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W. A. Silva
Wellawatte Arachchige Abraham Silva, popularly known as W. A. Silva, (16 January 18903 May 1957) was a best-selling author of Sinhalese literature. Born in Wellawatte, Colombo, his career began with his first novel, ''Siriyalatha'', written at the age of 16 after receiving a formal Sinhalese education. He studied Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ... and Sinhala under Pelane Sri Vajiragnana Thero and developed a habit of reading and assessing world literature in his spare time. While working as a clerk, Silva wrote his second novel ''Lakshmi'', in 1922. He continued to write popular novels and short story collections. Several of his novels include ''Kalae Handa'' (the first Sinhala novel to be made a movie) and ''Hingana Kolla'', which was also made into ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wellawatte
Wellawatta is a neighbourhood of Colombo, Sri Lanka. It lies immediately south of Bambalapitiya and is classified as zone 6 within the Colombo Municipal region. The town begins at the old Dutch canal just before the Savoy Cinema and extends south to the same canal that reaches the sea just before the junction at Hospital Road where Dehiwela begins. It is bounded on the west by the waters of the Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ... and extends to Pamankada where Havelock Road forks and meets the Sri Saranankara Road bridge, which stretches over the Dutch canal, extending towards Kohuwala-Hospital Road junction on Dutugemunu Street. The name ''Wellawatta'' means 'Sandy Garden' in Sinhalese and 'White Garden' in Tamil. During the colonial period, much ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. It shares a maritime border with the Maldives in the southwest and India in the northwest. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital of Sri Lanka, while the largest city, Colombo, is the administrative and judicial capital which is the nation's political, financial and cultural centre. Kandy is the second-largest urban area and also the capital of the last native kingdom of Sri Lanka. The most spoken language Sinhala language, Sinhala, is spoken by the majority of the population (approximately 17 million). Tamil language, Tamil is also spoken by approximately five million people, making it the second most-spoken language in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has a population of appr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Julian Calendar
The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts of Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodoxy as well as by the Amazigh, Amazigh people (also known as the Berbers). The Julian calendar was proposed in 46 BC by (and takes its name from) Julius Caesar, as a reform of the earlier Roman calendar, which was largely a lunisolar calendar, lunisolar one. It took effect on , by his edict. Caesar's calendar became the predominant calendar in the Roman Empire and subsequently most of the Western world for more than 1,600 years, until 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII promulgated a revised calendar. Ancient Romans typically designated years by the names of ruling consuls; the ''Anno Domini'' system of numbering years was not devised until 525, and became widespread in Europe in the eighth cent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dual Dating
Dual dating is the practice, in historical materials, of indicating a date with what appear to be duplicate or excessive digits: these may be separated by a hyphen or a slash, or placed one above the other. The need for dual dating arose from the transition from an older calendar to a newer one. Another method used is to give the date of an event according to one calendar, followed in parentheses by the date of the same event in the other calendar, appending an indicator to each to specify which reference calendar applies. As an example, in the date "10/21February 1750/51" a style seen in the records of Great Britain and its possessions the notation arises from the prospective or previous adoption of the Gregorian calendar and a concurrent calendar reform. (The dual day number is due to the eleven days difference (at the time) between the Julian calendar date and the Gregorian one; the dual year is due to a change of start of year, from 25March to 1January.) European cou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gregorian Calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years slightly differently to make the average calendar year 365.2425 days long rather than the Julian calendar's 365.25 days, thus more closely approximating the 365.2422-day tropical year, "tropical" or "solar" year that is determined by the Earth's revolution around the Sun. The rule for leap years is that every year divisible by four is a leap year, except for years that are divisible by 100, except in turn for years also divisible by 400. For example 1800 and 1900 were not leap years, but 2000 was. There were two reasons to establish the Gregorian calendar. First, the Julian calendar was based on the estimate that the average solar year is exactly 365.25 days long, an overestimate of a li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calendar (New Style) Act 1750
The Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 (24 Geo. 2. c. 23), also known as Chesterfield's Act or (in American usage) the British Calendar Act of 1751, is an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. Its purpose was for Great Britain and the British Empire#"First" British Empire (1707–1783), British Empire to adopt the Gregorian calendar (in effect). The Act also changed the start of the legal year from 25March to 1January. The Act wikt:elide, elided eleven days from September 1752. It ordered that religious feast days be held on their traditional dates for example, Christmas Day remained on 25 December. (Easter is a moveable feast: the Act specifies how its date should be calculated.) It ordered that civil and market days for example the quarter days on which rent was due, salaries paid and new labour contracts agreed be moved forward in the calendar by eleven days so that no-one should gain or lose by the change and that markets match the agricultural season. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sinhalese Language
Sinhala ( ; Sinhala: , , ), sometimes called Sinhalese ( ), is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. It is also the first language of about 2 million other Sri Lankans, as of 2001. It is written in the Sinhalese script, a Brahmic script closely related to the Grantha script of South India. The language has two main varieties, written and spoken, and is a notable example of the linguistic phenomenon known as diglossia. Sinhala is one of the official and national languages of Sri Lanka. Along with Pali, it played a major role in the development of Theravada Buddhist literature. Early forms of the Sinhalese language are attested to as early as the 3rd century BCE. The language of these inscriptions, still retaining long vowels and aspirated consonants, is a Prakrit similar to Magadhi, a regional associate of the Middle-Indian Prakrits that had been spo ... [...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] |
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion, diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age#South Asia, Bronze Age. Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. It was a lingua franca, link language in ancient and medieval South Asia, and upon transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia, East Asia and Central Asia in the early medieval era, it became a language of religion and high culture, and of the political elites in some of these regions. As a result, Sanskrit had a lasting effect on the languages of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, especially in their formal and learned vocabularies. Sanskrit generally connotes several Indo-Aryan languages# ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1890 Births
Events January * January 1 – The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony in the Horn of Africa. * January 2 – Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer in the White House. * January 11 – 1890 British Ultimatum: The United Kingdom demands Portugal withdraw its forces from the land between the Portuguese colonies of Portuguese Mozambique, Mozambique and Portuguese Angola, Angola (most of present-day Zimbabwe and Zambia). * January 15 – Ballet ''The Sleeping Beauty (ballet), The Sleeping Beauty'', with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky, is premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre, Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. * January 25 ** The United Mine Workers of America is founded. ** American journalist Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days. February * February 5 – The worldwide insurance and financial service brand Allianz is founded in Berlin, Germany. * February 18 – The National Americ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1957 Deaths
Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricket), dismissed for having handled the ball, in Test cricket. * January 9 – British Prime Minister Anthony Eden resigns. * January 10 – Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. * January 11 – The African Convention is founded in Dakar. * January 14 – Kripalu Maharaj is named fifth Jagadguru (world teacher), after giving seven days of speeches before 500 Hindu scholars. * January 15 – The film ''Throne of Blood'', Akira Kurosawa's reworking of ''Macbeth'', is released in Japan. * January 20 ** Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula (captured from Egypt on October 29, 1956). * January 26 – The Ibirapuera Planetarium (the first in the Southern Hemisphere) is inaugurated in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sinhalese Writers
Sinhala may refer to: * Sinhala or Sinhala dvipa, another name of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people, an ethno-linguistic group native to Sri Lanka * Sinhala language, the native language of the Sinhalese people * Sinhala script, the writing system of the Sinhala language ** Sinhala (Unicode block), a block of Sinhala characters in Unicode * Sinhala cinema, cinema in the Sinhala language * Sinhala Kingdom, the successive historical Sinhalese kingdoms of Sri Lanka between 543 BCE and 1815 CE * "Sinhala", a song from the 1999 album ''The Magical Sounds of Banco de Gaia'' See also * Sinha, an Indian name ** Sinha (surname), an Indian surname * Simha (other) * Singam (other) * Singham (other) * Singa (other) * Singhania (other) * Singh Singh ( IPA: ) is a title, middle name, or surname that means "lion" in various South Asian and Southeast Asian communities. Traditionally used by the Hindu Kshatriya community, it was later mandated in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
