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Nadungamuwa Raja
Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja (, ), also known as simply Nadungamuwa Raja ( – 7 March 2022), was an Indian elephant brought to Sri Lanka. For more than a decade, he was the main Casket (decorative box), casket bearer of the Esala Perahera, procession of Esala, an annual procession held to pay homage to the Relic of the tooth of the Buddha, Sacred Tooth Relic of Gautama Buddha, Buddha, held in Kandy, Sri Lanka. One of the most celebrated elephants in Asia during his lifetime, Nadungamuwa Raja was one of the largest tame elephants in Asia. Following Raja's death, the then Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared Raja a national treasure, in recognition of his valuable services to the religion and culture of Sri Lanka. History Raja was born 1953 in Mysore, India. The village of Nadungamuwa has been home to temple elephants since 1917, when Livnis Perera, the grandfather of Raja's final owner, Harsha Dharmavijaya, bought an elephant in order to take his younger brother in a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kandy Esala Perahera
The Kandy Esala Perahera (the Sri Dalada Perahara procession of Kandy) also known as The Festival of the Tooth is a festival held in July and August in Kandy, Sri Lanka. This historical procession is held annually to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha housed at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. A unique symbol of Sri Lanka, the procession consists of traditional local dances such as fire dances and performances in whip-dance garments. The festival ends with the traditional ''Diya-kepeema'' ritual, a water cutting ceremony which is held at the Mahaweli River at Getambe, Kandy. History The Esala is believed to be a fusion of two separate but interconnected "''Peraheras''" (Processions) – The '' Esala'' and '' Dalada''. The Esala Perahera, which is thought to date back to the 3rd century BC, was a ritual enacted to request the gods for rainfall. The Dalada Perahera is believed to have begun when the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Culture Of Sri Lanka
The culture of Sri Lanka mixes modern elements with traditional aspects and is known for its regional diversity. Sri Lankan culture has long been influenced by the heritage of Theravada Buddhism and the religion's legacy is particularly strong in Sri Lanka below the northern region. South Indian cultural influences are especially pronounced in the northernmost reaches of the country. The history of colonial occupation has also left a mark on Sri Lanka's identity, with Portuguese, Dutch, and British elements having intermingled with various traditional facets of Sri Lankan culture. Culturally, Sri Lanka possesses strong links to both India and Southeast Asia. For over 5000 years, India and Sri Lanka have nurtured a legacy of historical, cultural, religious, spiritual, and linguistic connections. The country has a rich artistic tradition, with distinct creative forms that encompass music, dance, and the visual arts. Sri Lankan culture is internationally associated with cricket ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Temple Of The Tooth
Sri Dalada Maligawa, commonly known in English as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the Royal Palace Complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. The relic was historically held by Sinhalese kings. The Temple of the Tooth is a World Heritage Site mainly due to the temple and the relic. Bhikkhus of two particular chapters, the Malwathu chapter and the Asgiri chapter, conduct daily worship in the inner chamber of the temple. Rituals are performed three times daily: at dawn, at noon and in the evenings. On Wednesdays, there is a symbolic bathing of the relic with a herbal preparation made from scented water and fragrant flowers called ''Nanumura Mangallaya''; this holy water is believed to contain healing p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diyawadana Nilame
Diyawadana Nilame is the office of the chief lay custodian of the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Formerly an office of the royal household, at present it is the trustee for the Temple of the Tooth as defined by the ''Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance of 1931''. A ceremonial position, enriched with over two thousand years of history to protect and carry out ancient rituals for the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. The Diyawadana Nilame recognised as a states man has the responsibility of overseeing of all aspects of the Sri Dalada Maligawa. He has the traditional duty of organizing the annual pageant, the Kandy Esala Perahera. The current Diyawadana Nilame is Pradeep Nilanga Dela. Prior to 1815, during the Kingdom of Kandy, the Diyawadana Nilame was a courtier of the royal court tasked with supplying the King with water and carrying out the ancient rituals to ensure rain during correct seasons. This duty is still carried out by the Diyawadana Nilame for the most relic of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pradeep Nilanga Dela
Wanigasekara Wanasinghe Mudiyanse Ralahamilage Pradeep Nilanga Dela (known as Pradeep Nilanga Dela; Sinhala:ප්රදීප් නිලංග දෑල) is the present and the 19th Diyawadana Nilame (Chief Custodian of Sri Dalada Maligawa). He acted as the Basnayake Nilame of Ruhunu Maha Kataragama devalaya and Sabaragamu Maha Saman devalaya, before being elected to the post of Diyawadana Nilame on July 1, 2005. Nilanga was educated at Nalanda College, Colombo and was presented with Nalanda Keerthi Sri award in 2005 by his alma mater Nalanda College, Colombo. Nilanga is the son of Dickson Sarathchandra Dela W. W. M. R. Dickson Sarathchandra Dela is a former Provincial Governors of Sri Lanka, Provincial governor and former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the Maldives. Dela has held the offices of the Governor of Northern Province and of Governor of Sa ... who was the Sri Lankan former High commissioner to Maldives and former Governor of Sabaragamuwa & Northern Provi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maha Saman Devalaya
Maha Saman Devalaya or the Great Saman Temple (also called Sumana Saman Devalaya) is a shrine dedicated to deity Saman, situated at Ratnapura, Sri Lanka who is the presiding deity of the Sri Pada Mountain which is also called Samanthakuta meaning the mountain of Saman which is believed to have the left foot impression of Buddha which he kept in his visit to Sri Lanka. Saman Deviyo Considered as one of the guardian gods of Sri Lanka, Deity Saman is deeply venerated in the region of Rathnapura and related areas in the province of Sabaragamuwa of Sri Lanka, he is recorded to have been a district administrator of the region contemporary to Buddha who he met on the former's visit to Sri Lanka. According to the Mahavamsa the chronicle of ancient Sri Lanka, it is mentioned that the Administrator Saman, attained the first level of enlightenment Sotapanna at the end of the sermon of Buddha. After the demise of Saman, the administrator of Dewa (people) he has started to be venerated as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colombo
Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the financial centre of the island and a tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the Greater Colombo area which includes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the legislative capital of Sri Lanka, and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is situated within the Colombo metro area. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life, colonial buildings and monuments. It was made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, retaining its capital status when Sri Lanka gained independence in 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gampaha
Gampaha (Sinhala: ගම්පහ ; Tamil: கம்பஹா ) is an urban city in Gampaha District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is situated to the north-east of the capital Colombo. It is the sixth largest urban area in Western Province, after Colombo, Negombo, Kalutara, Panadura and Avissawella. Gampaha is also the second largest municipal centre in Gampaha district, after Negombo. Gampaha has a land area of and is home to the offices of 75 government institutions.Ethnic composition in Gampaha DS division according to 2012 census is as follows Sinhalese-195,379-98.84%,Tamils-1,271-0.64%,Muslim-230-0.12%,Others-787-0.40%. Religious composition is Buddhist-173,095-87.57%,Roman Catholic-21,085-10.67%,Other Christian-2,137-1.08%,Hindu-855-0.43%,Islam-463-0.23%,Others-32-0.02%. Namesake The name "Gampaha" in Sinhala (ගම්පහ) literally means “Five Villages”. The five villages are known to be Ihalagama, Pahalagama, Medagama, Pattiyagama and Aluthgama. Howev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ayurveda
Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayurveda is pseudoscientific and toxic metals including lead and Mercury (element), mercury are used as ingredients in many ayurvedic medicines. Ayurveda therapies have varied and evolved over more than two millennia. Therapies include herbal medicines, Dieting#Detox, special diets, Meditation#Hinduism, meditation, yoga, massage, Laxative#Historical and health fraud uses, laxatives, Enema#Alternative medicine, enemas, and medical oils. Ayurvedic preparations are typically based on complex herbal compounds, minerals, and metal substances (perhaps under the influence of early Indian alchemy or ''rasashastra''). Ancient ayurveda texts also taught surgical techniques, including rhinoplasty, lithotomy, sutures, cataract surgery, and the extraction ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lankan Rupee
The Sri Lankan rupee (, ; Currency symbol, symbol: ₨ in English, රු in Sinhala, ௹ in Tamil; ISO 4217, ISO code: LKR), known until 1972 as the Ceylon rupee, is the currency of Sri Lanka. It is subdivided into 100 cent (currency), cents (, ), but cents are rarely seen in circulation due to their low value. It is issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The abbreviation ''Re'' (singular) and ''Rs'' (plural) is generally used, the World Bank suggests SL Rs as a fully disambiguating abbreviation for distinction from other currencies named "rupee". History pound sterling, Sterling became Ceylon's official currency in 1825, replacing the Ceylonese rixdollar at a rate of £1 = rixdollars, and British silver coins were made legal tender. Treasury notes denominated in sterling were issued in 1827, replacing the earlier rixdollar notes. Rixdollar notes not presented for exchange were demonetized in June 1831. The Indian rupee was made Ceylon's standard coin on 26 September 18 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bandaragama Electoral District
Bandaragama electoral district was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between March 1960 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Bandaragama in Kalutara District, Western Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Bandaragama electoral district was replaced by the Kalutara multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections. Members of Parliament Key Elections 1960 (March) Parliamentary General Election Results of the 4th parliamentary election held on 19 March 1960 for the district: 1960 (July) Parliamentary General Election Results of the 5th parliamentary election held on 20 July 1960 for the district: 1965 Parliamentary General Election Results of the 6th parliamentary election held on 22 March 1965 for the district: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pirivena
A pirivena (plural: piriven) is a monastic college that educates the monks in Sri Lanka. In ancient times, they were also centers of secondary and higher education for lay people. As of 2018, 753 piriven have been founded and maintained by the Ministry of Education (Sri Lanka), Ministry of Education. Young monks undergo training at these piriven before their Upasampadā, ordination. History Ancient By 100 CE, a pirivena represented one of the highest levels of education in Sinhalese communities, and was the most common centralized educational institution on the island. Before this, an education was historically reserved for people attached to the religious establishment, and it would have then been the job of these people to traverse the villages and teach skills to the lay people, and therefore the vast majority of the island's people historically did not attend any formal educational institution. The Buddhist doctrine, however, prefers that lay people are also educated, and un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
