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The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated on 9 August every year. On this day the rights of indigenous people and their issues are addressed and solutions are sorted. The International Labour Organisation defines Indigenous people as follows; ‘Indigenous people have their own cultures and institutions, which distinguish them from other parts … Continue reading Unheard Cries of the Children of the Forest →
“A professionalist is the better part of the perfectionist. He does not wait for results, he does not really care about criticism, but above all, he acts and does not rest on his laurels.” -Pawel Cislo On 7 July we celebrated the National Archaeology Day and the 130th anniversary of the Department of Archaeology which … Continue reading Corruption Hindering Preservation →
It is archaeologically proven that the golden era of the Sinhala civilisation sprang into life in the Northern and Eastern plains of the island.Therefore, a massive number of ruins can be witnessed in the North and Eastern Provinces today. Although many of these ruins were deliberately vandalised with the shallow hope of wiping out the … Continue reading Presidential Task Force for Archaeological Heritage Management in the Eastern Province →
“The limitations of archaeology are galling. It collects phenomena, but hardly ever can isolate them so as to interpret scientifically; it can frame any number of hypotheses, but rarely, if ever, scientifically prove.” – David George Hogarth Archaeological evidences come to historians’ aid during research while unravelling the mysteries of the past. These evidences help … Continue reading Far Beneath Fa-Hien Cave →
I walk through the ruins, as the path beckons me… As I feel the heartbeat of the ruins, and hear the riddles they whisper, I witness the story of a long lost civilization…. This is the story of Mihintale or Chethiya pabbatha; A place that bears an uncountable number of secrets, Only revealed to those … Continue reading A Walk Among the Ruins at Mihintale →
Antiquities of the Buddhist stupa: Part 2 A Buddhist stupa is a pleasant and common sight in every Buddhist country. A complex tangible and intangible culture has been woven around Buddhist stupas making the stupa the ultimate symbol of veneration among Buddhists. Eminent scholar A.H. Longhust in his much acclaimed scholarly work The Story of … Continue reading Sri Lanka’s first Stupa, Girihandu seya →
Part 1 A stupa is a common and delightful sight in almost every town and village in Sri Lanka. It is an architectural wonder as well as a pious and sacred object to the Buddhist. Over many centuries’ stupas has been the centre of various prayers, offerings and rituals. According to legend, the first known … Continue reading Antiquities of the Buddhist stupa: a study on rare and lesser known stupas of Sri Lanka. →
“O, Brother, do not fear or hide. Let me show you how to face death fearlessly.” His tender yet fearless voice echoed in the hearts of everyone. As the young child moved towards the dangediya he was beheaded in seconds. Then it was his brother’s turn followed by his siblings, mother and other relatives. It … Continue reading Commemorating the legendary child hero, Madduma Bandara. →
Vesak is no doubt the most glorious and colourful festival of the Buddhist world. During Vesak Buddhist devotees all over the world try their best to pay tribute to their master by decorating their surroundings with colourful lanterns, flags and various paintings. As the sun sets, the night is illuminated by thousands of lamps, candles … Continue reading The Historical Significance of Vesak for Sri Lanka →
අන්දිස් කඳුවැටියේ එක්තරා ප්රාග් ඓතිහාසික සුසාන භූමියකින් සොයා ගත් ගැහැණු ළමයාගේ මමිය දුටු විට සහ ඒ ගැන තොරතුරු දැනගත් විට මාගේ සිත අතිශයින්ම සසල විය. මිත්යා විශ්වාස වලින් අන්ධ වූ වැඩිහිටියන් විසින් මිලින කරන ලද ඒ අහිංසක ළපටි ජීවිතය ගැන මට විශාල කම්පාවක් ඇති විය. නව යොවුන් වියේ පසු වූ ඇයගේ සිත තුළ කෙතරම් නම් … Continue reading හිම කන්දේ දියණිය →