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Embekka Devalaya
''Embekka Devalaya'' (Embekka Temple) was built by the King Vikramabahu III of Gampola Era (AD 1357–1374) in Sri Lanka. The Devalaya is dedicated to Kataragama deviyo. A local deity called Devatha Bandara is also worshiped at this site. The shrine consists of three sections, the "Sanctum of Garagha", the "Digge" or "Dancing Hall" and the "Hevisi Mandapaya" or the "Drummers' Hall". The Drummers' Hall has drawn the attention of visitors to the site, due to the splendid wood carvingsBooklet ''Kandy Embekke Wood Carvings'' by M. W. E. Karunaratna of its ornate pillars and its high pitched roof. Location Embekke Devalaya is situated in Medapalata Korale of Udunuwara in Kandy District. This is a sheltered place used to rest during long pilgrimage or long journeys in ancient days of Sri Lanka. This Ambalama is said to be built during AD 1341–1357 by the King Bhuwanekabhahu IV. Carvings and woodwork It is said that some of the wood work utilized for the "Drummers' Hall" came ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Bhuwanekabhahu IV
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the title may refer to tribal kingship. Germanic kingship is cognate with Indo-European traditions of tribal rulership (c.f. Indic '' rājan'', Gothic '' reiks'', and Old Irish ''rí'', etc.). *In the context of classical antiquity, king may translate in Latin as '' rex'' and in Greek as ''archon'' or ''basileus''. *In classical European feudalism, the title of ''king'' as the ruler of a ''kingdom'' is understood to be the highest rank in the feudal order, potentially subject, at least nominally, only to an emperor (harking back to the client kings of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire). *In a modern context, the title may refer to the ruler of one of a number of modern monarchies (either absolute or constitutional). The title of ''king'' is us ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Gazette Of The Democratic Socialist Republic Of Sri Lanka
''The Sri Lanka Gazette'', officially ''The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka'', ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා ප්රජාතාන්ත්රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජයේ ගැසට් පත්රය, translit=Shrī Laṁkā Prajātāntrika Samājavādī Janarajayē Gæsaṭ Patraya}; ta, இலங்கை ஜனநாயக சோசலிச குடியரசின் வர்த்தமானி, translit=Ilaṅkai Jaṉanāyaka Cōcalica Kuṭiyaraciṉ Varttamāṉi) is a public journal of the Government of Sri Lanka. It prints certain statutory notices from the government. Modeled after the '' Oxford Gazette'', the ''Sri Lanka Gazette'' is the oldest surviving newspaper in Sri Lanka, having been published continuously since 1802. Unlike other newspapers, it does not cover general news or have a large circulation. It is printed by the Department of Government Printing. History The British captured ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angampora
Angampora is a Sinhalese martial art that combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, and meditation. A key component of angampora is the namesake ''angam'', which incorporates hand-to-hand fighting, and ''illangam'', involving the use of indigenous weapons such as the ethunu kaduwa, staves, knives and swords. Another component known as ''maya angam'', which uses spells and incantations for combat, is also said to have existed. Angampora's distinct feature lies in the use of pressure point attacks to inflict pain or permanently paralyze the opponent. Fighters usually make use of both striking and grappling techniques, and fight until the opponent is caught in a submission lock that they cannot escape. Usage of weapons is discretionary. Perimeters of fighting are defined in advance, and in some of the cases is a pit. With the advent of colonial rule over the entirety of the island in 1815, Angampora fell into disuse and was very nearly lost as a part of the country ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pekada
Pekada ( si, පේකඩ), or pekadaya, are the decorative wooden pillar heads/brackets at the top of a stone or wooden column (or a pilaster), known as ''kapa'', supporting a beam or ''dandu''. It is a unique feature of Kandyan architecture. The pekada is a cubic intermediate structural element in joinery and the interface between a beam and a column, which transfers the load from the roof to the ground. It is a separately carved capital or bracket which intervenes between a pillar and a beam which it is to carry. The pekada is made of two pieces, fitting together, and when these are crossed together, the four faced bracket is completed; the top of the pillar itself is mortised into the bracket through the centre of the parts crossed. This form of arrangement allows a certain amount of flexibility whilst maintaining the structural stability of the beam and pillar. Pekada provides a method of transferring lateral as well as vertical loads of beams (especially when they cross a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kinnari
A kinnara is a celestial musician, part human and part bird, who are musically paradigmatic lovers, in Hinduism and Buddhism. In these traditions, the ''kinnaras'' (male) and ''kinnaris'' (female counterpart) are two of the most beloved mythological characters. Believed to come from the Himalayas, they often watch over the wellbeing of humans in times of trouble or danger. An ancient Indian string instrument is known as the Kinnari vina. Their character is also clarified in the ''Adi Parva'' of the ''Mahabharata'', where they say: They are featured in a number of Buddhist texts, including the Jataka tales and Lotus Sutra. In Southeast Asian Buddhist mythology, kinnaris, the female counterpart of kinnaras, are depicted as half-bird, half-woman creatures. One of the many creatures that inhabit the mythical Himavanta, kinnaris have the head, torso, and arms of a woman and the wings, tail and feet of a swan. They are renowned for their dance, song and poetry, and are a traditio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madol Kurupawa
Madol Kurupawa ( si, මඩොල් කුරුපාව) is a wooden king post or catch pin, which is used to secure numerous wooden beams of a roof structure to a single point. It is a unique feature of Kandyan architecture/joinery. This distinctive structural arrangement occurs in medieval Sri Lankan buildings, where four pitch roofs have been provided. Rafters of the shorter sides are elbowed against the ridge plate and were held fast at its pinnacle by a timber boss known as madol kurupawa, which in turn attached to the end of the wall plate. The pekada provides an intermediate means of connection between the pillars and beams, where a modol kurupawa provides similar means between the rafters and ridge plate at shorter side of the pitched roof. No mechanical joinery (nails, bolts or glue) is used other than the wooden pegs and the structural stability is only achieved through compression. The most notable example can be found at Embekka Devalaya in Udunuwara, (built dur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pekada
Pekada ( si, පේකඩ), or pekadaya, are the decorative wooden pillar heads/brackets at the top of a stone or wooden column (or a pilaster), known as ''kapa'', supporting a beam or ''dandu''. It is a unique feature of Kandyan architecture. The pekada is a cubic intermediate structural element in joinery and the interface between a beam and a column, which transfers the load from the roof to the ground. It is a separately carved capital or bracket which intervenes between a pillar and a beam which it is to carry. The pekada is made of two pieces, fitting together, and when these are crossed together, the four faced bracket is completed; the top of the pillar itself is mortised into the bracket through the centre of the parts crossed. This form of arrangement allows a certain amount of flexibility whilst maintaining the structural stability of the beam and pillar. Pekada provides a method of transferring lateral as well as vertical loads of beams (especially when they cross a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital (from the Latin ''caput'', or "head") or chapiter forms the topmost member of a column (or a pilaster). It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface. The capital, projecting on each side as it rises to support the abacus, joins the usually square abacus and the usually circular shaft of the column. The capital may be convex, as in the Doric order; concave, as in the inverted bell of the Corinthian order; or scrolling out, as in the Ionic order. These form the three principal types on which all capitals in the classical tradition are based. The Composite order established in the 16th century on a hint from the Arch of Titus, adds Ionic volutes to Corinthian acanthus leaves. From the highly visible position it occupies in all colonnaded monumental buildings, the capital is often selected for ornamentation; and is often the clearest indicator of the architectural orde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sinhalese People
Sinhalese people ( si, සිංහල ජනතාව, Sinhala Janathāva) are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group native to the island of Sri Lanka. They were historically known as Hela people ( si, හෙළ). They constitute about 75% of the Sri Lankan population and number more than 16.2 million. The Sinhalese identity is based on language, cultural heritage and nationality. The Sinhalese people speak Sinhala, an insular Indo-Aryan language, and are predominantly Theravada Buddhists, although a minority of Sinhalese follow branches of Christianity and other religions. Since 1815, they were broadly divided into two respective groups: The 'Up-country Sinhalese' in the central mountainous regions, and the 'Low-country Sinhalese' in the coastal regions; although both groups speak the same language, they are distinguished as they observe different cultural customs. According to the Mahavamsa and the Dipavamsa, a third–fifth century treatise written in Pali by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Rulers Of Sri Lanka
The Sinhalese monarch -- anachronistically referred to as the Kings of Sri Lanka—featured the heads of state of the Sinhala Kingdoms, in what is today Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese monarchy originates in the settlement of North Indian Indo-Aryan speaking immigrants to the island of Sri Lanka. The Landing of Vijay (as described in the traditional early chronicles of the island, the Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa) recounts the date of the establishment of the first Sinhala Kingdom in 543 BC when Indian prince Prince Vijaya (543–505 BC) and 700 of his followers arrived in Sri Lanka, establishing the Kingdom of Tambapanni.Mittal (2006) p 405 In Sinhalese mythology, Prince Vijaya and followers are told to be the progenitors of the Sinhalese people. However, according to the story in the Divyavadana, the immigrants were probably not led by a scion of a royal house in India, as told in the romantic legend, but rather may have been groups of adventurous and pioneering merchants explorin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
