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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (), also known as Jayapura or Kotte, is the legislative capital of Sri Lanka. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is located adjacent to the urban area of Sri Lanka's de facto economic, executive, and judicial capital, Colombo. The Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Municipal Council area is bounded in: * the North by Kolonnawa Urban Council area, * the North-East by the Kotikawatta–Mulleriyawa Pradeshiya Sabha area, * the East by the Kaduwela Municipal Council area, * the South-East by the Maharagama Urban Council area, * the South-West by the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council and * the West by the Colombo Municipal Council area, which is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. History The village of Darugama lay at the confluence of two streams, the Diyawanna Oya and the Kolonnawa Oya. As Darugama was a naturally secure place, it was not easy for enemies to enter it. Here, in the 13th century, a local chieftain, Nissanka Alagakkonara, built a '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Administrative Capital
A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational division, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the government's offices and meeting places; the status as capital is often designated by its law or constitution. In some jurisdictions, including several countries, different branches of government are in different settlements, sometimes meaning multiple official capitals. In some cases, a distinction is made between the official (constitutional) capital and the seat of government, which is in another place. English-language media often use the name of the capital metonymically to refer to the government sitting there. Thus, "London-Washington relations" is widely understood to mean diplomatic relations between Great Britain and the United States. Terminology and etymology The word ''capital'' derives from the Latin word ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaduwela, Western Province
Kaduwela (, ) is the largest city in Sri Lanka by land area, covering . The city is composed of three divisions called Kaduwela, Battaramulla and Athurugiriya and is located in the Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. Kaduwela Town (located in Kaduwela Division) is located about from the Colombo city centre on the Colombo - Avissawella Old Road (Low Level Road) and about from Kollupitiya on the New Kandy Road from Ethulkotte to Kandy. Etymology Kaduwela was originally ''Kadudevola'', a compound of ''Kadu'' (sword) and ''Devola'' (shrine). It was the location of a shrine of the goddess Pattini, linked to a golden sword used in the 'water cutting' ritual. The shrine is called the ''Purana Rankadu Pattini Maha Devale'' (ancient great shrine of the golden-sword Pattini). In another possibility Kaduwela simply means the jungle paddy field. Kadu means jungle (Sorata Thera's Sinhala–Sinhala dictionary) and wela means paddy field. There is also another Kaduwela in the Ukuw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sapumal Kumaraya
Bhuvanekabahu VI of Kotte (, ), also known as Sapumal Kumaraya or Yudistra Darma Dorai and Chempaka Perumal, was an adopted son of Parakramabahu VI. His principal achievement was the conquest of Jaffna Kingdom, a historical kingdom of what today is northern Sri Lanka, in 1447 or 1450.Gnanaprakasar, S ''A critical history of Jaffna'', p.103 Although he was victorious and ruled, he was unable to prevent Kanakasooriya Cinkaiariyan and his two son's return from Madurai with mercenaries to wrest the Jaffna Kingdom from Kotte's over lordship in 1467.Kunarasa K, ''The Jaffna Dynasty'' p.68-72Nadarajan V, ''History of Ceylon Tamils'' p.81 Thus Jaffna Kingdom became independent in 1467. Bhuvanaikabahu was apparently summoned south after the demise of his adopted father. He then ruled for 8 years. According to '' Rajavaliya'', he killed the grandson of Parakrama Bahu VI, namely Vira Parakrama Bahu or Jaya Bahu (1468 – c. 1470). Do Couto, however, who was well-informed, says after a few ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jaffna Kingdom
The Jaffna kingdom (, ; 1215–1619 CE), also known as Kingdom of Aryachakravarti, was a historical kingdom of what today is northern Sri Lanka. It came into existence around the town of Jaffna on the Jaffna peninsula and was traditionally thought to have been established after the invasion of Kalinga Magha from Kalinga in India.Nadarajan, V. ''History of Ceylon Tamils'', p. 72Indrapala, K. ''Early Tamil Settlements in Ceylon'', p. 16 Established as a powerful force in the north, northeast and west of the island, it eventually became a tribute-paying feudatory of the Pandyan Empire in modern South India in 1258, gaining independence when the last Pandyan ruler of Madurai was defeated and expelled in 1323 by Malik Kafur, the army general of the Delhi Sultanate. For a brief period in the early to mid-14th century it was an ascendant power in the island of Sri Lanka, to which all regional kingdoms accepted subordination. However, the kingdom was overpowered by the rival Kot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laterite
Laterite is a soil type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by intensive and prolonged weathering of the underlying parent rock, usually when there are conditions of high temperatures and heavy rainfall with alternate wet and dry periods. The process of formation is called laterization. Tropical weathering is a prolonged process of chemical weathering which produces a wide variety in the thickness, grade, chemistry and ore mineralogy of the resulting soils. The majority of the land area containing laterites is between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Laterite has commonly been referred to as a soil type as well as being a rock type. This, and further variation in the modes of conceptualizing about laterite (e.g. also as a complete weathering profile or theory about weathering), has led to calls for the term to be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Defensive Wall
A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with towers, bastions and gates for access to the city. From ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements. Generally, these are referred to as city walls or town walls, although there were also walls, such as the Great Wall of China, Walls of Benin, Hadrian's Wall, Anastasian Wall, and the Atlantic Wall, which extended far beyond the borders of a city and were used to enclose regions or mark territorial boundaries. In mountainous terrain, defensive walls such as '' letzis'' were used in combination with castles to seal valleys from potential attack. Beyond their defensive utility, many walls also had important symbolic functions representing the status and independence of the communities they embraced. Existing ancient walls ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices. In older fortifications, such as hillforts, they are usually referred to simply as ditches, although the function is similar. In later periods, moats or water defences may be largely ornamental. They could also act as a sewer. Historical use Ancient Some of the earliest evidence of moats has been uncovered around ancient Egyptian fortresses. One example is at Buhen, a settlement excavated in Nubia. Other evidence of ancient moats is found in the ruins of Babylon, and in reliefs from ancient Egypt, Assyria, and other cultures in the region. Evidence of early moats around settlements has been discovered in many archaeological sites throughout Southeast Asia, including ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kalutara District
Kalutara District (; ''Kaḷuttuṟai Māvaṭṭam'') is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previously known as a Government Agent) appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The capital of the district is the city of Kalutara . Geography Kalutara District is located in the south-west of Sri Lanka and has an area of . It is bounded by Colombo District in the north, Ratnapura District in the east, Galle District in the south, and the Indian Ocean in the west. Administrative units Kalutara District is divided into 14 Divisional Secretary's Division (DS Divisions), each headed by a Divisional Secretary (previously known as an Assistant Government Agent). The DS Divisions are further sub-divided into 762 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions). Demographics Population Kalutara District's population was 1,217,260 in 2012. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kurunegala
Kurunegala (, ; , ) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of the North Western Province, Sri Lanka, North Western Province and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital for 50 years, from the end of the 13th century to the start of the 14th century. It is at the junction of several main roads linking to other important parts of the country. It is about from Colombo, from Kandy and from Matale. Located at an altitude of above sea level, Kurunegala is surrounded by coconut plantations and rubber estates. There are eight very noticeable large rocks that encircle and dominate the city. Kurunegala's rocks rise from the plain below and have characteristic names, six of which come from the animals that they are imagined to represent. The largest among them is Ethagala or the "Elephant Rock" (though the translation is actually tusker), reaches . The shape of Ethagala resembles an elephant. Etymology Kurunegala has been named after the Elephan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ibn Batuta
Ibn Battuta (; 24 February 13041368/1369), was a Maghrebis, Maghrebi traveller, explorer and scholar. Over a period of 30 years from 1325 to 1354, he visited much of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. Near the end of his life, Ibn Battuta dictated an account of his journeys, titled ''A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling'', commonly known as ''The Rihla''. Ibn Battuta travelled more than any other explorer in pre-modern history, totalling around , surpassing Zheng He with about and Marco Polo with . Name "Ibn Battuta" is a patronymic, literally meaning 'son of a duckling'. His most common full name is given as Kunya (Arabic), Abu Abdullah (name), Abdullah Muhammad (name), Muhammad ibn Battuta. In his travel literature, travelogue, ''The Rihla'', he gives his full name as "Shams al-Din Abu ’Abdallah Muhammad ibn ’Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf Laguatan, Lawati al-Tangier, Tanji ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alagakkonara
Alagakkonara (, ), also known as Alakeshwara, were a prominent feudal family that provided powerful ministers and military rulers during the medieval period in Sri Lanka. Some historians claim that the family was of Tamil origin, possibly from Madurai or Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, India.de Silva, A ''History of Sri Lanka'', p.138 The family arrived in Sri Lanka around the 13th century and naturalized themselves in Sri Lanka. One member of the family is noted for founding the current capital of Sri Lanka, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte as a fort from which he waged a war against encroaching tax collectors from the Jaffna kingdom in the north. The family lost most of its influence after its leader was taken captive by the Ming Dynasty (Chinese) Admiral Zheng He in 1411.de Silva, A ''History of Sri Lanka'', p.137 Origin of the family The first member of the family to arrive in Sri Lanka was named ''Nissanka Alagakonara'', who migrated to Sri Lanka from a place called ''Vanchipura''de Sil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diyawanna Oya
Diyawanna Lake (, ) or Parliament Lake, is one of the lakes within Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka. It is quite popular as the Sri Lankan Parliament Building The Sri Lankan Parliament Complex ( Sinhalese: ශ්රී ලංකා පාර්ලිමේන්තු සංකීර්ණය, Tamil: இலங்கை நாடாளுமன்றக் கட்டடம்; also known as the ... was built on an artificial island at the centre of the lake. The Diyatha Uyana park is also located on the banks of this lake. This lake was created in 1979 and has eight islands. See also * Geography of Sri Lanka References {{Inland waters of Sri Lanka Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Reservoirs in Sri Lanka Bodies of water of Colombo District Lakes of Sri Lanka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
