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Flag Of Ceylon (1875–1948)
The flag of Sri Lanka (; ), also called the ''Sinha'' Flag or Lion Flag, consists of a golden lion holding a ''kastane'' sword in its right fore-paw in a maroon background with four gold bo leaves, one in each corner. This is bordered by gold, and to its left are two vertical stripes of equal size in teal and orange, with the orange stripe closest to the lion. The lion and the maroon background represent the Sinhalese race, while the saffron border and four bo leaves represent the concepts of '' meththa'', ''karuṇā'', '' muditā'' and '' upecka'' respectively. The stripes represent the country's two largest minority ethnicities, with the orange stripe representing the Tamils inhabitants—namely the Sri Lankan Tamils and the Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka—and the teal stripe representing the Sri Lankan Moors ( Muslims of Sri Lanka). The golden yellow border is a catch-all representing the various minority communities of the country. History Monarchical Sri Lanka As depic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colours, Standards And Guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago. The Roman Empire also made battle Vexillum, standards reading SPQR a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, with standards being emblazoned with the commander's coat of arms. General use Military colours originally had a practical use in battle. As armies became trained and adopted set formations, each regiment's ability to keep its formation was potentially critical to its success, and therefore its entire army's success. In the chaos of battle, due to the amount of dust and smoke on a battlefield, soldiers needed to be able to determine where their regiment was. Regimental flags are generally awarded to a regiment by a head of state during a ceremony. They were therefore t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Tamils Of Sri Lanka
Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka are Tamils, Tamil people of Indian origin in Sri Lanka. They are also known as Malayaga Tamilar, Hill Country Tamils, Up-Country Tamils or simply Indian Tamils. They predominantly descend from workers sent during the British Raj from South India, Southern India to Sri Lanka in the 19th and 20th centuries to work in coffee, tea and rubber plantations. Some also migrated on their own as merchants and as other service providers. These Tamil language, Tamil speakers mostly live in the central highlands, also known as the Malayakam or Hill Country, yet others are also found in major urban areas and in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province. Although they are all termed as Tamils today, some have Telugu people, Telugu and Malayalee origins as well as diverse South Indian caste origins. They are instrumental in the plantation sector economy of Sri Lanka. In general, socio-economically their standard of living is below that of the national average a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Vikrama Rajasinha
Sri Vikrama Rajasinha (Sinhala language, Sinhala:ශ්රී වික්රම රාජසිංහ, Tamil language, Tamil:ஸ்ரீ விக்கிரம ராஜசிங்கன் Telugu language, Telugu:శ్రీ విక్రమ రాజసింహ; 1780 – 30 January 1832), born Kannasamy, was the last of four kings to rule the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka. Being crowned king in 1798 with the backing of Pilamathalawe Adikaram, his Kandyan Wars, capture by the British in 1815 effectively concluded the 2,300-year Sinhalese monarchy on the island. The Nayaks of Kandy, Nayak Kings were of Telugu people, Telugu origin and practiced Shaivism, Shaivite Hinduism and were patrons of Theravada Buddhism. The Nayak rulers played a huge role in reviving Buddhism in the island. They spoke Telugu language, Telugu and Tamil language, Tamil, and used Tamil as the court language in Kandy alongside Sinhala language, Sinhala. The King was eventually deposed by the Go ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kandyan Convention
In the history of Sri Lanka, the Kandyan Convention () was a treaty signed on 2 March 1815 between the British governor of Ceylon, Sir Robert Brownrigg, and the chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom, British Ceylon, whereas, according to the Sinhala version of the Convention, the signatories were the chiefs of Sihale , for the deposition of King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha and ceding of the kingdom's territory to the British Crown. It was signed in the Magul Maduwa (Royal Audience Hall) of the Royal Palace of Kandy. Background The king, of South Indian ancestry, faced powerful opposition from the Sinhalese chieftains who sought to limit his power. A successful coup was organized by the chieftains, ending 2358 years of self-rule on the island and resulting in the imprisonment of the king in Vellore. The treaty is unique in that it was not signed by the monarch on the throne but by members of his court and other dignitaries of the kingdom. The convention gained a degree of infamy when, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kingdom Of Kandy
The Kingdom of Kandy was a monarchy on the Sri Lanka, island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Initially a client kingdom of the Kingdom of Kotte, Kandy gradually established itself as an independent force during the tumultuous 16th and 17th centuries, allying at various times with the Jaffna Kingdom, the Madurai Nayak dynasty of South India, kingdom of Sitawaka, Sitawaka Kingdom, and the Dutch Ceylon, Dutch colonizers to ensure its survival. Throughout the 16th century, numerous battles were fought with the Portuguese and later the Dutch, and from the 1590s, Kandy became the sole independent native polity on the island of Sri Lanka and through a combination of hit-and-run tactics and diplomacy kept European colonial forces at bay in the central highlands, before finally falling under British Ceylon, British colonial rule in 1818. The kingdom was absorbed in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kingdom Of Sitawaka
The kingdom of Sitawaka (, ) was a kingdom located in south-central Sri Lanka. It emerged from the division of the kingdom of Kotte following the Wijayaba Kollaya, Spoiling of Vijayabahu in 1521. Over the course of the next seventy years it came to dominate much of the island. Sitawaka also offered fierce resistance to the Portuguese Empire, Portuguese, who had arrived on the island in 1505. Despite its military successes, Sitawaka remained unstable, having to contend with repeated uprisings in its restive Kandyan territories, as well as a wide-ranging and often devastating Sinhalese–Portuguese War, conflict with the Portuguese. Sitawaka disintegrated soon after the death of its last king Rajasinha I of Sitawaka, Rajasimha I in 1593. History Foundation The kingdom of Kotte had been the major power in western Sri Lanka since its foundation in the early 15th century; under Parâkramabâhu VI of Sri Lanka, Parakaramabahu VI, the polity has been the last to unite the entirety of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kingdom Of Kotte
The Kingdom of Kotte (, ), named after its capital, Kotte, was a Sinhalese kingdom that flourished in Sri Lanka during the 15th century. Founded by Parakramabahu VI with the help of the Ming, the Kingdom managed to conquer the Jaffna kingdom and the Vanni principalities, and bring the country under one flag. It led to a punitive invasion against the Vijayanagar dynasty and captured a port. The Kotte Kingdom was largely dissolved during the Sinhalese-Portuguese War, as it faced attacks from rival Sinhalese kingdoms, the Kingdom of Sitawaka and Kingdom of Kandy. Dom João Dharmapala handed it over to the Portuguese, thus leading to the formation of Portuguese Ceylon. Kanakasooriya Cinkaiariyan and his two son's also returned from Madurai with mercenaries and managed to conquer Jaffna.Kunarasa K, ''The Jaffna Dynasty'' p.68-72Nadarajan V, ''History of Ceylon Tamils'' p.81 The remainder was annexed into Sitawaka and Kandy. Etymology The term ''Kotte'' is said to have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kingdom Of Gampola
Gampola (Ganga Sri Pura / Gangasiripura) is a town and once an ancient polity located near Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was made the capital city of the island by King Buwanekabahu IV, who ruled for four years in the mid-fourteenth century. King Buwanekabahu IV (son of King Vijayabahu V) ascended the throne after his father and shifted the capital from Kurunegala to Gampola, with the support of General Senalankadhikara. After his death, his brother, King Parakramabahu V (1353 AD - 1359 AD), who used to reign from Dedigama ascended the throne and moved to Gampola. He was dethroned by King Buwanekabahu IV's son, King Vikramabahu III (1359 AD - 1374 AD) and sent to Malaya. King Vikramabahu III conveyed the tooth relic to Gampola and held a festival in honour of this sacred relic. He built a shrine at Niyamgampaya in Gampola. The rock temple "Gadaladeniya Viharaya" was constructed by king Vikramabahu III. Meanwhile, a general called "Alagakkonara" became more p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anuradhapura Period
The Anuradhapura period was a period in the history of Sri Lanka of the Anuradhapura Kingdom from 377 BCE to 1017 CE. The period begins when Pandukabhaya, King of Upatissa Nuwara moved the administration to Anuradhapura, becoming the kingdom's first monarch. Anuradhapura is heralded as an ancient cosmopolitan citadel with diverse populations. Overview Periodization of Sri Lanka history: Political history Early Anuradhapura period (377 BCE-463 CE) Pandukabhaya (437–367 BCE) King of Upatissa Nuwara and the first monarch of the Anuradhapura Kingdom and 6th over all of the island of Sri Lanka since the arrival of the Vijaya, he reigned from 437 BC to 367 BCE. According to many historians and philosophers, he is the first truly Sri Lankan king since the Vijayan invasion, and also the king who ended the conflict between the Sinha clan and local community, reorganizing the populace. Elara (205–161 BCE), a Tamil King with Chola origins, who ruled "Pihiti Rata", i.e., Sri Lank ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dutugamunu
Dutugamunu (, ), also known as Duṭṭhagāmaṇī Abhaya, was a king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for first uniting the whole island of Sri Lanka by defeating and overthrowing Elara, a Tamil king from the Chola Kingdom, who had invaded the Anuradhapura kingdom in 205 BC. Dutugamunu also expanded and beautified the city of Anuradhapura and projected the power of the Rajarata kingdom across the island of Sri Lanka. Due to his significance as one of the most potent symbols of Sinhalese historical power, Dutugamunu's story is swathed in myth and legend. However, many aspects of the accounts of his life have been verified by contemporary inscriptions, and the basic account of his life is generally accepted as accurate. Etymology Dutugamunu (, ) is also known in Pali as Duṭṭhagāmaṇī Abhaya. The Mahavamsa describes how as a youth he mocked his father Kavantissa, king of Ruhuna, for refusing to wage war against the powerf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ellalan
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] |
Dutugemunu
Dutugamunu (, ), also known as Duṭṭhagāmaṇī Abhaya, was a king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for first uniting the whole island of Sri Lanka by defeating and overthrowing Elara, a Tamil king from the Chola Kingdom, who had invaded the Anuradhapura kingdom in 205 BC. Dutugamunu also expanded and beautified the city of Anuradhapura and projected the power of the Rajarata kingdom across the island of Sri Lanka. Due to his significance as one of the most potent symbols of Sinhalese historical power, Dutugamunu's story is swathed in myth and legend. However, many aspects of the accounts of his life have been verified by contemporary inscriptions, and the basic account of his life is generally accepted as accurate. Etymology Dutugamunu (, ) is also known in Pali as Duṭṭhagāmaṇī Abhaya. The Mahavamsa describes how as a youth he mocked his father Kavantissa, king of Ruhuna, for refusing to wage war against the powerf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
