a.m. the bloodstained chair on which he was sitting at the time of the execution was shown to others held in Welikada jail at the time. It was meant to be `warning' to them. Among those in prison then were F.R. Senanayake and D.S. Senanayake.
The funeral of Pedris was held at the Borella Cemetery under martial law at midnight. His body was not handed over to the family and it was the only burial not to be recorded in any official register since 1910.
``Men were shot in cold blood without any form of trial or enquiry, although even during the riots the sitting of a single Court of Justice was not interfered or interrupted. Except in one instance or two, these men were deliberately put to death in the presence of their mothers, wives, children and friends. In some cases the victims were roused from their beds, taken out and shot, notwithstanding their protests and insistent prayers for inquiry. In other cases persons who were arrested, were shot without being allowed the opportunity of proving their innocence.''
The above are excerpts of a memorandum sent on November 25, 1915 by a public committee to the then British Secretary of State, Bonar Law. The committee was appointed at a public meeting held in Colombo on September 25 – three months after the execution of Pedris. (Revolt in the Temple)
Even after the disturbances ceased, hundreds of men were severely flogged, chiefly in the Kelani Valley and Ratnapura districts. But no competent Court of Justice gave orders to inflict such cruel and degrading punishment.
Men were arrested and threatened, handcuffed and detained in custody solely for the sole purpose of compelling them to give evidence against particular individuals. Women were made hostages until male members accused of participating in the riots surrendered.
Eventually it was left primarily to the `Lion of Kotte,' E.W. Perera, a Sinhala Christian, to come to the rescue of the Buddhists. He braved submarine-infested seas to travel by ship with a petition concealed in his shoe to London where he succeeded in convincing the British Government the atrocities perpetrated under martial law in Sri Lanka .
As a result Governor Chalmers was recalled to England and a Royal Commission of Inquiry was appointed to probe the atrocities.
(http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/7174)
Saturday, July 21, 2007
A church in Lisbon and the Black Prince of Lanka
Portrait of Dom João in ecclesiastical costume
The Church of Our Lady of the Gate of the Heaven in Lisbon
Some years ago, I came across an interesting episode in our history that took place about four centuries ago while reading through Paul E. Pieris´s book, ´Ceylon of the Portuguese Era´ (1913), Fr. S. G. Perera´s work ´A History of Ceylon for Schools, the Portuguese and Dutch Periods´ (1949) and ´Historical Gleanings´ (1992) by Rt. Rev. W. L. A. Don Peter.
This story unfolded around the man who was known as a ´Black Prince´, one who belonged to the dynasty of the Kandyan kings but who later resided in Lisbon and erected a Franciscan church at Telheiras in the outskirts of Lisbon at his own expense. On a recent visit to Lisbon, I was determined to go to this church and that became a reality a week ago.
Before going to the church, I visited the library of the Geographical Society in Lisbon – Sociedade da Geografia da Lisboa and found there an interesting paper contributed by Sousa Viterbo to ´Archivo Historico Portugez´ (1905) with some relevant plates.
On a Sunday, at about 12 noon I took the metro to Telheiras without any clue of the exact location of the church concerned. But stepping out of the Metro station, on to the left, I could see the upper part of a church façade. This caught my attention and I walked along the path heading towards it. It took a considerable time to reach there as the surroundings of the church consisted of a beautifully landscaped garden with paved paths and a cluster of lush green trees. The long fountain by the side of the path attracted me, its water spouts making multiple patterns.
Approaching the church I noticed the members of the congregation entering the church for their weekly service and went in too. At the end I talked to the priest and though the conversation was not fruitful, it confirmed that the name of the church was ´Nossa Senhora da Porta do Ceo - Our Lady of the Gate of the Heaven’, and that it had been built some centuries ago by a Sri Lankan Prince who lived in Telheiras. He knew nothing more than that and directed me to contact some others to get more information.
This church was erected by a member of the Sri Lankan royal dynasty, the son of Yamasingha Bandara of Kandy who was baptised ´Dom João´. Here it took my memory back to a passage included in Fr. S. G. Perera´s above mentioned work, where it was stated ´Dom João had a villa and a chapel in which he was buried at Telheiras which are now in ruins´. The church would certainly have been damaged when a disastrous earthquake hit Lisbon in August, 1755. This monument would not have received much attention from the authorities at the time of the visits of Fr. Perera (1949) and Fr. Don Peter (1992). However, it is now a beautifully conserved building.
The inscription fixed on to the façade of the chapel above the main doorway indicates that ´it has been built by the Prince of Candia´ and was reconstructed subsequent to the earthquake mentioned above. The year recorded at the end of the text is MDCCLXVI (1766) which is approximately ten years after the earthquake.
Don Joao is known in Portugal as the ´Black Prince´. He lived in Telheiras and his remains were interred in this Franciscan chapel founded by him. His tombstone carried the inscription ´Quisacram hanc Mariae aedem fundavit hic Candiae Principis ossa Septiantur´ which says ´Here lie buried the remains of the Prince of Candia who erected this holy edifice in honour of Mary.
The story of this ´Black Prince´ takes us back to the time of the fall of Sitavaka and the emergence of the Kingdom of Kandy. This was the time that the Portuguese had a plan to conquer the whole of Sri Lanka. They were spurred on by their victory in the siege of Colombo between 1587 and 1588 and the fall of Sitavaka in 1594. At the turn of the century the Portuguese held control over the lowlands of the island and focused on conquering Kandy, the `Kingdom of Mountains´ with a view to ´extinguish the natural kings of the island´. The execution of this plan was left to the newly created position of ´Captain General of the Conquest of Ceylon´ to which Dom Jeronimo de Azevedo was appointed in 1595. The presence of the Dutch in the Indian waters was a prospective threat to their supremacy and the best remedy was to gain control of the entire island and close the gates to the Dutch. After the demise of Rajasinha of Sitavaka, a part of the plan of the Portuguese was to place Dom Philip Yamasinha on the throne in Kandy. Although he ascended the throne, he could not hold it as this aged man died shortly after paving the way for his twelve-year-old son Dom João to claim the throne. The rebel Konappu Bandara gave no opportunity for him to rule Kandy. He overthrew the prince immediately and proclaimed himself the King of Kandy with the name Wimaladharmasurya. All these happened contrary to the wishes of the Portuguese.
Dom Philip Yamasinha´s death in 1593 made his son Dom João an orphan and even excluded him from the kingdom of Kandy. To save his life, he left with his grandmother to Vahakotte with the help of the Franciscans. In no time he was sent to Mannar by Matheus Mendes de Vasconcellos supported by Friar Francisco de Oriente who provided the prince with fatherly love.
Dom João was subsequently brought to Colombo for further education and lodged at the college of St. Thomas and entrusted to Fr. Jeronimo de Espirito Santo. He had already looked after another prince, a grandson of Sitavaka Rajasinha called Nikapitiye Bandara who was baptised as Dom Philip. Nikapitiye had been captured at Denavaka with his grandmother while fleeing to the mountains.
Since both were of royal blood, their mentor considering the safety of the two princes decided to transfer them to the College of Reis Magos in Bardez in Goa which was a centre of the Franciscan Mission. There they stayed about fifteen years studying divinity and Latin. Fr. Vitto Perniola believes that they had left for Goa between May 1597 and December 1600 and arrived in Lisbon at the end of 1609 or 1610. (Catholic Church in Ceylon, vol. II, p. 149)
The Portuguese authorities in Lisbon were of the opinion that both of these princes should be brought to Portugal as ordained sub-deacons as they had completed their course of studies in Goa. A secure passage was arranged for them to travel to Lisbon in the company of Andre Furtado, who returned home after completing his term of office in Goa as the Governor.
At Lisbon they were received with great honour and provided with lodgings in the Convent of St. Francis. Later they were given an audience with the King of Portugal who in turn ordered them to be sent to the Royal College of Coimbra, one to St. Peter´s and the other to St. Paul´s and offered an annual grant of four thousand cruzados until they finished their studies to be qualified for Bishoprics.
Dom Philip (Nikapitiye Bandara) accepted the grant and proceeded to Coimbra where he died a few years later. Dom João declined the offer of the King and opted to stay in Lisbon. He requested that he be granted an income and status in conformity with his rank. The King acceded to the request and ordered an annual grant of four thousand cruzados from the Royal Treasury to be paid by India House (Casa da India). With this royal grant he decided to live in Telheiras which became his home until his death at the age of 64 in April 1642.
Paul E. Pieris refers to an escutcheon of his with a shield bordered by seven castles and showing the Sinhalese Lion rampant and the Sun from which he claimed descent supported by a tower crowned with the cross of Aviz. The shield supports a crown showing six flowers alternating with pearls. According to Paul E. Pieris, this was hanging on the wall of the Gospel side of the inner chapel. Such a thing however, cannot be seen at present. He also refers to a portrait depicting the bust of Dom João in ecclesiastical costume which has been removed from his Oratorio to the Biblioteca Nacional (National Library) in Lisbon. An enquiry from the Biblioteca Nacional revealed that it had disappeared long ago. This portrait of Dom João has been reproduced in Viterbo´s article referred to above, a copy of which is reproduced here.
The chapel had been the monument he thought fit to show his gratitude to the Franciscans who saved his life, looked after him well and provided him education. The adjoining monastery is also said to have been constructed by him for the Franciscans This remains to date with its ancient façade.
(http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070722/Plus/pls10.html)
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Ven. Medhananda thero tells Thoppigala area was the birthplace of Suranimala and that many national treasures are buried there.
Archeologist Venerable Ellawela Medhananda, rejected the notion expressed by United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe that Thoppigala, just captured from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is simply an insignificant jungle and said it is an area buried with archeological treasures very significant to Sri Lanka’s history including the birthplace of Suranimala, an ancient war hero who helped to liberate Sri Lanka from foreign yoke during the Anuradhapura civilization.
He said according to some of his own research one of the mountainous regions called Nelugala, close to Thoppigala in the area just taken over from the Tamil Tigers, has been identified as the birthplace of the ancient war hero Suranimala , whose heroic military efforts are vividly described in the epic historical chronicle called Maha Vamsa or Great Chronicle. The chronicle records historical chronology of the island nation from the 6th century BC to the 4th century AC.
Suranimala was a General of King Dutugemunu who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC renowned for defeating the usurping King Elara of India who reigned in Anuradhapura. Suranimala was among the most important warriors in the ancient war expedition to Anuradhapura from Ruhuna and the others were Nandimithra, Mahasona,Theraputtabhaya, Gotaimbara, Gotabhaya, Bharana, Vasabha, Velusumana and Pussadeva.
Archeologist Venerable Medhananda said, an ancient stone inscription found in Nelugala reveals that the village in Nelugala called Kottiwela settlement was the birthplace of Suranimala.
He said according to his research he has identified 114 abandoned ancient irrigation tanks in the area and only one has been restored so far. He said the only tank restored was built during erecting a dam across Maduru Oya which is able to supply water to 10,000 acres of farmland.
He said the ancient irrigation works in the area prove it was a granary of ancient Sri Lanka and it is not an insignificant jungle as some politicians attempted to indicate.
He said surrounding Thoppigala there are Motagala, Nelugala, Wesibendagala, Atubendagala and Keviligala and all are connected with Sri Lanka’s ancient civilization.
Venerable Ellawela Medhananda said there are very many ancient religious monuments still to be excavated in the area and people shouldn’t simply say that Thoppigala area is an insignificant jungle.
Venerable Ellawela Medhananda said this in an obvious reference to UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who told a UNP propaganda meeting in Galle that the army has captured an insignificant jungle.
Venerable Medhananda said apart from the significance of the area as a strategic place to provide security to the Eastern Province it is definitely an important area where very many national treasures are still buried of our national heritage.
Some Archaeological remains at Thoppigala forest.Unfortunately some sites have been vandalized by Tamil tigers terrorists as seen below.
He said according to some of his own research one of the mountainous regions called Nelugala, close to Thoppigala in the area just taken over from the Tamil Tigers, has been identified as the birthplace of the ancient war hero Suranimala , whose heroic military efforts are vividly described in the epic historical chronicle called Maha Vamsa or Great Chronicle. The chronicle records historical chronology of the island nation from the 6th century BC to the 4th century AC.
Suranimala was a General of King Dutugemunu who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC renowned for defeating the usurping King Elara of India who reigned in Anuradhapura. Suranimala was among the most important warriors in the ancient war expedition to Anuradhapura from Ruhuna and the others were Nandimithra, Mahasona,Theraputtabhaya, Gotaimbara, Gotabhaya, Bharana, Vasabha, Velusumana and Pussadeva.
Archeologist Venerable Medhananda said, an ancient stone inscription found in Nelugala reveals that the village in Nelugala called Kottiwela settlement was the birthplace of Suranimala.
He said according to his research he has identified 114 abandoned ancient irrigation tanks in the area and only one has been restored so far. He said the only tank restored was built during erecting a dam across Maduru Oya which is able to supply water to 10,000 acres of farmland.
He said the ancient irrigation works in the area prove it was a granary of ancient Sri Lanka and it is not an insignificant jungle as some politicians attempted to indicate.
He said surrounding Thoppigala there are Motagala, Nelugala, Wesibendagala, Atubendagala and Keviligala and all are connected with Sri Lanka’s ancient civilization.
Venerable Ellawela Medhananda said there are very many ancient religious monuments still to be excavated in the area and people shouldn’t simply say that Thoppigala area is an insignificant jungle.
Venerable Ellawela Medhananda said this in an obvious reference to UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who told a UNP propaganda meeting in Galle that the army has captured an insignificant jungle.
Venerable Medhananda said apart from the significance of the area as a strategic place to provide security to the Eastern Province it is definitely an important area where very many national treasures are still buried of our national heritage.
Some Archaeological remains at Thoppigala forest.Unfortunately some sites have been vandalized by Tamil tigers terrorists as seen below.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Rambuttan - Nature's wonder
If there exists a universally loved fruit in Sri Lanka then it must be rambuttan. As cars swing by the Henry Pediris ground they are inevitably lured to the mountains of red prickly fruit piled on rickety tables. Notes exchange hands and the time has come to enjoy another one of nature's wonders.
As I dipped into a bag and drew out a red ball with strands that made it look like some weird form of plankton I overheard the vendor extol the values of the "Malwana Rambuttan." So how did the rambuttan find a home in Malwana?
"The Portuguese first imported rambuttan from Malaysia. They had discovered the fruit there and had grown so fond of it that they could not live without it. A Portuguese Fort was constructed by the Kelaniya River and this was where the feared "Asawedaya" the most ferocious Portuguese commander lived. Legend has it that his favorite amusement was to toss up little children and skewer them at the end of his spear. Seeing such suffering was what made him happy," said Walgama M.D. Somathilake a retired school master and former journalist who is a known authority of, you guessed it rambuttan.
He also owns one of the larger rambuttan compounds in Malwana that was inherited from his grandfather. Named "Siriweda Nivasa" the descendant of the first trees that sprouted from the seeds that were thrown out by the Portuguese cavalry brought the delicacy to the locals. Even though the Portuguese never planted the fruit one taste of it growing in the wild was enough to drive the residents of Malwana to cultivate it for themselves. Thus began the "localizing" of rambuttan's adopted home.
"Rasawana" (the place where the Rakshaya (demon) lived) was the original place of the Portuguese Fort. This strip of land is now occupied by a line of shops but the rock that the fort was built on can still be seen. "That is the true Malwana, from where rambuttan spread," recalled Mr. Somathilake adding that the rumbuttan from this area is still the most delectable due to the nutrients in the soil that make it perfect for cultivation.
July and August are long awaited for months but they also bring loads of work for rambuttan farmers. Some owners prefer to lease out their rambuttan grounds but some, like Somathilake prefer to keep an eye on the process. The result is sleepless nights and once-a-year profits that need to be carefully funneled into the next year's harvest.
"Rambuttan was only developed methodically after the government in the 1950s handed out bud rambuttan to be farmed. That was when a lot of people got interested in growing the fruit. We were given a fertilizer subsidy but that was halted in 2001. Since then we have not had any outside support. Many of us breed our own plants from older trees. Even though they do not have proper names we know from the taste what the good varieties are. Interested people can get seedlings from their local "govi samithi" but since rambuttan is such a famous fruit in Malwana that is not really necessary. Rambuttan has also expanded to areas like Pasyala but none of them have the same quality as the "Malwana rambuttan."
It takes around 4-5 years for a rambuttan tree to mature to the point of bearing fruit. Then comes the second stage of strain. Protecting the rambuttan from bats and birds is a round the clock job that requires vigilance on par with protecting jewels. A "takaya" made of a sheet of metal attached to a bunch of iron wires and pulled by a coir rope is the most common method. Others include fluorescent bulbs perched atop bamboo sticks and luminous white flags that wave merrily in the wind over the ruby rambuttan trees. The glare of the lights frightens off would-be predators and ensures that the reverberating noise of the "takaya" gets a well-earned break.
The size of the crop is directly linked to the success rate of these imaginative schemes. Once the rambuttan has ripened buyers flock to Malwana. "We don't pluck them till the buyers arrive. Then when they give the number we gather exactly that amount and load them into baskets woven from coconut palms. Normally one "kude" holds around 1500 rambuttans. Then we sell it according to the prevalent price. Right now the average price is around Rs.3 or Rs.3.50 but some of the special varieties can go up to as much as Rs.6 per "gediya.""
Despite conceding that business was "ok" this year Mr. Somathilake nonetheless reminisces over "great" business done when it was possible to send rambuttan to Jaffna. "From 2002 onwards when the Cease Fire Agreement was in place lorry loads of rambuttan were taken to Jaffna. It was incredible. We would load up a string of 5-6 lorries in one day and in a couple of days it would be back to take more. That was the best business that we had seen for years. Now that has stopped and the only place to send rambuttan is Colombo. This has made the prices less," he lamented.
Malwana and rambuttan have a special kinship and this is evident for anyone who travels to the area. Generations of rambuttan lovers have passed on their expertise and the results greet you everywhere you go. Red bulbs of rambuttan peek at you from trees dotting the road side. But one would be hard pressed to find someone who loves his rambuttan more than I. Jayasena proudly maintains that he has the "authentic" Malwana rambuttan.
"I got this land from my mother and in those years it was a rubber plantation. Then I ripped out all the rubber trees and planted rambuttan. I have personally tended to these trees for over 15 years. I used to carry huge buckets on my shoulder to water them. This rambuttan "watte" is enough to keep the next generation comfortable. I'm very proud of it," he said gazing fondly at over 140 rambuttan laden trees stretching down a steep slope that ended in a carpet of paddy fields. In spite of being idyllically set it must have been back breaking work to nurture them.
"My father treats these trees like his children. Even if we so much as break a branch he yells at us," smiled Jeewantha Jayasena, one of three sons who are hard at work protecting the rambuttan. Half a dozen of his friends have also joined the security brigade and Mr. Jayasena pays them all at the end of the season according to the money he earns. Last year the pay check was a generous Rs.20 000 per person, which is very well earned considering that in addition to losing sleep and harvesting the fruit they also run the risk of toppling off the spindly branches when plucking rambuttan.
"He also holds an alms giving every year for all the villagers to give thanks to the gods for a bountiful harvest," continued Jeewantha as we descended deep into the watte striding on steps roughly hewn into the hill. Thus rambuttan has also become an intrinsic part of the traditions and culture of Malwana. How many fruits can claim such an honour?
As I stripped a peel off another rambuttan, a yellow one this time,i turned to M. Karunathilake for the final episode of this tale. He is one of over twenty groups of vendors who travel to Malwana each morning to gather the fruit and bring it to be sold in Colombo. By the time it reaches the pavement each rambuttan "gediya" is Rs.5 or less but prices are kept below this ceiling as consumers are reluctant to buy for higher prices.
"Business is poor this season because there is too much competition. Even the sellers who were earlier stationed on the road around the Colombo University and Thummulla have been forced to move out for security reasons. That means the business is spread too thin and none of us make good profits. Each morning we go to Malwana in my three-wheeler and collect rambuttan to sell here. The dealers do not come to us," he complained.
Many of the vendors also sleep on the uncomfortable strip of pavement wrapped around the Henry Pedris ground and keep this muscle cramping vigil for the entire rambuttan season. They are the essential thread that links the luscious rambuttan to us and makes sure that our yearly craving is satisfied. As with any story, the rambuttan legend too possesses strains of sorrow, history, hardship and triumph but more than any of this it has transformed into a truly Sri Lankan fruit that has its taste embedded in the hearts and taste buds of us all.
As I dipped into a bag and drew out a red ball with strands that made it look like some weird form of plankton I overheard the vendor extol the values of the "Malwana Rambuttan." So how did the rambuttan find a home in Malwana?
"The Portuguese first imported rambuttan from Malaysia. They had discovered the fruit there and had grown so fond of it that they could not live without it. A Portuguese Fort was constructed by the Kelaniya River and this was where the feared "Asawedaya" the most ferocious Portuguese commander lived. Legend has it that his favorite amusement was to toss up little children and skewer them at the end of his spear. Seeing such suffering was what made him happy," said Walgama M.D. Somathilake a retired school master and former journalist who is a known authority of, you guessed it rambuttan.
He also owns one of the larger rambuttan compounds in Malwana that was inherited from his grandfather. Named "Siriweda Nivasa" the descendant of the first trees that sprouted from the seeds that were thrown out by the Portuguese cavalry brought the delicacy to the locals. Even though the Portuguese never planted the fruit one taste of it growing in the wild was enough to drive the residents of Malwana to cultivate it for themselves. Thus began the "localizing" of rambuttan's adopted home.
"Rasawana" (the place where the Rakshaya (demon) lived) was the original place of the Portuguese Fort. This strip of land is now occupied by a line of shops but the rock that the fort was built on can still be seen. "That is the true Malwana, from where rambuttan spread," recalled Mr. Somathilake adding that the rumbuttan from this area is still the most delectable due to the nutrients in the soil that make it perfect for cultivation.
July and August are long awaited for months but they also bring loads of work for rambuttan farmers. Some owners prefer to lease out their rambuttan grounds but some, like Somathilake prefer to keep an eye on the process. The result is sleepless nights and once-a-year profits that need to be carefully funneled into the next year's harvest.
"Rambuttan was only developed methodically after the government in the 1950s handed out bud rambuttan to be farmed. That was when a lot of people got interested in growing the fruit. We were given a fertilizer subsidy but that was halted in 2001. Since then we have not had any outside support. Many of us breed our own plants from older trees. Even though they do not have proper names we know from the taste what the good varieties are. Interested people can get seedlings from their local "govi samithi" but since rambuttan is such a famous fruit in Malwana that is not really necessary. Rambuttan has also expanded to areas like Pasyala but none of them have the same quality as the "Malwana rambuttan."
It takes around 4-5 years for a rambuttan tree to mature to the point of bearing fruit. Then comes the second stage of strain. Protecting the rambuttan from bats and birds is a round the clock job that requires vigilance on par with protecting jewels. A "takaya" made of a sheet of metal attached to a bunch of iron wires and pulled by a coir rope is the most common method. Others include fluorescent bulbs perched atop bamboo sticks and luminous white flags that wave merrily in the wind over the ruby rambuttan trees. The glare of the lights frightens off would-be predators and ensures that the reverberating noise of the "takaya" gets a well-earned break.
The size of the crop is directly linked to the success rate of these imaginative schemes. Once the rambuttan has ripened buyers flock to Malwana. "We don't pluck them till the buyers arrive. Then when they give the number we gather exactly that amount and load them into baskets woven from coconut palms. Normally one "kude" holds around 1500 rambuttans. Then we sell it according to the prevalent price. Right now the average price is around Rs.3 or Rs.3.50 but some of the special varieties can go up to as much as Rs.6 per "gediya.""
Despite conceding that business was "ok" this year Mr. Somathilake nonetheless reminisces over "great" business done when it was possible to send rambuttan to Jaffna. "From 2002 onwards when the Cease Fire Agreement was in place lorry loads of rambuttan were taken to Jaffna. It was incredible. We would load up a string of 5-6 lorries in one day and in a couple of days it would be back to take more. That was the best business that we had seen for years. Now that has stopped and the only place to send rambuttan is Colombo. This has made the prices less," he lamented.
Malwana and rambuttan have a special kinship and this is evident for anyone who travels to the area. Generations of rambuttan lovers have passed on their expertise and the results greet you everywhere you go. Red bulbs of rambuttan peek at you from trees dotting the road side. But one would be hard pressed to find someone who loves his rambuttan more than I. Jayasena proudly maintains that he has the "authentic" Malwana rambuttan.
"I got this land from my mother and in those years it was a rubber plantation. Then I ripped out all the rubber trees and planted rambuttan. I have personally tended to these trees for over 15 years. I used to carry huge buckets on my shoulder to water them. This rambuttan "watte" is enough to keep the next generation comfortable. I'm very proud of it," he said gazing fondly at over 140 rambuttan laden trees stretching down a steep slope that ended in a carpet of paddy fields. In spite of being idyllically set it must have been back breaking work to nurture them.
"My father treats these trees like his children. Even if we so much as break a branch he yells at us," smiled Jeewantha Jayasena, one of three sons who are hard at work protecting the rambuttan. Half a dozen of his friends have also joined the security brigade and Mr. Jayasena pays them all at the end of the season according to the money he earns. Last year the pay check was a generous Rs.20 000 per person, which is very well earned considering that in addition to losing sleep and harvesting the fruit they also run the risk of toppling off the spindly branches when plucking rambuttan.
"He also holds an alms giving every year for all the villagers to give thanks to the gods for a bountiful harvest," continued Jeewantha as we descended deep into the watte striding on steps roughly hewn into the hill. Thus rambuttan has also become an intrinsic part of the traditions and culture of Malwana. How many fruits can claim such an honour?
As I stripped a peel off another rambuttan, a yellow one this time,i turned to M. Karunathilake for the final episode of this tale. He is one of over twenty groups of vendors who travel to Malwana each morning to gather the fruit and bring it to be sold in Colombo. By the time it reaches the pavement each rambuttan "gediya" is Rs.5 or less but prices are kept below this ceiling as consumers are reluctant to buy for higher prices.
"Business is poor this season because there is too much competition. Even the sellers who were earlier stationed on the road around the Colombo University and Thummulla have been forced to move out for security reasons. That means the business is spread too thin and none of us make good profits. Each morning we go to Malwana in my three-wheeler and collect rambuttan to sell here. The dealers do not come to us," he complained.
Many of the vendors also sleep on the uncomfortable strip of pavement wrapped around the Henry Pedris ground and keep this muscle cramping vigil for the entire rambuttan season. They are the essential thread that links the luscious rambuttan to us and makes sure that our yearly craving is satisfied. As with any story, the rambuttan legend too possesses strains of sorrow, history, hardship and triumph but more than any of this it has transformed into a truly Sri Lankan fruit that has its taste embedded in the hearts and taste buds of us all.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Historic caves discovered at excavations for housing
The archaeological remains of a historic rock cave that emerged during excavations for a housing complex at Gurugoda in Horana on Horana Ratnapura road are likely to be destroyed if the Department of Archaeology fails to take prompt action to conserve the site.
The building contractors are continuing excavations without any concern for the archaeological importance of the site . A senior official of Horana Urban Council who inspected the area was of opinion that the cave and the tunnel is of historical importance and that the Archaeological Department must take steps to prevent further excavations by the building contractors and to initiate research. He said the building site is within the Horana Pradeshiya Sabha limits and that the UC is not in a position to take any step.
The officials of the housing complex whorefused to provide any information on the site said that it is not of any historical importance.
The workers of the building site said the cave which is about 15 feet long emerged when the nearby rock was cleared to construct a park for the housing complex and that it could be longer and covered with earth. .
The Chairman of Horana Pradeshiya Sabha said that he ordered the officials of the housing complex not to cause any damage to the tunnel. It is in a protected area. A teacher of a leading school in Horana said there was evidence that Horana, Ratnapura and Balangoda areas were the seat of a pre historic civilisation and that the researchers should pay attention on the rock cave found in the proposed building site. Meanwhile the residents of the area said the officials and the relevant authorities have left the historic site to the mercy of the building contractors who are motivated only by clearing the site for the housing complex. They requested the Archaeological Department take to immediate steps to take over the site and initiate researches.
(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/06/20/Rural/01.asp)
The building contractors are continuing excavations without any concern for the archaeological importance of the site . A senior official of Horana Urban Council who inspected the area was of opinion that the cave and the tunnel is of historical importance and that the Archaeological Department must take steps to prevent further excavations by the building contractors and to initiate research. He said the building site is within the Horana Pradeshiya Sabha limits and that the UC is not in a position to take any step.
The officials of the housing complex whorefused to provide any information on the site said that it is not of any historical importance.
The workers of the building site said the cave which is about 15 feet long emerged when the nearby rock was cleared to construct a park for the housing complex and that it could be longer and covered with earth. .
The Chairman of Horana Pradeshiya Sabha said that he ordered the officials of the housing complex not to cause any damage to the tunnel. It is in a protected area. A teacher of a leading school in Horana said there was evidence that Horana, Ratnapura and Balangoda areas were the seat of a pre historic civilisation and that the researchers should pay attention on the rock cave found in the proposed building site. Meanwhile the residents of the area said the officials and the relevant authorities have left the historic site to the mercy of the building contractors who are motivated only by clearing the site for the housing complex. They requested the Archaeological Department take to immediate steps to take over the site and initiate researches.
(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/06/20/Rural/01.asp)
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Painters in the sky
Braving the elements and other dangers a group of people keep the dagoba’s shimmering white
The beautiful white dagobas of Anuradhapura are wonders of the world, admired by all who see them. However, maintaining the glory of these gigantic structures is no easy task. They need constant care and little known to the public, there is a group of people who risk their lives to keep them shimmering white.
Painting a dagoba like Ruwanveliseya is probably one of the most difficult jobs in the world. The painters have to brave the elements- the scorching sun, strong winds that whirl around, the rain and thunder when it comes. One wrong step could end up in tragedy. Courage and determination are their strength, climbing a creaky ladder without any other support amidst the gusty wind.
“Once, our painters were attacked by a colony of wasps that were nesting on Hatharas Kotuwa. Wasps stung the painters, but they managed to climb down safely. If they panicked, it could have ended up in disaster. Another time, a ladder caught in the wind, twisted and a painter fell. But luckily nothing serious happened. We are here for a noble cause and may be the divine powers are protecting us,” Kumarage Sampath who is currently at Ruwanveliseya told The Sunday Times.
Sampath is the leader of a group of forty plus workers who toil day in and day out to paint the Ruwanveliseya. His father, Kumarage Akman was involved in painting the Ruwanveliseya for nearly two decades and this is the nineteenth consecutive year that his team is painting this mammoth dagoba. Before starting out, the group participates in a ritualistic puja to Sri Maha Bodhiya. It has become a custom to invoke the blessings and protection of the divine powers to complete their difficult task safely.
At 338 feet, the pinnacle of the stupa is over 30 stories high. They start by building scaffolding up to the “Devatha Kotuwa”, the square block that sits on top of the dagoba. There are bricks in the dagoba that have been purposely set for this task. Bamboos are used for the scaffolding, considering their light weight and strength.
Once the main scaffolding is in place, another mobile ladder assembled on the ground is sent up into position.
To stabilize the ladder against the winds, it is pinned by several other cross ropes tied tight to the ground. These are more than 20 metres long and curve to the shape of the dagoba. Painters then climb the ladder to various levels.
The painting is done by hand, by stretching up and as far they can. Then the painter descends a few steps and starts painting the area below. After that stretch is completed, the ladder is moved a little further around the structure. This process is continued until the whole dagoba is painted.
“Painting the “Koth kerella and Devatha kotuwa is difficult. We assemble another ladder and send it to the top. Those who paint the last part just climb that ladder while two people hold its base. The person on the top should balance himself against the strong wind on top. It is dangerous. You need to be brave enough to do that,” said Sampath.
Ruwanveliseya gets a lime white-wash annually. Salt, washing blue and various kinds of sago are mixed together to make the paint. The sago is to strengthen the mixture and make it stick to the wall. This was supposedly done even during ancient times. Two coats of paint and nine tons of lime are needed to complete the operation.
“Painting the dagoba is indeed a difficult task,” the Ruwanveli Mahaseya's Chief Incumbent Ven. Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Sthavira commented. “Ruwanveliseya is the largest dagoba in Sri Lanka which gets a white-wash. Though Abhayagiriya and Jethawanaramaya are bigger, they are open brick structures which don’t need to be whitewashed. Since its ancient glory was restored in 1940, Ruwanveliseya was painted once in two years. But with time, the surface of the dagoba has been softening. It doesn’t retain the paint properly. So since 2000, it is being painted annually.
Some years back, there was also an attempt to use emulsion paint instead of the lime mixture. Several parts of the dagoba were painted on an experimental basis. “The bricks absorb water and when it is heated by the blazing sun it evaporates. The emulsion paint seals off the surface and traps the heat and vapour inside which might even cause splits or damages,” Ven. Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Sthavira said. So that was abandoned upon expert advice.
The painters build a temporary ‘wadiya’ for their use and sometimes sleep on the stone floor that has been smoothened by the feet of billions of devotees over centuries. It usually takes about two months to paint a dagoba like Ruwanveliseya and they face many hardships, being away from their families but it is their commitment and effort that brings Ruwanveliseya to its shimmering glory.
(http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070617/Plus/pls10.html)
The beautiful white dagobas of Anuradhapura are wonders of the world, admired by all who see them. However, maintaining the glory of these gigantic structures is no easy task. They need constant care and little known to the public, there is a group of people who risk their lives to keep them shimmering white.
Painting a dagoba like Ruwanveliseya is probably one of the most difficult jobs in the world. The painters have to brave the elements- the scorching sun, strong winds that whirl around, the rain and thunder when it comes. One wrong step could end up in tragedy. Courage and determination are their strength, climbing a creaky ladder without any other support amidst the gusty wind. “Once, our painters were attacked by a colony of wasps that were nesting on Hatharas Kotuwa. Wasps stung the painters, but they managed to climb down safely. If they panicked, it could have ended up in disaster. Another time, a ladder caught in the wind, twisted and a painter fell. But luckily nothing serious happened. We are here for a noble cause and may be the divine powers are protecting us,” Kumarage Sampath who is currently at Ruwanveliseya told The Sunday Times.
Sampath is the leader of a group of forty plus workers who toil day in and day out to paint the Ruwanveliseya. His father, Kumarage Akman was involved in painting the Ruwanveliseya for nearly two decades and this is the nineteenth consecutive year that his team is painting this mammoth dagoba. Before starting out, the group participates in a ritualistic puja to Sri Maha Bodhiya. It has become a custom to invoke the blessings and protection of the divine powers to complete their difficult task safely.
At 338 feet, the pinnacle of the stupa is over 30 stories high. They start by building scaffolding up to the “Devatha Kotuwa”, the square block that sits on top of the dagoba. There are bricks in the dagoba that have been purposely set for this task. Bamboos are used for the scaffolding, considering their light weight and strength.Once the main scaffolding is in place, another mobile ladder assembled on the ground is sent up into position.
To stabilize the ladder against the winds, it is pinned by several other cross ropes tied tight to the ground. These are more than 20 metres long and curve to the shape of the dagoba. Painters then climb the ladder to various levels.
The painting is done by hand, by stretching up and as far they can. Then the painter descends a few steps and starts painting the area below. After that stretch is completed, the ladder is moved a little further around the structure. This process is continued until the whole dagoba is painted.
“Painting the “Koth kerella and Devatha kotuwa is difficult. We assemble another ladder and send it to the top. Those who paint the last part just climb that ladder while two people hold its base. The person on the top should balance himself against the strong wind on top. It is dangerous. You need to be brave enough to do that,” said Sampath.
Ruwanveliseya gets a lime white-wash annually. Salt, washing blue and various kinds of sago are mixed together to make the paint. The sago is to strengthen the mixture and make it stick to the wall. This was supposedly done even during ancient times. Two coats of paint and nine tons of lime are needed to complete the operation.
“Painting the dagoba is indeed a difficult task,” the Ruwanveli Mahaseya's Chief Incumbent Ven. Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Sthavira commented. “Ruwanveliseya is the largest dagoba in Sri Lanka which gets a white-wash. Though Abhayagiriya and Jethawanaramaya are bigger, they are open brick structures which don’t need to be whitewashed. Since its ancient glory was restored in 1940, Ruwanveliseya was painted once in two years. But with time, the surface of the dagoba has been softening. It doesn’t retain the paint properly. So since 2000, it is being painted annually.
Some years back, there was also an attempt to use emulsion paint instead of the lime mixture. Several parts of the dagoba were painted on an experimental basis. “The bricks absorb water and when it is heated by the blazing sun it evaporates. The emulsion paint seals off the surface and traps the heat and vapour inside which might even cause splits or damages,” Ven. Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Sthavira said. So that was abandoned upon expert advice.
The painters build a temporary ‘wadiya’ for their use and sometimes sleep on the stone floor that has been smoothened by the feet of billions of devotees over centuries. It usually takes about two months to paint a dagoba like Ruwanveliseya and they face many hardships, being away from their families but it is their commitment and effort that brings Ruwanveliseya to its shimmering glory.
(http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070617/Plus/pls10.html)
Saturday, June 16, 2007
A PROBLEM OF HISTORY
It was announced recently, over the Rupavahini that an association from Anamaduwa has published a booklet on teaching of history in schools. They have had a seminar or workshop or whatever, under the chairmanship of Dr. Sasanka Perera of the University of Kolomba, in the absence of Mr. Reggie Siriwardhana, where a discussion had taken place on some of the material included in the booklet. As I understand there is a recommendation to drop the Dutugemunu - Elara story from the school texts. It appears that this story in the form it is taught today is an obstacle to bring 'peace' to this country. So they want a new story to be taught in the schools and already some people have created a story that is in agreement with their project, namely to erase the Sinhala Buddhist history of the country in order to appease the Tamil racists.
The Tamil racists would very much like to erase the Dutugemunu Elara story from the history books, as it is the corner stone of the formation of the Sinhala Buddhist unitary state of this country. The Tamil racists of the so-called moderate variety want to create a separate state going through a federal state while the LTTE kills people to establish it without an intermediate phase.
All histories are stories told by people. Some of these storytellers are called historians. The stories whether told by the historians or the others are relative and there is nothing to hide about it. The history as revealed in the Mahavansaya is relative to the Mahaviharaya just as much the present day histories created by some of the so-called historians and the others in the universities and the NGO's are relative to the project of Tamil racists. However any history has to be consistent with the evidence present in various forms such as archaeological ('historical' or 'pre-historical') artefacts. In this regard the Mahawansaya stands like a giant whereas the new history created by the Tamil racists has no credibility what so ever.
The history of the Dutugemunu - Elara new history starts with an article (sometimes these articles are referred to as research papers) presented by Dr. W. I. Siriweera, presently the vice chancellor at the Rajarata University, at a seminar organised by the social scientists association way back in December 1979. In that article, probably he wanted to establish that Dutugemunu and Elara were participants in a feudal power game. This is how he has stated this 'impression' in the above-mentioned article. (I quote from a book entitled "ethnicity and social change in Sri Lanka" published by the social scientists association, in which the articles presented at the above seminar appear). "However, reading between the lines in the Mahawansa account, one gets the impression that both Elara and Dutthagamani were participants in a feudal power game and not in a racial war fought between the Sinhalese and the Tamils" (page 57).
This impression of Dr. Siriweera, which he has acquired by reading the Mahawansaya 'between the lines', has now become the gospel truth of the Tamil racists. As far as I know no new 'material' has been found since 1979 on this all-important impression of Dr. Siriweera, but based on that, various people are agitating to recreate the Dutugemunu - Elara story claiming perhaps that their new story constitutes the objective history. It is not worthwhile to analyse these impressions that people have got reading between the lines, which passes for the new history written by the Tamil racists. However following the editor of the Mahavansaya, for the 'serene joy and emotion of the pious' (hudeejana pahan sanvegaya), let us go through some of the reading between the lines of Dr. Siriweera.
At the outset one must give credit to Dr. Siriweera for being consistent in his basic premise. On the Deepavansaya he says the following. "The objective of the Dipavamsaya was to relate the history of the visits of the Buddha and the introduction of Buddhism into the island which 'existed as Sihala after the lion.' Thus the author of the Dipavamsaya gave articulation to the Sinhala-Buddhist consciousness which was strengthened by subsequent chronicles." Dr. Siriweera observes that the Mahavansaya "was more a national epic of the Sinhala Buddhists of the orthodox Theravada sector than a dynamic history of the island."
While he does not admit that the Deepavansaya and the Mahavansaya reveal the history as such, the 'unbiased history', he has no hesitation in accepting the fact there was a Sinhala Buddhist consciousness even in the fourth century A.C. This implies that contrary to what many others who are either supporters or sympathisers of the Tamil racists have to say, the Sinhala Buddhist consciousness is not something that the British created in the nineteenth century. Those who are of the view that the Sinhala Buddhist consciousness was created by the British have to explain why the editors of the Deepavansaya and the Mahavansaya wrote those books as 'national epics of the Sinhala Buddhists', the way these classics are described by many of them. Dr. Siriweera unlike the others in his camp appears to be more consistent in this regard.
Now let us look at some of Dr. Siriweera's reading between the lines. He seems to believe that the Tamils and the Sinhala people had lived together in this country during the last 2500 years or so. The Deepavansaya as well as the Mahavansaya refer to Sena and Guttika as invaders. It may not be possible to decide that they were Tamils for two reasons. The Sinhala Vansakatha (chronicles) has a tradition of referring to any foreigner as a Tamil, so much so that, as pointed out by Dr. Vimala Wijesuriya, the Rajavaliya calls even the Portuguese as Tamils. Secondly by the time of Sena and Guttika even in South India there was no tribe or race that could be identified as Tamils. However the important fact is that they were invaders.
Dr. Siriweera tries to create the impression that the Tamils had been living in this country during the time of the king Kavanthissa forgetting conveniently that according to Dr. Indrapalan, the first Professor of History at the University of Yapanaya, there were no Tamil permanent settlements in Sri Lanka prior to the tenth century. There could have been few Tamils in Anuradhapura as is the case with many capitals in which foreigners are found. But that does not mean that there were Tamils in the country living side by side with the Sinhala people. The irony is that neither Dr. Siriweera nor anybody else can come out with any evidence, other than the references in the vansakathas themselves to Elara and his army, to establish the presence of Tamils (Cholas) during this period.
In the absence of such evidence one has to conclude with the Mahavansaya that Elara was an invader. The fact that there were Sinhala soldiers like Mithra, the uncle of Nandimithra, again ironically based on information given in the Mahavansaya, does not prove that Dutugemunu and Elara were only two feudal chieftains fighting for the throne. There wee Sinhala people in the British army. Even Keppitipola Disawe before he joined the Wellassa liberators was a member of the British army. However that did not make the British who violated the 1815 convention, non-invaders. Today there are so many professors and others who claim to be Sinhala people working for the Tamil racists but that does not mean that the Tamil leaders are non racists. The fact that Mithra was in the army of Elara only establishes that there have been political ancestors of the NGO members even then who were prepared to sell the country for a few privileges. In today's context not only foreign trips but even recognition as intellectuals can be considered as privileges.
Dr. Siriweera says by the time Mahavansaya was written 'the element of conflict in the relations between the Sinhalese and the Tamils had crystalized.' However he continues to refer to the political threats posed by the Tamil feudal chiefs. His "impression" is that these so called Tamil feudal chiefs were permanent settlers in this country. The trouble with his 'impression' is that in order to have feudal chiefs it is necessary to have feudal Tamils living on a permanent basis in the country. When Dr. Indrapalan says that there were no Tamil settlements during this period the question has to be asked to whom did these Tamil feudal chiefs give the leadership. Dr. Siriweera prefers to make the impression that Elaras and Pandus were feudal chiefs and not invaders. This is not very much different from the BBC reference to the LTTE terrorists as liberators or freedom fighters.
Mahavansaya contrary to Dr. Siriweera's impression does not say that 'Elara and Dutugemunu were participants in a racial war fought between the Sinhalese and the Tamils.' This assumes that the Tamils and the Sinhala people were living in Sri Lanka and that there was a racial war. No, it is very clearly stated in the Mahavansaya that Elara came from Chola and that he was an invader Even if he did not come from Chola he would have come from some part in South Asia as an invader. Dutugemunu fought to defeat the invader and protect Buddhism. There was no symmetrical relationship between Elara and Dutugemunu. One was the invader whereas the other was the liberator.
Dr. Siriweera mentions Bhalluka also in his article. He says: "The name Bhalluka , which is given to the general who is said to have arrived from South India after Elara's death to fight Dutthagamani, bespeaks a non-Tamil origin. The Dravidian or Tamil equivalent of Bhalluka would have been Phalluka". Dr. Siriweera who is very good at creating impressions, by using phrases like the 'the general who is said to have arrived from South India' wants us to believe that Bhalluka was a resident in Sri Lanka. His only argument in this connection is that the Dravidian or the Tamil equivalent of Bhalluka would have been Palluka and that there cannot be any Tamil Bhallukas. According to this line of reasoning there cannot be Balendrans among the Tamils but only Palendrans. No Balasunderams but only Palasunderams.
Then he mentions that Gamani and Dighabaya, two Sinhala generals of Elara have been referred to as Tamils along with thirty other generals in the Mahavansaya. It cannot create such suspicion or surprise as even today those Sinhala professors and others who write on behalf of Tamil racism are referred to as Tamil racists along with those Tamils who are Tamil racists. Dr. Siriweera appears to be puzzled with the Velu part in the name of Velusumana. Since then many people have wondered whether Velusumana was a Tamil. Perhaps these people have never heard of the Veluvanaramaya in the Dambadiva. I am told that Velu in Pali means bamboo (una) and if I may also try to create an impression following Dr. Siriweera, Velusumana could mean Sumana who had something to do with bamboo. Even in names such as Kavanthissa, Dutugemunu the parts Kavan and Dutu describe those particular persons by the names Thissa and Gemunu. In today's context we have people referred to as Kaluathula, Polsumane etc.
The rest of Dr. Siriweera's article deals with Mahavansaya in general and has no direct reference to the Dutugemunu- Elara story. His main interest is to create an impression that the Mahavansaya is not impartial. However what transpires is nothing but the partiality of Dr. Siriweera towards Tamil racism.
The NGO's and organisations with NGO connections campaign to eliminate Dutugemunu-Elara story from school texts, based on so-called research papers in history, which try to 'create impressions by reading between the lines'. Has the historian Carr or anybody else has defined history is nothing but impressions of a few people who call themselves historians? The rewriting of history relative to Tamil racism is a project which itself has a history. The people involved with this project now clamour to include the history that they have created in the school texts. It is the Sinhala Buddhist history of the country that the Tamil racists refuse to accept. After all, the Tamil problem in Sri Lanka is a problem of history.
(http://infolanka.com/org/kalaya/fea026.htm)
The Tamil racists would very much like to erase the Dutugemunu Elara story from the history books, as it is the corner stone of the formation of the Sinhala Buddhist unitary state of this country. The Tamil racists of the so-called moderate variety want to create a separate state going through a federal state while the LTTE kills people to establish it without an intermediate phase.
All histories are stories told by people. Some of these storytellers are called historians. The stories whether told by the historians or the others are relative and there is nothing to hide about it. The history as revealed in the Mahavansaya is relative to the Mahaviharaya just as much the present day histories created by some of the so-called historians and the others in the universities and the NGO's are relative to the project of Tamil racists. However any history has to be consistent with the evidence present in various forms such as archaeological ('historical' or 'pre-historical') artefacts. In this regard the Mahawansaya stands like a giant whereas the new history created by the Tamil racists has no credibility what so ever.
The history of the Dutugemunu - Elara new history starts with an article (sometimes these articles are referred to as research papers) presented by Dr. W. I. Siriweera, presently the vice chancellor at the Rajarata University, at a seminar organised by the social scientists association way back in December 1979. In that article, probably he wanted to establish that Dutugemunu and Elara were participants in a feudal power game. This is how he has stated this 'impression' in the above-mentioned article. (I quote from a book entitled "ethnicity and social change in Sri Lanka" published by the social scientists association, in which the articles presented at the above seminar appear). "However, reading between the lines in the Mahawansa account, one gets the impression that both Elara and Dutthagamani were participants in a feudal power game and not in a racial war fought between the Sinhalese and the Tamils" (page 57).
This impression of Dr. Siriweera, which he has acquired by reading the Mahawansaya 'between the lines', has now become the gospel truth of the Tamil racists. As far as I know no new 'material' has been found since 1979 on this all-important impression of Dr. Siriweera, but based on that, various people are agitating to recreate the Dutugemunu - Elara story claiming perhaps that their new story constitutes the objective history. It is not worthwhile to analyse these impressions that people have got reading between the lines, which passes for the new history written by the Tamil racists. However following the editor of the Mahavansaya, for the 'serene joy and emotion of the pious' (hudeejana pahan sanvegaya), let us go through some of the reading between the lines of Dr. Siriweera.
At the outset one must give credit to Dr. Siriweera for being consistent in his basic premise. On the Deepavansaya he says the following. "The objective of the Dipavamsaya was to relate the history of the visits of the Buddha and the introduction of Buddhism into the island which 'existed as Sihala after the lion.' Thus the author of the Dipavamsaya gave articulation to the Sinhala-Buddhist consciousness which was strengthened by subsequent chronicles." Dr. Siriweera observes that the Mahavansaya "was more a national epic of the Sinhala Buddhists of the orthodox Theravada sector than a dynamic history of the island."
While he does not admit that the Deepavansaya and the Mahavansaya reveal the history as such, the 'unbiased history', he has no hesitation in accepting the fact there was a Sinhala Buddhist consciousness even in the fourth century A.C. This implies that contrary to what many others who are either supporters or sympathisers of the Tamil racists have to say, the Sinhala Buddhist consciousness is not something that the British created in the nineteenth century. Those who are of the view that the Sinhala Buddhist consciousness was created by the British have to explain why the editors of the Deepavansaya and the Mahavansaya wrote those books as 'national epics of the Sinhala Buddhists', the way these classics are described by many of them. Dr. Siriweera unlike the others in his camp appears to be more consistent in this regard.
Now let us look at some of Dr. Siriweera's reading between the lines. He seems to believe that the Tamils and the Sinhala people had lived together in this country during the last 2500 years or so. The Deepavansaya as well as the Mahavansaya refer to Sena and Guttika as invaders. It may not be possible to decide that they were Tamils for two reasons. The Sinhala Vansakatha (chronicles) has a tradition of referring to any foreigner as a Tamil, so much so that, as pointed out by Dr. Vimala Wijesuriya, the Rajavaliya calls even the Portuguese as Tamils. Secondly by the time of Sena and Guttika even in South India there was no tribe or race that could be identified as Tamils. However the important fact is that they were invaders.
Dr. Siriweera tries to create the impression that the Tamils had been living in this country during the time of the king Kavanthissa forgetting conveniently that according to Dr. Indrapalan, the first Professor of History at the University of Yapanaya, there were no Tamil permanent settlements in Sri Lanka prior to the tenth century. There could have been few Tamils in Anuradhapura as is the case with many capitals in which foreigners are found. But that does not mean that there were Tamils in the country living side by side with the Sinhala people. The irony is that neither Dr. Siriweera nor anybody else can come out with any evidence, other than the references in the vansakathas themselves to Elara and his army, to establish the presence of Tamils (Cholas) during this period.
In the absence of such evidence one has to conclude with the Mahavansaya that Elara was an invader. The fact that there were Sinhala soldiers like Mithra, the uncle of Nandimithra, again ironically based on information given in the Mahavansaya, does not prove that Dutugemunu and Elara were only two feudal chieftains fighting for the throne. There wee Sinhala people in the British army. Even Keppitipola Disawe before he joined the Wellassa liberators was a member of the British army. However that did not make the British who violated the 1815 convention, non-invaders. Today there are so many professors and others who claim to be Sinhala people working for the Tamil racists but that does not mean that the Tamil leaders are non racists. The fact that Mithra was in the army of Elara only establishes that there have been political ancestors of the NGO members even then who were prepared to sell the country for a few privileges. In today's context not only foreign trips but even recognition as intellectuals can be considered as privileges.
Dr. Siriweera says by the time Mahavansaya was written 'the element of conflict in the relations between the Sinhalese and the Tamils had crystalized.' However he continues to refer to the political threats posed by the Tamil feudal chiefs. His "impression" is that these so called Tamil feudal chiefs were permanent settlers in this country. The trouble with his 'impression' is that in order to have feudal chiefs it is necessary to have feudal Tamils living on a permanent basis in the country. When Dr. Indrapalan says that there were no Tamil settlements during this period the question has to be asked to whom did these Tamil feudal chiefs give the leadership. Dr. Siriweera prefers to make the impression that Elaras and Pandus were feudal chiefs and not invaders. This is not very much different from the BBC reference to the LTTE terrorists as liberators or freedom fighters.
Mahavansaya contrary to Dr. Siriweera's impression does not say that 'Elara and Dutugemunu were participants in a racial war fought between the Sinhalese and the Tamils.' This assumes that the Tamils and the Sinhala people were living in Sri Lanka and that there was a racial war. No, it is very clearly stated in the Mahavansaya that Elara came from Chola and that he was an invader Even if he did not come from Chola he would have come from some part in South Asia as an invader. Dutugemunu fought to defeat the invader and protect Buddhism. There was no symmetrical relationship between Elara and Dutugemunu. One was the invader whereas the other was the liberator.
Dr. Siriweera mentions Bhalluka also in his article. He says: "The name Bhalluka , which is given to the general who is said to have arrived from South India after Elara's death to fight Dutthagamani, bespeaks a non-Tamil origin. The Dravidian or Tamil equivalent of Bhalluka would have been Phalluka". Dr. Siriweera who is very good at creating impressions, by using phrases like the 'the general who is said to have arrived from South India' wants us to believe that Bhalluka was a resident in Sri Lanka. His only argument in this connection is that the Dravidian or the Tamil equivalent of Bhalluka would have been Palluka and that there cannot be any Tamil Bhallukas. According to this line of reasoning there cannot be Balendrans among the Tamils but only Palendrans. No Balasunderams but only Palasunderams.
Then he mentions that Gamani and Dighabaya, two Sinhala generals of Elara have been referred to as Tamils along with thirty other generals in the Mahavansaya. It cannot create such suspicion or surprise as even today those Sinhala professors and others who write on behalf of Tamil racism are referred to as Tamil racists along with those Tamils who are Tamil racists. Dr. Siriweera appears to be puzzled with the Velu part in the name of Velusumana. Since then many people have wondered whether Velusumana was a Tamil. Perhaps these people have never heard of the Veluvanaramaya in the Dambadiva. I am told that Velu in Pali means bamboo (una) and if I may also try to create an impression following Dr. Siriweera, Velusumana could mean Sumana who had something to do with bamboo. Even in names such as Kavanthissa, Dutugemunu the parts Kavan and Dutu describe those particular persons by the names Thissa and Gemunu. In today's context we have people referred to as Kaluathula, Polsumane etc.
The rest of Dr. Siriweera's article deals with Mahavansaya in general and has no direct reference to the Dutugemunu- Elara story. His main interest is to create an impression that the Mahavansaya is not impartial. However what transpires is nothing but the partiality of Dr. Siriweera towards Tamil racism.
The NGO's and organisations with NGO connections campaign to eliminate Dutugemunu-Elara story from school texts, based on so-called research papers in history, which try to 'create impressions by reading between the lines'. Has the historian Carr or anybody else has defined history is nothing but impressions of a few people who call themselves historians? The rewriting of history relative to Tamil racism is a project which itself has a history. The people involved with this project now clamour to include the history that they have created in the school texts. It is the Sinhala Buddhist history of the country that the Tamil racists refuse to accept. After all, the Tamil problem in Sri Lanka is a problem of history.
(http://infolanka.com/org/kalaya/fea026.htm)
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