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Colombo National Museum
The Colombo National Museum, also known as the Sri Lanka National Museum, is a museum in Colombo and the largest in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1877 and maintained by the Department of National Museums, it holds collections of significant importance to Sri Lanka, such as the regalia of the Kandyan monarchs, as well as many other exhibits relating the country's cultural and natural heritage. History The Colombo Museum, as it was initially called, was established on 1 January 1877. Its founder was Sir William Henry Gregory the British Governor of Ceylon. The Royal Asiatic Society was instrumental in bringing to the notice of Gregory on his appointment as governor in 1872 the need for a public museum, with some difficulty the approval of the legislative council was obtained within a year. The Government architect of the Public Works Department, James George Smither (1833–1910) was able to prepare the plans for a new structure in the Italian Architectural style. The construc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Henry Gregory
Sir William Henry Gregory PC (Ire) KCMG (13 July 1816 – 6 March 1892) was an Anglo-Irish writer and politician, who is now less remembered than his wife Augusta, Lady Gregory, the playwright, co-founder and Director of Dublin's Abbey Theatre, literary hostess and folklorist. Earlier life and education The only child of Robert Gregory (1790 – 20 April 1847) and Elizabeth Gregory (née O'Hara from Raheen, 1799 – 7 January 1877), William Gregory was born at the Under-Secretary's residence, Ashtown Lodge, in Phoenix Park, Dublin. He was the grandson of William Gregory. From 1830 to 1835 he attended Harrow, where he was an award-winning student. He entered Christ Church, Oxford in 1836, leaving three years later without getting a degree. William' father, Robert, had been an improving landlord who died of a fever contracted while visiting his tenants during the Great Famine in 1847. Political career In 1842 Gregory was elected to the British House of Commons in a by-el ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sabbath
In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holiday, holy day of rest, as God rested from Genesis creation narrative, creation. Sabbath (Shabbat) observance is commanded in the Ten Commandments: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy". The Sabbath might have been influenced by Babylonian mid-month rest days and lunar cycles, though its origins remain debated. The Sabbath is observed in Judaism, Islam, and by some Christian groups. Observances similar to, or descended from, the Sabbath also exist in other religions. The term may be generally used to describe similar weekly observances in other religions. Origins A number of scholars propose a cognate Akkadian language, Akkadian word ''šapattu'' or ''šabattu'', which refers to the day of the full moon. A lexicographic list found i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Government
His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Overview of the UK system of government : Directgov – Government, citizens and rights Archived direct.gov.uk webpage. Retrieved on 29 August 2014. The government is led by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister (Keir Starmer since 5 July 2024) who appoints all the other British Government frontbench, ministers. The country has had a Labour Party (UK), Labour government since 2024 United Kingdom general election, 2024. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nayaks Of Kandy
The Nayaks of Kandy, also known as the Kandyan Nayak Dynasty ( ''Mahanuwara Nayakkarawaru'', ) were the rulers of the Kingdom of Kandy from 1739 to 1815. They were the last dynasty to rule Sri Lanka before its full colonisation by the British. The term "Nayak" is derived from the Sanskrit word Nāyaka, meaning "leader" or "governor." The rise of the Nayak family to power occurred after the death of King Vira Narendrasinha, who left no legitimate heir. As a result, the throne passed to his brother-in-law, Sri Vijaya Rajasinha, who was crowned in 1739.University of Ceylon review, Volumes 14–16, p.129. The Kandyan Nayaks were a cadet branch of the Madurai Nayak dynasty and were also related to the Thanjavur Nayaks. Like the Madurai and Thanjavur Nayaks, * * * * * * * * * the Kandyan Nayaks were also of Telugu Balija origin. * * They spoke Telugu and Tamil, with Sinhala and Tamil being used as their court languages. These alliances were strengthened through i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Museum
The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present.Among the national museums in London, sculpture and decorative art, decorative and applied art are in the Victoria and Albert Museum; the British Museum houses earlier art, non-Western art, prints and drawings. The National Gallery holds the national collection of Western European art to about 1900, while art of the 20th century on is at Tate Modern. Tate Britain holds British Art from 1500 onwards. Books, manuscripts and many works on paper are in the British Library. There are significant overlaps between the coverage of the various collections. Established in 1753, the British Museum was the first public national museum. In 2023, the museum received 5,820,860 visitors, 42% more than the previous y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tara (Buddhism)
Tara (, ; , ), Ārya Tārā (Noble Tara), also known as Jetsün Dölma (Tibetan: ''rje btsun sgrol ma,'' meaning: "Venerable Mother of Liberation"), is an important female Buddha in Buddhism, especially revered in Vajrayana Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. She may appear as a female bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. In Vajrayana Buddhism, Green Tara is a female Buddha who is a consort of Amoghasiddhi, Amoghasiddhi Buddha. Tārā is also known as a salvation, saviouress who hears the cries of beings in saṃsāra and saves them from worldly and spiritual danger. In Vajrayana, she is considered to be a The Buddha, Buddha, and the ''Tārā Tantra'' describes her as "a mother who gives birth to the buddhas of the three times" who is also "beyond Saṃsāra (Buddhism), saṃsāra and Nirvana (Buddhism), nirvāṇa."James B. Apple, "Atiśa’s System of Twenty-One Tārās", Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, no. 66, Avril 2023, pp. 424-463. She is one of the most important female deities in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Statue Of Tara
The Statue of Tara is a gilt-bronze sculpture of Tara that dates from the 7th–8th century AD in Sri Lanka. Some argue it was looted from the last King of Kandy when the British annexed Kandy in the early nineteenth century. It was given to the British Museum in 1830 by the former British Governor of Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was then known), Robert Brownrigg. Background Buddhism has had a continuous history on the island of Sri Lanka ever since the third century BC. The figure dates to the period of Anuradhapura Kingdom founded in 377 BC by King Pandukabhaya. Buddhism played a strong role in the Anuradhapura period, influencing its culture, laws, and methods of governance. Tara shows evidence of the cultural interaction of Buddhism with Hinduism. Tara had been a Hindu mother goddess but was redesigned for a new role within Buddhism. Sri Lanka today is predominantly Theravada Buddhist country. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Museum Of Ratnapura
The National Museum of Ratnapura is one of the national museums of Sri Lanka. It is located in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka and it was opened on 13 May 1988. The museum building is called “Ehelepola Walauwa”, as it once belonged to Ehelepola Nilame, a courtier of the Kingdom of Kandy, who was the 1st Adigar (1811 - 1814) under the reign King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the last king of Sri Lanka, for whom he served as the Disawe (local Governor) of Ratnapura. The museum includes exhibits on prehistoric archaeological inventions, natural heritage, geological, anthropological, zoological artifacts and models relating to the Sabaragamuwa Province. The weaponry on display include Sinhala swords of the late medieval era including a sword alleged to have belonged to Ehelepola, and a collection of old guns including a Vickers machine gun used during the First World War. The cooking utensils of the region include a tripod pan with three moulds for preparing rice flour cakes known as kiri roti. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Museum Of Kandy
The National Museum of Kandy in Kandy, Sri Lanka is located next to the Temple of the Tooth in part of the former Royal Palace of Kandy. The primary exhibits are housed in the ''Palle Vahala'' building, which was the former home of the King's harem. A secondary exhibition is located in the main palace building. The museum is maintained by the Department of National Museums. The ''Palle Vahala'' (lower palace) or ''Meda Vahala'' (middle palace) was constructed during the Sri Vickrama Rajasingha era and was used as the quarters of the queens of King of Kandy. This building has been built according to the architectural features of Kandy period. It was used as a depository for historical artifacts made by the Kandy Art Association which was established in 1882 and artisans of Matale. The museum was opened to the public in 1942. The museum has over 5,000 artifacts on display consist of weapons, jewelry, tools and other artifacts from the Kandian era (17-19th Century) and post ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jaffna
Jaffna (, ; , ) is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a Jaffna Peninsula, peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th List of cities in Sri Lanka, most populous city. Jaffna is approximately from Kandarodai which served as an Marketplace, emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical antiquity. Jaffna's suburb Nallur, Jaffna, Nallur served as the capital of the four-century-long medieval Tamil Jaffna Kingdom. Prior to the Sri Lankan civil war, Sri Lankan Civil War, it was Sri Lanka's second most populous city after Colombo. The 1980s insurgent uprising led to extensive damage, expulsion of part of the population, and military occupation. Since the end of civil war in 2009, refugees and internally displaced people began returning to homes, while government and private sector reconstruction started taking plac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Natural History
Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is called a naturalist or natural historian. Natural history encompasses scientific research but is not limited to it. It involves the systematic study of any category of natural objects or organisms, so while it dates from studies in the ancient Greco-Roman world and the mediaeval Arabic world, through to European Renaissance naturalists working in near isolation, today's natural history is a cross-discipline umbrella of many specialty sciences; e.g., geobiology has a strong multidisciplinary nature. Definitions Before 1900 The meaning of the English term "natural history" (a calque of the Latin ''historia naturalis'') has narrowed progressively with time, while, by contrast, the meaning of the related term "nature" has widened (see also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur Willey
Arthur Willey FRS (9 October 1867, Scarborough, North Yorkshire – 26 December 1942) was a British-Canadian zoologist. After education at Kingswood School, Bath, he matriculated in 1887 at University College London and graduated there with B.Sc. in 1890. After returning from the Marine Station (Stazione Zoologica), Naples, he became a fellow at University College London. From 1892 to 1894 he was a biological tutor at Columbia University. From 1894 to 1899 he held the Balfour Studentship of Cambridge, during which he went to the East Indies to investigate the embryology of the pearly nautilus. From 1899 to 1901 he was a lecturer in biology at Guy's Hospital. In 1902 he was elected F.R.S. From 1902 to 1909 he was the director of the Colombo Museum and the editor of ''Spolia Zeylanica''. In 1907 he was a marine biologist for the Ceylon Government. In 1910 he became the Strathcona Professor at McGill University in Montreal and retired there as professor emeritus in 1932. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
