Page 10 - Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens - July '22

Page 10, Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens
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 and 139 miles wide, with an A group of Buddhist monks wearing traditional orange robes
area of 25,000 square miles. Its highest point is Mount in Galle, Sri Lanka. Galle is home of Fort Shri Sudarmalaya
Pidurutalagaia at 8,281 feet, but perhaps the most Buddist Temple.
spectacular sights are a series of escarpments on the The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka
western side of the central highlands. Called the world’s
end, it is a sheer vertical surface over 4,000 feet high. another, like Jerusalem after its final destruction. The
Located at the crossroads of maritime trade, the exception to the destruction was the four dagobas that
island has had numerous names. Ancient Greeks called remained. Dagobas are beehive-shaped structures made of
it Taprobane, Arab’s referred to it as Serendib and it was brick that are 300 to 400 feet high. They were erected by
the European mapmakers who titled it Ceylon, which kings to commemorate events or celebrate the conquest
is a name still used for some trade purposes. Sri Lanka of a rival. During the investigation of these ruins by the
became the official name in 1972. British during their occupancy of the island, Sir James
In 543 B.C., 700 Sinhalese of Aryan-Dravidian stock Emerson Tennent calculated that it would have taken
invaded Sri Lanka from India. The Sinhalese claimed 500 bricklayers seven years to complete one of these
origin from Vijaya’s father Sinhabahu (Lion Hands), a structures. The brick material in one of these dagobas
legendary ruler of northern India. As time progressed, would be enough to construct a wall 1 foot wide and 10 Sri Lankan fishermen pull a big net in Bentota, Sri Lanka.
they married the daughters of the aboriginal Veddas, feet high stretching from London to Edinburgh. Fishing is a key occupation on the island nation’s sea coast.
creating a new culture. Sinhalese (Lion People) was the Nature lovers may want to take a look at what is billed
name chosen by these people, to identify themselves with as the oldest tree in the world. It was brought to Ceylon rainfall – the drier averages about 50 inches per year,
Vijaya’s father. A lion resembling Burmese and Chinese around 300 B.C., and is believed to have been grown while the wet can go as high as three times this amount.
design is still a favorite emblem. This lion symbol, from a branch of the tree under which Gautama Buddha Sri Lanka isn’t exempt from horrific storms; the monsoon
captured in white on a maroon background, can be seen attained his Buddhahood. season runs from May to September in the southwest and
on the national flag of Sri Lanka. The three main ethnic groups – Sinhalese, Tamil and from November to January in the northeast.
Sri Lanka isn’t the new kid on the block. Sinhalese Muslim – make up 99 percent of the country’s population. One of the most fascinating things I observed during
history reports events dating back two-and-a-half The Veddas, considered the original aboriginal inhabitants my visit was young men and their elephants. I watched
millennia, with the advent of Buddhism. Around 200 of the country, Parsis (immigrants from western India), them work in dense forests, removing trees that had been
B.C., a city 100 square miles in area was the capital of and Burghers (a mixed European descent) make up the cut. This beast of burden responded to their master’s voice
the island. Named Anuradhapura, it was divided into an remaining 1 percent. Most interesting is how these groups commands like a well-trained guard dog pulling the fallen
inner city that housed some 96,000 Buddhist priests, and have not intermixed, but have occupied specific areas of trees though the thick underbrush with the heavy chains
an outer area for kings and laymen. It was located on the the island. The Sinalese have settled in the north-central, that captured the load. Later I saw work elephants being
fertile plain and had its water supply brought from the western, southern and central areas. Sri Lankan Tamils are tenderly washed and pampered by their masters down at
mountains 40 miles away in huge canals, where it was located in the northern lowlands and the Jaffina Peninsula, the river.
then stored in large artificial lakes. while the main Muslim concentration is in the eastern The virgin forests of Sri Lanka are rich in flora and
So where is this amazing city today? It’s buried under lowlands. These Muslims trace their heritage back to the fauna. These include leopards, elephants, bear, buffalo,
6 feet of soil. Now it is known as the lost city of Ceylon; Arab traders of the eighth century. and abundant bird life. Ebony, mahogany, satinwood and
the Tamils did a thorough job when they invaded. They For nearly the last five centuries, this tiny island has teak are some of the specimens that grace these forests, but
destroyed the buildings as well as the irrigation system, been under European rule. First it was controlled by the dramatic population growth is cutting into these reserves.
returning the area back to nature, which did its job to Portuguese, then by the Dutch and lastly by the British. In Although Colombo is the capital city of Sri Lanka, it
conceal the remains. Not one stone remained above 1948, after 150 years of British rule, Ceylon was the first is Kandy that’s considered the ancient hill capital of the
of the British Crown colonies to attain dominion status. It island, for it is here that the 10-day Esala Perahera has
was at this time that the inhabitants started calling their been held for the last 16 centuries. This grand festival
island Lanka, a name which translates to “resplendent.” It has taken on several meanings, one of which is to
was admitted to the United Nations in 1955 and in 1972 commemorate the birth of the god Vishnu, who is said
the nation officially became Sri Lanka. The island where to have been the first one to see the light of day. The
both men and women wear sarongs is often referred to as procession of gold- and silver-laden elephants has carried
“the navel of the world.” kings and sultans but is more directed to the religious relic
The largest of the island’s agricultural industries is displayed during the parade, which believers clamor to see
the production of rice. Over a quarter million acres of during one of these parades: the 2.5-inch-long left eyetooth
paddies have been developed in the dry zone of the island. of Buddha. It was said to have made its way to the island
These are enhanced by controlled water flow from the by being smuggled into Ceylon, hidden within the hair
mountains. However, it is the famous black teas of Ceylon of a Kalinga princess about 483 B.C. In 1560, the tooth
that is the preeminent crop of the plantation sector. Tea was confiscated and taken by the Portuguese to Goa on
is grown in the higher elevations of the island in the wet the Indian mainland. It was since returned to Ceylon and
A Tamil woman from Sri Lanka breaks tea leaves on a zone, and rubber plantations flourish in the interior wet
tea plantation. zone. The distinction between the two zones is the annual Sri Lanka on page 11

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