Page 20 - Abacoa Community News - July '22

Page 20, Abacoa
Sri Lanka: Home Of The Lion People

By Don Kiselewski, MCC,
D.S., Palm Beach Gardens
Travel Leaders
Sri Lanka is a place that
many would find difficult to
locate on a world map. Not
exactly a household name,
like its former name, which is
common to tea lovers: Ceylon.
It’s a tiny pear-shaped island
just off the southern tip of
India, roughly 268 miles long Sri Lankan fishermen pull a big net in Bentota, Sri Lanka.
and 139 miles wide, with an area of 25,000 square miles. Its Fishing is a key occupation on the island nation’s sea coast.
highest point is Mount Pidurutalagaia at 8,281 feet, but perhaps The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka
the most spectacular sights are a series of escarpments on the then by the Dutch and lastly by the British. In 1948, after 150
western side of the central highlands. Called the world’s end, it years of British rule, Ceylon was the first of the British Crown The virgin forests of Sri Lanka are rich in flora and fauna.
is a sheer vertical surface over 4,000 feet high. colonies to attain dominion status. It was at this time that the These include leopards, elephants, bear, buffalo, and abundant
Located at the crossroads of maritime trade, the inhabitants started calling their island Lanka, a name which bird life. Ebony, mahogany, satinwood and teak are some of
island has had numerous names. Ancient Greeks called it translates to “resplendent.” It was admitted to the United Nations the specimens that grace these forests, but dramatic population
Taprobane, Arab’s referred to it as Serendib and it was the in 1955 and in 1972 the nation officially became Sri Lanka. growth is cutting into these reserves.
European mapmakers who titled it Ceylon, which is a name The island where both men and women wear sarongs is often Although Colombo is the capital city of Sri Lanka, it is
still used for some trade purposes. Sri Lanka became the referred to as “the navel of the world.” Kandy that’s considered the ancient hill capital of the island, for
official name in 1972. The largest of the island’s agricultural industries is the it is here that the 10-day Esala Perahera has been held for the last
In 543 B.C., 700 Sinhalese of Aryan-Dravidian stock production of rice. Over a quarter million acres of paddies have 16 centuries. This grand festival has taken on several meanings,
invaded Sri Lanka from India. The Sinhalese claimed origin been developed in the dry zone of the island. These are enhanced one of which is to commemorate the birth of the god Vishnu,
from Vijaya’s father Sinhabahu (Lion Hands), a legendary by controlled water flow from the mountains. However, it is who is said to have been the first one to see the light of day. The
ruler of northern India. As time progressed, they married the the famous black teas of Ceylon that is the preeminent crop of procession of gold- and silver-laden elephants has carried kings
daughters of the aboriginal Veddas, creating a new culture. the plantation sector. Tea is grown in the higher elevations of and sultans but is more directed to the religious relic displayed
Sinhalese (Lion People) was the name chosen by these people, the island in the wet zone, and rubber plantations flourish in during the parade, which believers clamor to see during one
to identify themselves with Vijaya’s father. A lion resembling the interior wet zone. The distinction between the two zones of these parades: the 2.5-inch-long left eyetooth of Buddha. It
Burmese and Chinese design is still a favorite emblem. This is the annual rainfall – the drier averages about 50 inches per was said to have made its way to the island by being smuggled
lion symbol, captured in white on a maroon background, can year, while the wet can go as high as three times this amount. into Ceylon, hidden within the hair of a Kalinga princess about
be seen on the national flag of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka isn’t exempt from horrific storms; the monsoon 483 B.C. In 1560, the tooth was confiscated and taken by the
Sri Lanka isn’t the new kid on the block. Sinhalese history season runs from May to September in the southwest and from Portuguese to Goa on the Indian mainland. It was since returned
reports events dating back two-and-a-half millennia, with the November to January in the northeast. to Ceylon and has been a part of the festival ever since, even
advent of Buddhism. Around 200 B.C., a city 100 square miles One of the most fascinating things I observed during my though the Portuguese maintain that the “relic” returned was
in area was the capital of the island. Named Anuradhapura, visit was young men and their elephants. I watched them work actually a reproduction of the actual tooth.
it was divided into an inner city that housed some 96,000 in dense forests, removing trees that had been cut. This beast Sri Dalada Mligawa (or the Temple of the Tooth) is the current
Buddhist priests, and an outer area for kings and laymen. It was of burden responded to their master’s voice commands like a resting place for this relic. It rests on a gold lotus-leaf mount that
located on the fertile plain and had its water supply brought well-trained guard dog pulling the fallen trees though the thick is placed on a solid silver table. It is shrouded by a golden bell-
from the mountains 40 miles away in huge canals, where it underbrush with the heavy chains that captured the load. Later shaped cover that is studded with jewels … all of this is in a cool
was then stored in large artificial lakes. I saw work elephants being tenderly washed and pampered by
So where is this amazing city today? It’s buried under 6 their masters down at the river. Sri Lanka on page 21
feet of soil. Now it is known as the lost city of Ceylon; the
Tamils did a thorough job when they invaded. They destroyed
the buildings as well as the irrigation system, returning the
area back to nature, which did its job to conceal the remains. WE CONNECT REAL PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE
Not one stone remained above another, like Jerusalem after
its final destruction. The exception to the destruction was the
four dagobas that remained. Dagobas are beehive-shaped
structures made of brick that are 300 to 400 feet high. They
were erected by kings to commemorate events or celebrate
the conquest of a rival. During the investigation of these ruins
by the British during their occupancy of the island, Sir James
Emerson Tennent calculated that it would have taken 500
bricklayers seven years to complete one of these structures.
The brick material in one of these dagobas would be enough It’s Time To Find
to construct a wall 1 foot wide and 10 feet high stretching from
London to Edinburgh. Your Summer
Nature lovers may want to take a look at what is billed Sweetheart
as the oldest tree in the world. It was brought to Ceylon
around 300 B.C., and is believed to have been grown from
a branch of the tree under which Gautama Buddha attained
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The three main ethnic groups – Sinhalese, Tamil and ♥ Love Local
Muslim – make up 99 percent of the country’s population. The ♥ Private & Confidential
Veddas, considered the original aboriginal inhabitants of the ♥ All Clients Pre-Screened
country, Parsis (immigrants from western India), and Burghers ♥ Photos & Bios Created In-House
(a mixed European descent) make up the remaining 1 percent.
Most interesting is how these groups have not intermixed, but ♥ One-on-One Matchmaking
have occupied specific areas of the island. The Sinalese have ♥ Representing Ages 21-80+
settled in the north-central, western, southern and central areas.
Sri Lankan Tamils are located in the northern lowlands and PALM BEACHES: 561.630.XOXO (9696)
the Jaffina Peninsula, while the main Muslim concentration TREASURE COAST: 772.932.HERE (4373)
is in the eastern lowlands. These Muslims trace their heritage REVOLUTIONDATING.COM
back to the Arab traders of the eighth century.
For nearly the last five centuries, this tiny island has been
under European rule. First it was controlled by the Portuguese, #TellYourFriends
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A Tamil woman from Sri Lanka breaks tea leaves on a
tea plantation.