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Elara (monarch)
Ellalan (; ), also referred to as Elara the Pious, and by the honorific epithet ''Manu Needhi Cholan'', was a member of the Tamil Chola dynasty in Southern India, who upon capturing the throne became king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, in present-day Sri Lanka, from 205 BCE to 161 BCE. Ellalan is traditionally presented as being a just king even by the Sinhalese. The Mahavamsa states that he ruled 'with even justice toward friend and foe, on occasions of disputes at law', and elaborates how he even ordered the execution of his son for killing a calf under his chariot wheels. Ellalan is a peculiar figure in the history of Sri Lanka. Although he was an invader, he is often regarded as one of Sri Lanka's wisest and most just monarchs, as highlighted in the ancient Sinhalese Pali chronicle, the '' Mahavamsa''. According to the chronicle, even Ellalan's nemesis Dutugamunu had a great respect for him, and ordered a monument be built where Ellalan was cremated after dying in battle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madras High Court
The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Courts of India, High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is one of the oldest high courts of India along with Calcutta High Court in Kolkata and Bombay High Court in Mumbai. The Madras High Court is one of four charter high courts of colonial India established in the four Presidency Towns of Madras, Bombay, Allahabad and Calcutta by letters patent granted by Queen Victoria, dated 26 June 1862. It exercises original jurisdiction over the city of Chennai, as well as extraordinary original jurisdiction, civil and criminal, under the letters patent and special original jurisdiction for the issue of writs under the Constitution of India. Covering 107 acres, the court complex is one of the largest in the world, second only to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. The four-storey administrative building serves ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Periya Puranam
The ''Periya Purāṇam'' (Tamil: பெரிய புராணம்), that is, the ''great purana'' or epic, sometimes called ''Tiruttontarpuranam'' ("Tiru-Thondar-Puranam", the Purana of the Holy Devotees), is a Tamil poetic account depicting the lives of the sixty-three Nayanars, the canonical poets of Tamil Shaivism. It was compiled during the 12th century by Sekkilar. The ''Periya Puranam'' is part of the corpus of Shaiva canonical works. Sekkilar compiled and wrote the ''Periya Puranam'' or the ''Great Purana'' in Tamil about the life stories of the sixty-three Shaiva Nayanars, poets of the deity Shiva who composed the liturgical poems of the Tirumurai, and was later himself canonised and the work became part of the sacred canon.A Dictionary of Indian Literature By Sujit Mukherjee. Among all the hagiographic ''Puranas'' in Tamil, Sekkilar's ''Tiruttondar Puranam'' or ''Periyapuranam'', composed during the rule of Kulottunga II (1133–1150 CE) stands ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vijayabahu I Of Polonnaruwa
Vijayabahu the Great (born ''Prince Keerthi'') () (ruled 1055–1110), also known as Vijayabahu I, was a medieval List of rulers of Sri Lanka, king of Sri Lanka. Born to a royal bloodline, Vijayabahu grew up under Chola conquest of Anuradhapura, Chola occupation. He assumed rulership of the Ruhuna principality in the southern parts of the country in 1055. Following a seventeen-year-long campaign, he successfully drove the Later Cholas, Cholas out of the island in 1070, "In their expulsion from the island" reuniting the country for the first time in over a 77 years later. During his reign, he re-established Sri Lankan Buddhism, Buddhism in Sri Lanka and repaired much of the damage caused to infrastructure during the wars. He offered the Thihoshin Pagoda (Lord of Sri Lanka Buddha image) to Burma king Alaungsithu and it is now still in Pakokku. Early life Vijayabahu was born around 1039, by the name of Kitti (Keerthi) in Ruhuna principality, under Chola conquest of Anuradhapura, Chol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parakramabahu I
Parākramabāhu I (Sinhala language, Sinhala: මහා පරාක්රමබාහු, 1123–1186), or Parakramabahu the Great, was the List of Sinhalese monarchs, king of Kingdom of Polonnaruwa, Polonnaruwa from 1153 to 1186. He oversaw the expansion and beautification of his capital, constructed extensive irrigation systems, reorganised the country's army, reformed Buddhist practices, encouraged the arts and undertook military campaigns in Pandyan Civil War (1169–1177), South India and Pagan Kingdom, Burma. The adage, "Not even a drop of water that comes from the rain must flow into the ocean without being made useful to man" is one of his most famous utterances." In 1140, Parakramabahu following the death of his uncle, Kitti Sri Megha, Prince of Dakkinadesa, ascended the throne of Dakkhinadesa. Over the next decade, improved both Dakkhinadesi infrastructure and military. Following a protracted civil war, he secured power over the entire island around 1153 and remaine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Department Of Archaeology (Sri Lanka)
The Department of Archaeology ('','' ) is a non-ministerial government department in Sri Lanka responsible for managing the archaeological heritage. History In 1868, seven years after the establishment of the Archaeological Survey of India, Governor Sir Hercules Robinson appointed the Committee on Ancient Architecture in Ceylon, to obtain information regarding the ancient architectural works of Ceylon. In 1871 Joseph Lawton was commissioned by the Committee to photograph the principal structures and ruins at Anuradhapura, Mihintale, Polonnaruwa and Sigirya. His photographs are used extensively in Smither's publication, ''Architectural Remains Anuradhapura, Ceylon: the Dugabas and Certain Other Ancient Ruined Structures''. Between 1873 and 1875, under the direction of Governor Sir William Gregory, a complete site survey of structural remains at Anuradhapura was undertaken. The work was carried out by James George Smither, the principal architect at the Public Works Departmen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephant-back Duel
Elephant duels were a historical martial practice where opposing army leaders engaged each other on the battlefield in single combat on the back of war elephants. They are documented in historical records from Southeast Asia, mainly in present-day Cambodia from the 11th Centuries and Burma and Thailand from the 13th to 16th centuries. Some authors describe elephant duels as a semi-ritualized engagement, held between high-ranking leaders of equal status to determine the outcome of a conflict in lieu of full-on fighting between large armies of comparable strength which would otherwise lead to massive casualties. Others apply the term to any engagement between mounted elites in the battlefield. The practice in Southeast Asia is believed (as first proposed by Prince Damrong Rajanubhab in '' Our Wars with the Burmese'') to have been influenced by the Sri Lankan Buddhist chronicle '' Mahāvaṃsa'', which describes a duel between Duṭṭhagāmaṇī and the Tamil king Eḷāra in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kandula (elephant)
Kandula is a famous war elephant mentioned in the Sinhala chronicle Mahavamsa. According to the chronicle, when Dutugamunu of Sri Lanka (101–77 BC) was born, many items of value were said to have appeared spontaneously, which were found and brought in by various people as gifts to the newborn. Among them a fine elephant who was found by a fisherman named ''Kandula''. The elephant was named for its finder and became the companion of Dutugamunu, serving as his mount during the wars that led to the unification of Sri Lanka. The climactic duel between the Indian king Ellalan and Dutugemunu is said to have occurred near Anuradhapura where the two kings mounted on elephants; Dutugemunu mounting Kandula and Elara mounting Maha Pambata. King Ealara is said to have been slain in this elephant-mounted duel. An Asian elephant born in 2001 at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. was named after Kandula. He is the first Asian elephant to be conceived by artificial insemination a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maha Pambata
Maha Pambata, or 'Big Rock' is a famous war elephant belonging to the Tamil King Ellalan (c.235 BCE - 161 BCE). In Sri Lanka, it was not uncommon in antiquity for kings to use war elephants to lead their men personally into battle. Maha Pambata was King Elara's mount in his battle with King Dutugamunu, who rode the famous war elephant Kandula. The climactic battle between the two elephants and kings is said to have occurred as Dutugemunu drew close to Anuradhapura. The next day both kings rode forwards on their war elephants, Elara 'in full armour...with chariots, soldiers and beasts for riders'. Dutugemunu's forces are said to have routed those of Elara, with killing in such numbers that 'the water in the tank there was dyed red with the blood of the slain'. Dutugemunu, declaring that 'none shall kill Elara but myself', chased him to the south gate of Anuradhapura, where the two engaged in an elephant-back duel and the aged king was finally felled by one of Dutugemunu's darts. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pitch (resin)
Pitch is a viscoelastic polymer which can be natural or manufactured, derived from petroleum, coal tar, or plants. Pitch produced from petroleum may be called bitumen or asphalt, while plant-derived pitch, a resin, is known as rosin in its solid form. Tar is sometimes used interchangeably with pitch, but generally refers to a more liquid substance derived from coal production, including coal tar, or from plants, as in pine tar. Uses Pitch, a traditional naval store, was traditionally used to help caulk the seams of wooden sailing vessels (see shipbuilding). Other important historic uses included coating earthenware vessels for the preservation of wine, waterproofing wooden containers, and making torches. It was also used to make patent fuel from coal slack around the turn of the 19th century. Petroleum-derived pitch is black in colour, hence the adjectival phrase "pitch-black". The viscoelastic properties of pitch make it well suited for the polishing of high-quali ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
War Elephant
A war elephant is an elephant that is Animal training, trained and guided by humans for combat purposes. Historically, the war elephant's main use was to charge (warfare), charge the enemy, break their ranks, and instill terror and fear. Elephantry is a term for specific military units using elephant-mounted troops. War elephants played a critical role in several key battles in Ancient history, antiquity, especially in ancient India. While seeing limited and periodic use in Ancient China, they became a permanent fixture in armies of history of Southeast Asia, historical kingdoms in Southeast Asia. During classical antiquity they were also used in History of Persia, ancient Persia and in the Mediterranean world within armies of Macedon, Hellenistic period, Hellenistic Greek states, the Roman Republic and later Roman Empire, Empire, and Ancient Carthage in North Africa. In some regions they maintained a firm presence on the battlefield throughout the post-classical history, Medi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saddha Tissa Of Anuradhapura
Saddha Tissa (, ), also known as Sadaha Tiss (, ), was the king of Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka) from 137 BC to 119 BC. Saddha Tissa was the son of Kavan Tissa of Ruhuna and the brother of Dutthagamani. He was the ruler of Digamadulla, the present day eastern province of Sri Lanka. Since crown prince Saliya married a Chandala girl, King Dutugamunu’s younger brother, Saddha Tissa was consecrated as King. King Saddha Tissa continued the remaining work in Mahathupa. During Saddha Tissa's reign, there was a major fire in the Lovamahapaya. The king subsequently reconstructed the Lowa Maha Paaya at one third of the cost with seven levels, two less than before. King Saddha Tissa built the Dighavapi Deeghawapi (Pali, "long reservoir") is a Buddhist sacred shrine and an archaeological site in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka, boasting of historical records dating back to the 3rd century BCE. Water reservoirs, called "tanks", were an important ... vihara and the Duratissa reservoir. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
