Heritage

Heritage

Heritage With a history expanding over 3000years, Sri Lanka holds some of world’s ancient cities including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Digamadulla; their once glorious townships, palaces, temples, monasteries, hospitals and theaters intricately carved and modeled out of stone lay and abandoned and forgotten with time amidst the soaring jungles. Of all the ancient cities of Lanka, the most famed and most exquisite is the Kingdom of Anuradhapura. Sri Lanka’s third and the longest serving capital and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world is also one of the most sacred cities of World Buddhists. It was the capital of Sri Lanka from the Fourth Century BC up to the turn of the eleventh Century and was one of the most stable and durable centers of political power and urban life in South Asia.

Cultural Triangle

Sigiriya

Sigiriya (Lion Rock) is located in the central Matale District near town of Dambulla of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archeaological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres (660 ft) high. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Culavamsa the site was selected by King Kasyapa(477 – 495 CE) for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure —Sīhāgiri, the Lion Rock. The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.

Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka and the capital ofAnuradhapura District. Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Sri Lankan civilization. It was 1st capital of the Kingdom of Rajarata after Tambapanni and Upatissa Nuwara.

The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the center of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries. The city lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, on the banks of the historic Malvathu Oya. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and one of the eight World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.

Polonnaruwa

The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa was the kingdom from which Sri Lankan kings ruled the island from the 8th century until 1310 CE. Pollonnaruwa was the fifth administrative center of the Kingdom of Rajarata

After ruling the country for over 1,200 years from the Kingdom of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka was captured by Cholas in 1017A.D.Chola King Rajarajan I captured Anuradhapura and taken king Mahinda V as a captive to India. Mahinda V died in India on 1029. Cholas shifted the capital to Polonnaruwa and ruled Sri Lanka for 52 years. Polonnaruwa was named as Jananathamangalam by the Cholas. King Vijayabahu I defeated Cholas and regained the Sinhalese lineage. Polonnaruwa had previously been an important settlement in the country, as it commanded the crossings of the Mahaweli Ganga towards Anuradhapura.

Some of the rulers of Polonnaruwa include Vijayabahu I and Parakramabahu I (Parakramabahu the Great). Most of Polonnaruwa that remains today dates from after the 1150s, as the extensive civil wars that preceded Parakramabahu's accession to the throne devastated the city.

Dambulla

Dambulla is a big town, situated in the Matale District, Central Province of Sri Lanka, situated 148 km north-east of Colombo and 72 km north ofKandy. Due to its location at a major junction, it's the centre of vegetable distribution in the country.

The area is thought to be inhabited from as early as the 7th to 3rd century BC. Statues and paintings in these caves date back to the 1st century BC. But the paintings and statues were repaired and repainted in the 11th, 12th, and 18th century AD. The caves in the city provided refuge toKing Valagamba (also called Vattagamini Abhaya) in his 14 year long exile from the Anuradapura kingdom. Buddhist monks meditating in the caves of Dambulla at that time provided the exiled king protection from his enemies. When King Valagamba returned to the throne at Anuradapura kingdom in the 1st century BC, he had a magnificent rock temple built at Dambulla in gratitude to the monks in Dambulla.

At the Ibbankatuwa Prehistoric burial site near Dhambulla, prehistoric (2700 years old) human skeletons were found on scientific analysis to give evidence of civilisations in this area long before the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Evidence of ancient people living on agriculture have been detected in this area for over 2700 years according to archaeological findings. (750 BC)

Galle

Galle is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the administrative capital of Southern Province, Sri Lanka and is the district capital of Galle District. Galle is the fourth largest city in Sri Lanka after the capital Colombo, Kandy and Jaffna.

Galle was known as Gimhathiththa (although Ibn Batuta in the 14th century refers to it as Qali. before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century, when it was the main port on the island. Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, during the Dutch colonial period. Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by the Portuguese in South and Southeast Asia, showing the interaction between Portuguese architectural styles and native traditions. The city was extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards. The Galle fortis a world heritage site and is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers.

Kandy

Kandy (Maha Nuvara) is a major city in Sri Lanka, located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is the second largest city in the country after Colombo.

The city and the region has been known by many different names and versions of those names. Some scholars suggest that the original name of Kandy was Katubulu Nuwara located near present Watapuluwa. However the more popular historical name is Senkadagala or Senkadagalapura, officially Senkadagala Siriwardhana Maha Nuwara (meaning 'great city of Senkadagala of growing resplendence'), generally shortened to 'Maha Nuwara'. According to folklore this name originated from one of the several possible sources. One being the city was named after a brahmin with the name Senkanda who lived in a cave near by, and another being a queen of Vikramabahu III was named Senkanda, and after a coloured stone named Senkadagala. The Kingdom of Kandy has also been known by various names. The English name Kandy, which originated during the colonial era, is derived from an anglicised version of the Sinhalese Kanda Uda Rata (meaning the land on the mountain) or Kanda Uda Pas Rata (the five counties/countries on the mountain) . The Portuguese shortened this to "Candea", using the name for both the kingdom and its capital. In Sinhalese, Kandy is called Maha Nuvara, meaning "Great City" or "Capital", although this is most often shortened to Nuvara, pronounced Nuwara.

Sinharaja Forest 

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a national park and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The hilly virgin rainforest, part of the Sri Lanka lowland rain forests ecoregion, was saved from the worst of commercial logging by its inaccessibility, and was designated a World Biosphere Reserve in 1978 and a World Heritage Site in 1988. The reserve's name translates as Kingdom of the Lion.

The reserve is only 21 km (13 mi) from east to west, and a maximum of 7 km (4.3 mi) from north to south, but it is a treasure trove ofendemic species, including trees, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Because of the dense vegetation, wildlife is not as easily seen as at dry-zone national parks such as Yala. There are about 3 elephants and the 15 or so leopards are rarely seen. The most common larger mammal is the endemic Purple-faced Langur.

Sri Lanka Essence

Essence

Despite its fame as a resplendent island and a leading tourist destination, the secret of Sri Lanka’s attraction lies with its people. The spice addicted, cricket crazy and tea drinking people of Sri Lanka are famed for big smiles and a bigger heart. With a culture enriched with three thousand years of knowledge, Buddhism and many a colonial traditions, the Sri Lankan society is a potpourri of religions and races different yet similar in many a ways. The Sri Lankans all love their food spicy and their tea light; an unavoidable for a country, which produces the world’s best spices and tea. Introduced to the country in the 19th century by colonial British Ceylon tea is the best tea in the world while Sri Lanka has also been known for its high quality spices since time immemorial. In Sri Lanka, cricket is the ultimate passion which draws all the Sri Lankans together irrespective of caste, race and creed. Other than tea and cricket, gems especially blue sapphires is synonymous with Sri Lanka. Country’s gem industry has a long, colourful history. Known also as ‘Rathnadeepa’ or the land of gems Sri Lanka had been producing brilliant blue Sapphire and red rubies among many other. Along with gems, Sri Lanka had been exporting fine crafted ivory to many royal courts of Europe. Many dainty treasures carved by local artists in ivory are found in the museum in Europe standing witness to the local skills, which is still found after being handed over father to son.

Spices

Sri Lanka’s spices have been its main attraction for thousands of years. The Romans, Arabs and the western world traded with Sri Lanka in the bygone years. Today it remains one of the foremost exporters of quality spice across the world.The island’s dominance in the spice world is reflected in the fact that both cinnamon and cardamom are native to Sri Lanka and the country is also a major supplier of pepper, cloves, nutmeg and mace. Sri Lanka supplies almost 90 percent of the world’s cinnamon - between 7,500 to10,000 tonnes annually. A number of therapeutic spice gardens are found on the routes into Kandy from Colombo, and many offer multi-lingual garden tours. Here you can view and sample not just spices but a range of produce from vanilla and cocoa pods, curry leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and sandalwood, red bananas, sea coconut and king coconut, coffee beans, aloe vera, and much more, ‘in the wild

Tea

Tea production is one of the main sources of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon), and accounts for 2% of GDP, generating roughly $700 million annually to the economy of Sri Lanka. It employs, directly or indirectly over 1 million people, and in 1995 directly employed 215,338 on tea plantations and estates. Sri Lanka is the world's fourth largest producer of tea. In 1995, it was the world's leading exporter of tea, (rather than producer) with 23% of the total world export, but it has since been surpassed by Kenya. The humidity, cool temperatures, and rainfall in the country's central highlands provide a climate that favors the production of high quality tea. The industry was introduced to the country in 1847 by James Taylor, the British planter who arrived in 1852

Traditional Craftsmanship

Sri Lanka’s age-old culture is one seeped in traditional arts and craft. In modern day Sri Lanka, these traditions live on. Batik – Adapted from the Indonesian classic art, Batik gained elitist status in medieval Sri Lank, featuring prominently in the Kandyan Court in the form of banners, wall hangings and the ceremonial dress of the nobility. Today most batiks artists are located in the Western province, Colombo in particular. Some young and enterprising designers have taken the art-form to high fashion featuring their exclusive creations in the global fashion ramps. Handloom Weaving – Historically, hand-loom weaving has its roots in the Kandyan region, principally in the production of robes for the Buddhist monks. Today, the art is practices mainly in the central province and with the encouragement of the Government, modern accessories like curtains, furnishing materials, linens and dress fabrics are produced to the highest international standards.

Batik

Over the past century the Indonesian art of batik making has become firmly established in Sri Lanka. The Batik industry in Sri Lanka is a small scale industry which can employ individual design talent and creativity. Its economic benefit is profit from dealing with foreign customers. It is now the most visible of the island's crafts with galleries and factories, large and small, having sprung up in many tourist areas. Rows of small stalls selling batiks can be found all along Hikkaduwa's Galle Road strip. Mahawewa, on the other hand, is famous for its batik factories.

Handloom

Sri Lanka's Handloom Textile Industry is centuries old. The industry has helped showcase the undying creativity of generations of Sri Lankans taking them to the international arena. A range of designs and colours, individual and innovative designs, craftsmanship, colour combination and patterns are handed down from generation to generation.

Pottery

Pottery in Sri Lanka Pottery is one of the oldest handicrafts in Sri Lanka. The primarily utilitarian character of Sri Lankan pottery has been continuing to exist since the very beginning of Aryan Sinhalese civilization of Sri Lanka. The simplicity of ornamentation and charm of the elegance of pottery have held fast in the island for more than a couple of millenniums and a half in Sri Lanka. Low fired cooking pots, cooking pans, jugs, bowls, goblets, tiles, vases, are the most widely used kitchen utensils of Sri Lanka. In addition to the kitchen pots and pans, intricately designed products such as terracotta figures and carved vases too are popular in Sri Lanka. Ornaments such as figurines and delightful animals with distinctly Sinhalese characteristics are also produced at the pottery workshops in the countryside

Lace making 

began in the South-western coastal areas, especially around Galle. Lace making was practiced by the Dutch ladies during the Dutch colonial era too. Subsequently Sinhalese ladies caught on Lace making and established a handicraft in south western coastal belt of Sri Lanka. 

During the 19th century, when Galle sea-port was in its heyday, lace products of the South-western coastal belt arose to outstanding heights in popularity. Today lace making is continued mainly by the Sinhalese ladies who inherited the handicraft from their ancestors. Along Galle, Weligama coastal areas the ladies are seen engaged in lace making-crochet and tatting-in the verandahs of their houses.

Gems

What do the Queen of Sheba, the famous Caliph of Baghdad, Haroun al-Raschid, the Duchess of Windsor, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana all have in common?  They are just some of the famous names fortunate enough to have owned exquisite gemstones mined in Sri Lanka. 

Fortunately for lovers of some of the world’s finest gems, the soil of Sri Lanka produces a seemingly endless supply of these precious stones.  And just as reassuringly, Sri Lanka also has skilled jewellers who produce jewellery that meets the standards of the world’s top jewellery houses.

Sri Lanka is renowned for producing the finest and largest blue sapphires in the world, and also has the biggest variety of gems in the world, with 40 out of the 85 gemstones in existence found on the island. With the greatest concentration of gems on earth, Sri Lanka is ranked amongst the top 5 gem producing nations. Much of the country’s surface contains gemstone minerals ranging from Blue and Yellow Sapphires, Star Rubies and Star Sapphires, Pathparaja, Topaz, Amethyst, Garnet, Aquamarine, Moonstone, Alexandrites and Cat’s Eyes to name a few.

Cricket

A grand national passion, cricket is played on every available pitch across the length and breadth of Sri Lanka. Visitors are often amazed at how both the young and old, irrespective of gender are obsessed with this national pre-occupation. This small island nation boasts of 9 international-class  cricket grounds, 2 of which lie in the shadows of stunning World Heritage Sites.

Sri Lanka Festivals

Srilanka Festive

Sri Lanka having a history as long as many ancient civilizations, positioning in the crossroad of the East and the West, and being a multicultural society, celebrates a wide variety of festivals, ceremonies and events.

January

Thai Pongal Festival

The colorful Thai Pongal Festival celebrated by the Hindu devotees of Sri Lanka is celebrated on 14 of January

The houses are adorned in colourful kolam, intricate drawings done on the floors using flour. Special Pujas (prayer ceremonies) are held in Kovils to worship the Sun God. It is customary to cook the Pongal meal and share it with neighbors, especially non-hindus

Aluth Sahal Mangalle 

The Aluth Sahal Mangalle or new rice festival is an important event of the harvest festival of the Maha kannaya in Sri Lanka. The first batch of new rice after being plucked, threshed and winnowed is offered to the Lord Buddha and deities.

Every January Poya Day, new rice festival commences. Rice and paddy donated to Temple of the Tooth are stored at Kundasale Pallekele in a separate location allocation and distribution of Rice and paddy to Devales relevant, is done. A traditional procession takes place from the Palace to Kundasale headed by Diyawadaered to the sacred tooth relic.

February

Independence Day

Sri lanka acquired independence in 1948 on 04 th February. There are many celebrations around the country on this special holiday and the main one is usually in Parliamentary grounds in Sri Jayawardhanapura and is attended by politicians, diplomats etc.

March

Maha Sivarathri

This important religious festival is held end February or beginning March. Poojas are held through out the country all night and vigils are held in the households.

Gangaramaya Navam Perahera

All visitors to the Capital during this period can experience the perahera and witness the colourfully dressed elephants and musicians and dancers parading in the streets of Colombo.

Good Friday

Good Friday is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Black Friday or Easter Friday, though the latter properly refers to the Friday in Easter week

April

Sinhala and Tamil New Year

Celebrated by all Sinhalese and Tamils, the traditional New Year celebrations fall on between 12 to 14 April and is the celebration of Sun God's passage from Pisces to Aries. It is a harvest thanksgiving and is mainly celebrated by the villagers in true traditional style. A colourful and extravagant festival, this season is usually a holiday for the whole country. The Aluth Avurudu (New Year) is a time for friendships and family and many traditions are observed according to the litha (A strological time). New clothes are worn, milk boiled and traditional ricemilk with sweets fill the tables. The youth spend the day engaged in various traditional games such as climbing a greased poll, pillow fighting, breaking a pot blindfolded and the girls plating swinging. The women also fill the air with Raban padha ( traditional drum instrument) dressed in their new year costume.

Easter

Celebrated by Catholics around the country but mainly in the coastal area around Kandana, Negombo etc., The crucification of Christ is acted- out for three hours and is a touchy experience taking you to the mountain of Golgotha.

May

May Day

May Day, or International Workers’ Day, is traditionally a celebration of the international labour movement and left-wing movements. Its origins lay with the labour movements around the world.
On this day street demonstrations and marches by the working people and their labour unions are organised. It is a day which traditionally was reserved to help promote worker rights and recognise the practice of labour laws.
However, in Sri Lanka May Day rallies have shifted from the arena of workers’ rights to an opportunity for the political parties to promote their political messages.

Wesak

Wesak , the most hallowed of Buddhist festivals commemorating the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha is held on the full moon day in May and the day following it. Starting at dawn, Buddhists dressed in white start to make their way to the temple to observe sila , in which they spend the day meditating, reading religious texts, and listening to sermons. At night the temples are crowded with devotees bringing flowers and offerings. Nevertheless, Wesak is a joyous occasion and is celebrated with verve and imagination. Among the many striking decorations are intricate Wesak paper lanterns of different shapes and sizes, and the thousands of little clay coconut oil lamps ( pol-thel pahana ) that flicker throughout the island.

In Colombo the celebrations are unsurpassed. Enormous pandals (bamboo frameworks) hung with pictures depicting events in the life of the Buddha are erected in the streets, illuminated by a myriad of flashing coloured electric light bulbs. Another special feature of Wesak are the danselas (alms booths). These are temporary sheds, set up by the roadside with tables and chairs by local people, at which food and refreshment are given free to sightseers and pilgrims. In addition, puppet shows and open-air theatre performances telling Buddhist tales are held throughout the island.

June

Poson full-moon poya day

Poson full-moon poya day (Poson Poya Day/Poson Festival) is celebrated the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC, a festival of great historical and religious significance celebrated island-wide by Buddhists. Poson, held on the full moon day of June, commemorates the occasion over 2,000 years ago when Arahat Mahinda, son of Emperor Asoka of India, converted King Devanampiyatissa to Buddhism. The main center of celebration is Mihintale, the ancient monastic complex where the royal missionary monk Mahinda perched the first sermon to the ruling king and at Anuradhapura the ancient capital, to which large crowd of pilgrims converge. Mass religious observances, illuminations pageants are part of the celebrations.

July

The Esala Perahera in Kandy

One of the most glamorous cultural processions in the world. The procession takes place on 10 consecutive nights, where the first six nights are known as Kumbal perahera and the last four nights is the much more glamorous Randoli perahera with the final night having a 100 elephants adorned in elegant costumes parading. The event is celebrated once a year since the 3 rd century AD to allow pilgrims to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic carried by the Diyawadana Nilame, selected to be the trustee of the temple. The event is made colourful and vivid with many dancers and instrument players parading

August

Madhu Festival and the Feast of St. Anne

Celebrated by Catholics, The Madhu and the St Annes church are known to have miracle statues. Devotees visit the pilgrimage site and spend time in prayer while overnight sleep is in the camping site outside the church.

Vel

If you happen to be in Colombo at the time of the Esala Perahera in Kandy, do make a note to see the religious celebrations of the Hindus, held in Colombo, another procession where the God of war carries his Vel (trident weapon) from the Muthuvinayagam Swami Kovil in Sea Street, Pettah, to the Kathiresan in Bambalapitiya or Wellawatte. You can observe the fetival during the day, if you're on Galle Road between Pettah and Bambalapitiya.

October

Ramazān Festival

Ramadan (Arabic: رمضان‎ Ramaḍān, IPA: [rɑmɑˈdˤɑːn] Persian: رَمَضان‎ Ramazān; Urdu: رَمْضان‎ Ramzān; Turkish: Ramazan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar; Muslims worldwide observe this as a month of fasting.This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam.The month lasts 29–30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon, according to numerous biographical accounts compiled in the hadiths.The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic root ramiḍa or ar-ramaḍ, which means scorching heat or dryness.Fasting is fard ("obligatory") for adult Muslims, except those who are ill, traveling, pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic or going through menstrual bleeding.Fasting the month of Ramadan was made obligatory (wājib) during the month of Sha'aban, in the second year after the Muslims migrated from Mecca to Medina.

November

Deepavali

This is the beginning of the financial year for the Hindu business community. The Goddess of wealth is welcomed to homes decorated with kolam and lit with lamps.

December

Hajj Festival

The Hajj (Arabic: حج‎ Ḥaǧǧ "pilgrimage") is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and the largest gathering of Muslim people in the world every year.It is one of the five pillars of Islam, and a religious duty which must be carried out by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so at least once in his or her lifetime.The state of being physically and financially capable of performing the Hajj is called istita'ah, and a Muslim who fulfils this condition is called a mustati. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God (Allah in the Arabic language).The word Hajj means "to intend a journey" which connotes both the outward act of a journey and the inward act of intentions.

Christmas

The month of Christmas is a high trading month in Colombo where people are preparing of Christmas and New Year celebrations. Christmas is mainly glamorous in Colombo and the coastal catholic areas, where the birth of Christ is celebrated with crackers, mid-night mass, family gatherings and joyous sharing with the poor.