1.
Cinnamon Gardens
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Cinnamon Gardens is a neighbourhood of Colombo, Sri Lanka located 3 kilometers south-east from Colombos centre. Cinnamon Gardens is named from the cinnamon plantation in this area. In the year 1789, there were 289 acres of trees in the gardens. It is also the location of the Colombo Department of Meteorology, Cinnamon Gardens is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic area. The major ethnic communities in Cinnamon Gardens are Sinhalese and Tamils, ethnic minorities include Burghers and Arab descendants. Religions include Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and various other religions, bishops College Buddhist Ladies College Carey College, Colombo Colombo International School D
2.
Colombo
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Colombo is the commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million and it is the financial centre of the island and a popular tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is within the urban area of, and a satellite city of, Colombo. It is also the capital of Western Province, Sri Lanka. Colombo is a busy and vibrant place with a mixture of life and colonial buildings. It was the capital of Sri Lanka until 1982. Due to its harbour and its strategic position along the East-West sea trade routes. It was made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, in 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. The main city is home to a majority of Sri Lankas corporate offices, restaurants, the name Colombo, first introduced by the Portuguese in 1505, is believed to be derived from the classical Sinhalese name කොලොන් තොට Kolon thota, meaning port on the river Kelani. Another belief is that the name is derived from the Sinhalese name කොල-අඹ-තොට Kola-amba-thota which means Harbour with leafy mango trees, the author of the oldest Sinhalese grammar, Sidatsangarava, written in the 13th century wrote about a category of words that exclusively belonged to early Sinhalese. It lists naramba and kolamba as belonging to an indigenous source, kolamba may also be the source of the name of the commercial capital Colombo. As Colombo possesses a harbour, it was known to Indian, Greeks, Persians, Romans, Arabs. Traveller Ibn Batuta who visited the island in the 14th century and their descendants now comprise the local Sri Lankan Moor community. Portuguese explorers led by Dom Lourenço de Almeida first arrived in Sri Lanka in 1505, as part of the treaty, the Portuguese were given full authority over the coastline in exchange for the promise of guarding the coast against invaders. They were allowed to establish a trading post in Colombo, within a short time, however, they expelled the Muslim inhabitants of Colombo and began to build a fort in 1517. Following the fall of the kingdom in 1593, the Portuguese were able to complete control over the coastal area. This part of Colombo is still known as Fort and houses the presidential palace, the area immediately outside Fort is known as Pettah and is a commercial hub. In 1638 the Dutch signed a treaty with King Rajasinha II of Kandy which assured the king assistance in his war against the Portuguese in exchange for a monopoly of the major trade goods
3.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
4.
Monument
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The term monument is often applied to buildings or structures that are considered examples of important architectural and/or cultural heritage. Monuments have been created for thousands of years, and they are often the most durable, in more recent times, monumental structures such as the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower have become iconic emblems of modern nation-states. The term monumentality relates to the status and physical presence of a monument. Monuments are frequently used to improve the appearance of a city or location, planned cities such as Washington D. C. New Delhi and Brasília are often built around monuments, for example, the Washington Monuments location was conceived by LEnfant to help organize public space in the city, before it was designed or constructed. Older cities have monuments placed at locations that are important or are sometimes redesigned to focus on one. As Shelley suggested in his famous poem Ozymandias, the purpose of monuments is often to impress or awe. Structures created for purposes that have been made notable by their age. This can happen because of age and size, as in the case of the Great Wall of China. Monuments are also designed to convey historical or political information. They can be used to reinforce the primacy of political power. The social meanings of monuments are rarely fixed and certain and are contested by different social groups. This contention of meaning is a theme of modern post processual archaeological discourse. Until recently, it was customary for archaeologists to study large monuments, New ideas about what constitutes the archaeological record have revealed that certain legislative and theoretical approaches to the subject are too focused on earlier definitions of monuments. An example has been the United Kingdoms Scheduled Ancient Monument laws, recently, more and more monuments are being preserved digitally through organisations as CyArk. Cenotaphs and other memorials to commemorate the dead, usually war casualties, e. g. India Gate and Vimy Ridge Memorial, or disaster casualties, such as the Titanic Memorial, Belfast. Church monuments to commemorate the dead, located above or near their grave, often featuring an effigy, columns, often topped with a statue, e. g. Berlin Victory Column, Nelsons Column in London, and Trajans Column in Rome. Gravestones, small monuments to the deceased, placed at their gravesites, e. g. the tombs and vaults of veterans in Les Invalides, mausoleums and tombs to honor the dead, e. g. the Great Pyramid of Giza and Taj Mahal
5.
Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia near south-east India. Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest, Sri Lankas documented history spans 3,000 years, with evidence of pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years. Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to World War II. Sri Lanka was known from the beginning of British colonial rule until 1972 as Ceylon, Sri Lankas recent history has been marred by a thirty-year civil war which decisively ended when the Sri Lankan military defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009. A diverse and multicultural country, Sri Lanka is home to many religions, ethnic groups, in addition to the majority Sinhalese, it is home to large groups of Sri Lankan and Indian Tamils, Moors, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs and the aboriginal Vedda. Sri Lanka has a rich Buddhist heritage, and the first known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka is a republic and a unitary state governed by a semi-presidential system. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the capital and largest city. Along with the Maldives, Sri Lanka is one of the two countries in South Asia that are rated among high human development on the Human Development Index. In antiquity, Sri Lanka was known to travellers by a variety of names, according to the Mahavamsa, the legendary Prince Vijaya named the land Tambapanni, because his followers hands were reddened by the red soil of the area. In Hindu mythology, such as the Mahabharata, the island was referred to as Lankā, in Tamil, the island is referred to as Eelam. Ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobanā or Taprobanē from the word Tambapanni, as a British crown colony, the island was known as Ceylon, it achieved independence as the Dominion of Ceylon in 1948. The country is known in Sinhalese as Śrī Laṃkā and in Tamil as Ilaṅkai, in 1972, its formal name was changed to Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka. Later in 1978 it was changed to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, as the name Ceylon still appears in the names of a number of organisations, the Sri Lankan government announced in 2011 a plan to rename all those over which it has authority. The pre-history of Sri Lanka goes back 125,000 years, the era spans the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and early Iron Ages. Among the Paleolithic human settlements discovered in Sri Lanka, Pahiyangala and it is said that Kubera was overthrown by his demon stepbrother Ravana, the powerful emperor who built a mythical flying machine named Dandu Monara. The modern city of Wariyapola is described as Ravanas airport, early inhabitants of Sri Lanka were probably ancestors of the Vedda people, an indigenous people numbering approximately 2,500 living in modern-day Sri Lanka. According to the Mahāvamsa, a written in Pāḷi, the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka are the Yakshas and Nagas. Ancient cemeteries that were used before 600BC and other signs of advanced civilization has also discovered in Sri Lanka
6.
Royal Highness
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Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes other than monarchs and their female consorts. When used as a form of address, spoken or written. When used as a reference, it is gender-specific and, in plural. Holders of the style Royal Highness generally rank below holders of the style Imperial Highness, by the 17th century, all local rulers in Italy adopted the style Highness, that was once used by kings and emperors only. Thus, the first use of the style Royal Highness was recorded in 1633, gaston, Duke of Orléans, younger son of King Henry IV of France, encountered the style in Brussels and assumed it himself. His children later used the style, considering it their prerogative as grandchildren of France, by the 18th century, Royal Highness had become the prevalent style for members of a continental reigning dynasty whose head bore the hereditary title of king or queen. The titles of members of non-hereditary rulers were less clear. Even in the cases of the titles, they usually only exist as courtesies. The chiefly appellation Kabiyesi is likewise used as the equivalent of the HRH, the title of Archduke or Archduchess of Austria was known to be complemented with the style of Royal Highness to all of the members of the House of Habsburg and later the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. The title of Prince/Princess of the Netherlands with the style of H. R. H. is or may be granted by law to the following classes of persons. The heir apparent to the throne, the spouse of the heir apparent. The children of the monarch, other than the heir apparent, the children of the heir apparent. A Prince/Princess of Orange-Nassau who is not also a Prince/Princess of the Netherlands is addressed as His/Her Highness without the predicate royal and that is the case for example of the children of Princess Margriet, younger daughter of the late Queen Juliana. In the British monarchy the style of Royal Highness is associated with the rank of prince or princess and this is especially important when a prince has another title such as Duke by which he or she would usually be addressed. In the United Kingdom, letters patent dated 21 August 1996 stated that the wife of a member of the Royal Family loses the right to the style of HRH in the event of their divorce. It was for this reason that when the Prince and Princess of Wales divorced, she ceased to be Royal Highness, and was styled Diana, Princess of Wales. Almost a year before, according to the claim of writer Tina Brown. The Princess of Wales is said to have replied, My title is a lot older than yours and she noted that the Spencer family, the family she was born to, is older than the House of Windsor
7.
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
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Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, KG, KT, KP, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, PC was a soldier and third son of King George V and Queen Mary. He also served as the eleventh Governor-General of Australia from 1945 to 1947, the Duke served as a soldier for most of his life. At his death in 1974, he was the last surviving knight of the Order of St. Patrick, as well as the last surviving child of King George V, Prince Henry was born on 31 March 1900, at York Cottage, on the Sandringham Estate. His father was the Duke of York, the eldest surviving son of the Prince of Wales and his mother was Mary of Teck, the only daughter of Prince Francis, Duke of Teck and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. At the time of his birth, he was fifth in the line of succession to the throne, behind his grandfather, father and he was informally known to his family as Harry. As a young boy, Prince Henry suffered from ill health very much like his older brother Albert and he also had knocked knees and had to wear painful leg splints. He was a nervous child, and was often victim to spontaneous fits of crying or giggling. On top of this, Henry also had a nasal lisp, by 1909, Henry’s poor health had become a serious concern for his parents. He was very small for his age and was prone to get very aggressive colds, “You must remember that he is rather fragile and must be treated differently to his two elder brothers who are more robust, ” wrote Prince George to Henry’s tutor, Henry Peter Hansell. On 6 May 1910, Prince George became king and Henry, the King was persuaded by Mr. Hansell that it would be good for Henry’s character to attend school, where he could interact with boys his age. The King, having previously rejected this proposition for his two sons, agreed on the basis that it would help him “behave like a boy. Prince Henry became the first son of a British monarch to attend school. After three days at St Peters Court in Broadstairs, as a day boy, Mr. Hansell, noticing he liked it, asked the King to send him as a boarder, Henry spent three years at St Peters Court. Academically, he was not very bright, although he did show a particular aptitude in mathematics, Henry’s sole interest became sports, particularly cricket and football. “All you write about is your everlasting football of which I am heartily sick, ” wrote his mother, in September 1913 Henry started at Eton College and during the First World War, a member of his house was Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium, later King Leopold III. His studies did not improve but his nerves and disposition did and he made friends through his enthusiasm for sports, and his masters were very pleased with him, noting in his report that he was “thoroughly willing, cheerful, modest & obedient”. To his father, these values were the most important, having no time or interest in what he called “intellectuals”. By the time he went to Cambridge in 1919 with his brother Albert, unlike his brothers, Prince Henry joined the Army instead of the Royal Navy
8.
D. S. Senanayake
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Don Stephen Senanayake, PC was the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. He emerged as the leader of the Sri Lankan independence movement that led to the establishment of self-rule in Sri Lanka and he served as Prime Minister from the formation of an independent nation in 1948 until he died in office in 1952. He is considered as the Father of the Nation and he was born in the village of Botale. He was the son of Mudaliyar Don Spater Senanayake and Dona Catherina Elizabeth Perera Gunasekera Senanayake and he had two brothers, Don Charles D. C. Senanayake and Fredric Richard F. R. Senanayake, and one sister, brought up in a devout Buddhist family, he entered the prestigious Anglican school S. Thomas College, Mutwal. After completing schooling, he worked as a clerk in the Surveyor Generals Department, the three Senanayake brothers were involved in the temperance movement formed in 1912. When World War I broke out in 1914 they joined the Colombo Town Guard, the brothers were imprisoned without charges during the 1915 riots and faced the prospect of execution since the British Governor Sir Robert Chalmers considered the temperance movement as seditious. Brutal suppression of the riots by the British initiated the independence movement led by the educated middle class. Don Stephen and Don Charles were prominent members of the political party Lanka Mahajana Sabha, Fredrick Richard and Don Charles were committed supporters of the Young Mens Buddhist Association. D. S. Senanayake played a role in the independence movement. In 1924 Senanayake was elected unopposed to the Legislative Council of Ceylon from Negombo, Fredrick Richard died on a pilgrimage to Buddha Gaya in 1925 and Don Stephen assumed his leadership of the independence movement. In 1931 he was elected to the newly formed State Council of Ceylon representing the Ceylon National Congress and he effectively combated Ceylons agricultural problems and established the Land Development Ordinance, an agricultural policy to counter Ceylons rice problems. This policy earned him respect, and he continued to be a minister for fifteen years and he also enforced a productivity programme of Agricultural Modernisation. At the onset of World War II in the far east, D. S. Senanayake, as Minister of Agriculture and Lands and a member of the Ceylon war cabinet took an active role in food supply and control. A close relationship developed between Senanayake and the deputy commissioner Dr Ivor Jennings, principal of the Ceylon University College, Jennings, an expert on constitutional law, subsequently became D. Ss adviser on constitutional reforms aimed at gaining independence for the island. In December 1942, Senanayake became the Leader of the House and Vice Chairman of the Board of Ministers in the State Council, upon the retirement of Sir Baron Jayatilaka, Minister of Home Affairs. On 26 May 1943, the British Government made the Whitehall Declaration of 1943 on Ceylon constitutional change and this bypassed the Governor, who called for a commission from the colonial office to halt the activities of the ministers. In 1944, the Soulbury Commission was formed, in 1945, following Labours win in the 1945 general election, he proceeded to London and met the newly appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies, George Hall
9.
Senate of Ceylon
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The Senate was the upper chamber of the parliament of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Commission. The Senate was appointed/indirectly elected rather than directly elected, the Senate was housed in the old Legislative Council building in Colombo Fort and met for the first time on 12 November 1947. The Senate was abolished on 2 October 1971 by the amendment to the Soulbury Constitution. In 2010 there were proposals to reintroduce the Senate, with the recommendations of the Soulbury Commission, the Senate of Ceylon was established in 1947 as the upper house of Parliament of Ceylon. The Senate was modelled on the House of Lords in the United Kingdom and it was a thirty-member Senate where the members where appointed rather than elected. One of its aims was to act as a revising chamber by scrutinizing or amending bills. This was intended to act as a barrier to prevent the government in power trying to rush through important legislations without giving adequate time to consider such legislations. The Senate had also been dominated by the United National Party since its creation, the bills second reading was passed by the House of Representatives on 21 May 1971. The Senate met for the last time on 28 September 1971, the Ceylon Amendment Act, No.36 of 1971 received Royal Assent on 2 October 1971, becoming the eighth amendment to the Soulbury Constitution. The Senate was abolished in 1971 after nearly 24 years of existence, a unicameral parliamentary system was introduced with the adaptation of the Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka in 1972. Recently there have been consideration into the reintroduction of a senate into the Parliament of Sri Lanka, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance Government, led by Mahinda Rajapaksa, is exploring possibilities to change the existing parliamentary system significantly. Therefore, the proposed Senate will have a total of 65 Members,28 Sinhalese, the Senate was intended to act as a revising chamber, scrutinizing and amending bills which had been passed by the House of Representatives. The model for the Senates role was the House of Lords in the United Kingdom, all Parliamentary Bills other than Money Bills could originate in the Senate. The Senate couldnt reject or amend or delay beyond one month a Money Bill, if any other Bill, that had been passed twice by the House of Representatives, is rejected by the Senate twice it was deemed to have been passed by both chambers. The Senate consisted of 30 members,15 member were elected by the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, using the proportional representation system, each MP having a single transferable vote. The other 15 members were appointed by the Governor-General of Ceylon on advice of the Prime Minister, the Senators were known as Elected Senators and Appointed Senators respectively. The minimum age for membership of the Senate was 35 and members of the House of Representatives werent allowed to be members of the Senate, at least two government ministers had to be Senators. No more than two Senators could be Parliamentary Secretaries, the normal term of office of a Senator was six years
10.
House of Representatives (Ceylon)
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The House of Representatives was the lower chamber of the parliament of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Constitution. The House was housed in the old State Council building in Galle Face Green, Colombo, the First Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka, adopted on 22 May 1972, replaced the House of Representatives with the unicameral National State Assembly. The House of Representatives initially consisted of 101 members, of whom 95 were elected by the electors of the 89 electoral districts, the members were known as Members of Parliament. The six appointed members represented important interests which were not represented or inadequately represented in the House, the fourth amendment to the Soulbury Constitution increased the number of members to 157. The initial 89 electoral districts consisted of 84 single-member districts, four two-member districts, from March 1960 there were 145 electoral districts consisting of 140 single-member districts, four two-member districts and one three-member district. Alfred Francis Molamure Albert F. Peries H. S. Ismail T. B, the Official Website of the Government of Sri Lanka. Chapter 11, On the threshold of freedom
11.
Order of the British Empire
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There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order. Recommendations for appointments to the Order of the British Empire were at first made on the nomination of the United Kingdom, the self-governing Dominions of the Empire, nominations continue today from Commonwealth countries that participate in recommending British honours. Most members are citizens of the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth realms that use the Imperial system of honours and awards. Honorary knighthoods are appointed to citizens of nations where the Queen is not head of state, occasionally, honorary appointees are, incorrectly, referred to as Sir or Dame – Bill Gates or Bob Geldof, for example. In particular, King George V wished to create an Order to honour many thousands of those who had served in a variety of non-combatant roles during the First World War, when first established, the Order had only one division. However, in 1918, soon after its foundation, it was divided into Military. The Orders motto is For God and the Empire, at the foundation of the Order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. In 1922, this was renamed the British Empire Medal, in addition, the BEM is awarded by the Cook Islands and by some other Commonwealth nations. The British monarch is Sovereign of the Order, and appoints all members of the Order. The next most senior member is the Grand Master, of whom there have been three, Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales, Queen Mary, and the current Grand Master, the Duke of Edinburgh. The Order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross,845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the number of members of the fourth and fifth classes. Foreign recipients, as members, do not contribute to the numbers restricted to the Order as full members do. Though men can be knighted separately from an order of chivalry, women cannot, and so the rank of Knight/Dame Commander of the Order is the lowest rank of damehood, and second-lowest of knighthood. Because of this, Dame Commander is awarded in circumstances in which a man would be created a Knight Bachelor, for example, by convention, female judges of the High Court of Justice are created Dames Commander after appointment, while male judges become Knights Bachelor. The Order has six officials, the Prelate, the Dean, the Secretary, the Registrar, the King of Arms, the Bishop of London, a senior bishop in the Church of England, serves as the Orders Prelate. The Dean of St Pauls is ex officio the Dean of the Order, the Orders King of Arms is not a member of the College of Arms, as are many other heraldic officers. From time to time, individuals are appointed to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of the junior post-nominal letters
12.
Justin Samarasekera
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Justin Samarasekera was a Sri Lankan architect. He is considered to be one of the fathers of the architectural profession in Sri Lanka. Upon his return to Sri Lanka he joined the Public Works Department before leaving for London, in 1946 he worked for the architectural firm, Thomas Bennett and Son, in Holborn, a prominent firm in the UK New Town Movement. He returned to Sri Lanka and continued to work at the PWD, in 1963 Samarasekera established his own private practice, Justin Samarasekera Associates. Samarasekera was a member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects and was actively involved in the establishment of the architectural course at the University of Moratuwa. He was the first president of Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science and he also served as the president of Sri Lanka Institute of Architects and the president of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka. In 1996 he received the SLIA Gold Medal, the Associations highest honour, in 1996 following his retirement Samarasekera re-commenced painting, with exhibitions of his works being held in 1997 and 1998
13.
Kingdom of Kandy
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Kingdom of Kandy was an independent monarchy of the island of 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, the kingdom was absorbed into the British Empire as a protectorate following the Kandyan Convention of 1815, and definitively lost its autonomy following the Uva Rebellion of 1817. Over the years, the Kingdom of Kandy has been known by many names, routes to the city were kept secret, and spreading information concerning them could often result in death. Many routes into the country became impassable during the annual monsoon. Though the kingdom had intermittent access to the port of Batticaloa it had no forces and could not prevent the Portuguese. The city of Senkadagalapura may have been founded as early as the century during the reign of Vikramabahu III of Gampola. Following the Spoiling of Vijayabahu in 1521, the kingdom of Kotte split into three competing states – Sitawaka, Raigama, and Bhuvanekabahu VIIs kingdom of Kotte, of these Sitawaka, under the dynamic leadership of Mayadunne, posed the greatest threat to the autonomy of the other states. In 1522, the Kandyans secured Portuguese protection against Sitawaka, but any potential for alliance ended in 1546 when Portuguese, Kandy subsequently lent aid to the Jaffna Kingdom against the Portuguese in 1560. Kandy territory was invaded twice in the 1570s and 1580s, first in 1574, both eventually fell under Portuguese warship, converted to Christianity, and adopted the names Dona Catherina and Don Phillip respectively. In the meanwhile the Portuguese also laid claim to the Kandyan realm, Wirasundara Mudiyanse, Rajasinhas viceroy in the area, rebelled soon after the initial conquest, though his uprising was crushed another occurred in 1588. Resistance eventually coalesced around Konnappu Bandara, son of Wirasundara, who had fled to Portuguese lands following his fathers murder by agents of Rajasinha, between 1591 and 1594, he returned to the area, seized the Kandyan throne under the name Vimaladharmasuriya I and married Dona Catherina. Victories over the Sitawakans and the Portuguese secured his position, the strategic situation in Sri Lanka changed dramatically during Vimaladharmasuryas rise to power. To the north, the Portuguese deposed the king Puviraja Pandaram of the Jaffna Kingdom in 1591, in 1594, Rajasinha I died and the kingdom of Sitawaka disintegrated. Kandy remained the sole native polity outside of European dominance, hostilities between the Portuguese and the Kandyans continued throughout the rest of Vimaladharmasuryas reign. The Kandyans lent aid to a rebellion led by Domingos Correa and later Simao Correa, Sinhala subjects of Dharmapala, a Portuguese incursion in 1604 saw them capture Balane, but dissent amongst their Lascarin troops forced a withdrawal back to the coast. Relations between the Dutch Republic and the Kandyans were initiated on the 2 June 1602 when Dutch explorer Joris van Spilbergen arrived at Santhamuruthu on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka. Later that year the Dutch East India Company despatched Sebald de Weert to Kandy in an attempt to negotiate a treaty. The visit ended in disaster when the visitors offended their Kandyan hosts with their behaviour and in the ensuing fracas de Weert and a several of his entourage were killed
14.
Kandyan Convention
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The Kandyan Convention was an agreement signed on 10 March 1815 between the British and the Chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom, in Sri Lanka for the deposition of rule King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. The king who was of South Indian ancestry faced powerful opposition from the Sinhalese chieftains who sought to reduce his power, a successful coup was organized by the Sinhala chieftains in which they accepted the British crown as their new king. This ended the line of the Kingdom of Kandy and King Rajasinha was taken as a prisoner, by 2 March 1815 the islands sovereignty was under that of the British Empire. This unique treaty was not signed by the deposed King but by members of his court, because the king was hiding from the British, later he was captured and banished to Vellore in south India. Before the signing of the convention, a British soldier took down the Kandyan flag, wariyapola Sri Sumangala Thero, saw what had happened and quickly replaced the British flag with the Kandyan one. The soldier got angry but before he could do anything, Sir John DOyly who was nearby, robert Brownrigg - Quartermaster-General and in 1813 Governor of Ceylon John DOyly - Chief Translator to the Government Jas. The king is declared fallen and deposed and the claim of his dynasty. All his male relatives are banished from the island, the religion of Buddhism is declared inviolable and its rights to be maintained and protected. All forms of torture and mutilations are abolished. The governor alone can sentence a person to death and all capital publishments to take place in the presence of accredited agents of the government, other non-Kandyans position to remain according to British law. The proclamation annexing the Three and Four Korales and Sabaragamuwa is repealed, the dues and revenues to be collected for the King of England as well as for the maintenance of internal establishments in the island. The Governor alone can facilitate trade and commerce, herath The 1815 Kandyan Convention at the Audience Hall The signing of the Kandyan Convention Kandyan Convention of 1815 Kandyan Convention of 1815 by Dr. K. D. G
15.
Radala
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Radala refers to a small minority caste in the Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka. They were the aristocracy of the Kingdom of Kandy, the term Radala is coming from the combination of words Radh and Kola or Kula, which literally means the royal caste. The word Radala came into existence after the throne of the Kingdom of Kandy went to the Nayak Dynasty, higher officials in the court of Vira Narendra Sinha were offered this state and Nayakkara prince was selected as king over kings son by a local queen. Traditionally, Radala was not a term used for all officials of the state. In the Sinhala version of the Kandyan Convention of 1815, only the Adigars, Dissavas, the 19th century British rulers who created an extensive class of New Radalas in the Kandyan territory were keen to call them an aristocracy to assist them with its administration. However Sri Lankan history shows that many Kandyan Radalas were civil and military officials of the court and considered aristocratic, the offspring of Kandyan Kings from aristocratic concubines were those that were originally considered as Radalas. In addition to a queen and one or two secondary queens, Kandyan kings also had a Harem. Harem ladies from royal stock were called Randoli, ladies of the Radala and Govigama castes were taken into the harem as Yakadadoli and sometimes as Randolis. Favourite concubines frequently received land grants and their offspring were appointed as officials of the royal court. As a result of this, Mampitiya Bandara and Unamboowe Bandara, born to Radala yakadadolis and fathered by Kandyan kings, could have ascendened the Kandyan throne. Apart from having to dress in full in the presence of the King. They were permitted to use their own ancestral and military insignia, swords, umbrellas, jewellery, some Chiefs were merely personal attendants of the King. The Diyawadana Nilame was the Kings personal Valet responsible for bathing and dressing of the King, the traditional Kandyan Radala of the past had considered themselves to be an exclusive caste and not part of the Govigama caste. Bryce Ryan observed as recent as 1953 that Radalas repudiated Govi connections, the Radalas as a community had had significant power over the throne of Kandy. After capturing the Kandyan provinces in 1815, the British soon created a class of New Radalas in the Kandyan territory to assist them with its administration. They were all from anglicized families and were considered pillars of the Anglican church and they had English first names and their children too were similarly named. In addition they had a string of high sounding Sinhala names taken on when receiving their appointment from the British, some of these names were from Kandyan families that had ceased to exist or were severely reduced, and from purported ancestors with dubious connections. The new British-made Radala class were immediately rejected by the original Kandyan Radalas, the new British-made Radalas tried unsuccessfully to rename themselves with the names of famous Kandyan Radalas such as the Keppitipolas, Mampitiyas, and Ranarajas
16.
The Amazing Race Asia 4
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The Amazing Race Asia is a reality television game show based on the American series, The Amazing Race. The fourth installment of the show features teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around Asia and the Pacific Rim. Production for this installment was delayed in 2009 and it is also the first Amazing Race series to be filmed and broadcast in high-definition. Applications ended 31 March 2010, after an extension due to popular demand. Semi-finalist and finalist interviews were held between March/April, filming took place June to July 2010. The season premiered on 23 September 2010, the identities of the contestants were revealed on 2 September 2010. The premiere episode also shown on AXNs website on 16 September 2010, a special episode was aired on 2 December 2010, a week before the season finale. Filipino friends Richard Hardin & Richard Herrera were the winners of the race, the fourth season of The Amazing Race Asia is the first Amazing Race to be broadcast in high-definition television. Besides the switch to high-definition, updated graphics and music, were introduced. The opening intro was also updated with a new title card, of note, is the addition of the use of split-screens. According to AXN, this season is dubbed as Ride of a Lifetime, allan noted that this season will travel to exotic locations and feature new challenges. This season features a visit to Sri Lanka, as well as visits to far-flung areas including Invercargill, New Zealand. Indonesia was also a previously visited country and was never visited in the original American edition, Leg 5 was said to be the most expensive production to date. It features teams riding numerous forms of transportations, airplanes, bus, passenger jeep, carrier jeep, jet ski, Leg 7 once again featured a Virtual Pit Stop, returning from Season 2, creating a superleg with leg 8. Similar to previous superlegs, teams are ordered to continue racing from the Virtual Pit Stop until reaching a real Pit Stop in the next leg, teams are not awarded a prize for coming first at the Virtual Pit Stop, however teams positions are reflected in the table below. This is the first Amazing Race Asia season to start and end in two different countries, starting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and ending in Singapore, albeit having close proximity of the two locations. In some foreign editions, starting and ending locations are in different countries, but not in the original American edition and this also marks the first time wherein a contestant was absent at the final pitstop, specifically Lani Pillinger due to a broken collar bone. Season 4s cast include the shows first father-daughter team, as well as martial arts experts, tattooists, social workers, like in previous Asian editions, this season features a large number of media personalities or their relatives
17.
The Amazing Race Asia
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The Amazing Race Asia is a reality game show based on the American series The Amazing Race. On 17 October 2005, CBS gave other countries the chance to franchise The Amazing Race, the Asian cable TV network AXN Asia was among the first to acquire the rights to produce a version for its territories. The show is produced by Australian television production company ActiveTV, for AXN, in association with Disney Media Distribution, the host for the show is Singapore based Chinese-American actor Allan Wu. The ultimate prize is US$100,000, whilst the American show gives away US$1,000,000, in mid 2016, it was announced that the series will return in late 2016 after a 6-year hiatus. Then it was produced by Sony Pictures Television in the revival series, the Amazing Race Asia is a reality television competition between ten teams of two in a race around the world. The first team to arrive at a Pit Stop is often awarded a prize while the last team is eliminated from the race. The final leg of each race is run by the last three remaining teams, and the first to arrive at the final destination wins the US$100,000 cash prize, each team is composed of two individuals who have some type of relationship to each other. A total of 80 participants have joined The Amazing Race Asia, because of the various languages spoken around Asia and the fact that the show is broadcast on an English-language network, participants are all required to be able to communicate in English. The contestants chosen to appear are from various Asian countries and not limited to one country of origin, from season 2 onwards, Japanese residents were eligible to participate, having been ineligible for season 1. Route Markers are yellow and red flags that mark the places where teams must go, Route Markers were, however, coloured yellow and white in the second leg of season 3 to avoid confusion with the flag of South Vietnam. Clues are found throughout the race in sealed envelopes, normally inside clue boxes and they give teams the information they need and tasks they need to do in order for them to progress through the race. Route Info, A general clue that may include a task to be completed by the team before they can receive their next clue, Detour, A choice of two tasks. Teams are free to choose either task or swap tasks if they find one too difficult. Roadblock, A task only one member can complete. Teams must choose which member will complete the task based on a clue about the task before fully revealing the details of the task. Fast Forward, A task that one team may complete, allowing that team to skip all remaining tasks. Teams may only claim one Fast Forward during the entire race, teams may only use their ability to yield another team once throughout the race. Intersection, Introduced in season 2, It indicates that two teams must complete tasks together until a clue indicates that they have been unintersected
18.
The Amazing Race Australia 1
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The Amazing Race Australia 1 is the first series of the Australian reality television game show The Amazing Race Australia, the Australian version of The Amazing Race. The first series featured eleven teams of two in a relationship, in a race around the world to win the grand prize of A$250,000. The show was produced by activeTV Australia, the show premiered on Australias Seven Network on 16 May 2011 at 8, 30pm. The series finale was aired on 1 August 2011, the series concluded with best friends and surfers Tyler Atkins and Nathan Jolliffe winning the race. Filming began on 5 November 2010 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, the race travelled across four continents,11 countries and 23 cities. Some of the countries visited during the series include, Indonesia, Indonesia was later visited in the nineteenth series of the original American version in October 2011. During the Vietnam leg, all route markers were coloured yellow and green instead of yellow and this was done to avoid confusion with the former South Vietnamese national flag, which is also yellow and red. The route markers for the Vietnam leg were similar to those used in A Corrida Milionária, Leg 7 and Leg 8 formed a double-length leg. Application deadline for the first series closed on 17 September 2010 initially with the required to be at least 18 years old with citizenship or permanent residency. However, due to insurance issues overseas, the age for applicants was raised from 18 to 21 years of age. The cast includes married fitness entrepreneurs, farmers, friends of Egyptian descent, models, Big W workmates, notably, Nathan, who teams up with Tyler, is boyfriend of 2006 Miss Australia, Erin McNaught. Renae was also the runner up of Miss Universe Australia 2010, entrepreneurs Richard & Joey Marc are the authors of Please Mum, Dont Supersize Me. Ryot & Liberty are the brother and sister of the comedian Rebel Wilson, dating couple Chris and Anastasia have since split up, although they deny that their relationship was negatively affected by television exposure. Nathan was a contestant on the series of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia on the Nine Network. He raised $80,000 for his charity Epilepsy Australia, subsequently she also appeared on the fourth series of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia. She was eliminated in episode 8 and raised $10,000 for Endometriosis Australia, mo has a role on a new Muslim sketch comedy show on SBS called Legally Brown The Amazing Race Australia is sponsored by Canon, National Australia Bank, Honda, Vodafone and Gloria Jeans. The Amazing Race Australia also has an app for Android, iPhone and Blackberry where the user can track the teams, the following teams participated in the Race, with their relationships at the time of filming. Note that this table is not necessarily reflective of all content broadcast on television due to inclusion or exclusion of some data, placements are listed in finishing order, A red team placement means the team was eliminated
19.
The Amazing Race Australia
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The Amazing Race Australia is an Australian reality game show based on the American TV series, The Amazing Race. On 19 July 2010, Seven Network has purchased the rights to produce the Australian series. The first two series of the show was produced by activeTV in association with ABC Studios, the third series is to be produced in-house by the Seven Network. It is distributed by Disney Media Distribution Asia Pacific, the host for the show is New Zealand-born actor Grant Bowler. The grand prize for the team is A$250,000. The Amazing Race Australia is a reality television competition between teams of two in a race around the world, the first team to arrive at a Pit Stop is often awarded a prize while the last team is normally eliminated from the race. The final leg of each race is run by the last three remaining teams, and the first to arrive at the final destination wins the A$250,000 cash prize, each team is composed of two individuals who have some type of relationship to each other. A total of 64 participants have joined The Amazing Race Australia, Route Markers are yellow and red flags that mark the places where teams must go. Route markers were, however, coloured yellow and green in the leg of series 1 to avoid confusion with the flag of South Vietnam. Clues are found throughout the race in sealed envelopes, normally inside clue boxes and they give teams the information they need and tasks they need to do in order for them to progress through the race. Route Info, A general clue that may include a task to be completed by the team before they can receive their next clue, Detour, A choice between two tasks. Teams are free to choose either task or swap tasks if they find one too difficult. Roadblock, A task only one member can complete. Teams must choose which member will complete the task based on a clue about the task before fully revealing the details of the task. Fast Forward, A task that one team may complete, allowing that team to skip all remaining tasks. Teams may only claim one Fast Forward during the entire race, U-Turn, It is located after a Detour where a team can force another trailing team to return and complete the other option of the Detour they did not select. Also, an Anonymous U-Turn is where a team may U-Turn another trailing team without having to reveal themselves, Intersection, It is where two teams must complete further tasks together until a clue indicates that they have been unintersected. At the beginning of each leg, teams receive an allowance of cash, usually in Australian Dollars, teams then have to follow clues and Route Markers that will lead them to the various destinations and tasks they will face
20.
Maithripala Sirisena
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Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena is a Sri Lankan politician who is the 7th and current President of Sri Lanka, since 2015. Although born in the Western Province, Sirisena hails from the North Central Province of the country and is the first president from that province and he is an agriculturist and does not belong to the Sri Lankan political elite. Sirisena joined mainstream politics in 1989 as a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and has held several ministries since 1994 and their votes were more anti-Rajapaksa than pro-Sirisena. Sirisena was sworn in as the sixth Executive President before Supreme Court judge K. Sripavan in Independence Square, immediately afterwards he appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new Prime Minister. After being sworn in Sirsena stated that he would serve one term. On 28 April 2015, Sirisena voluntarily transferred significant presidential powers to parliament, Maithripala Sirisena was born on 3 September 1951 in Yagoda, a village in present-day Gampaha District. He is the son of World War II veteran Albert Sirisena and his mother was a school teacher. He was educated at Thopawewa Maha Vidyalaya and Royal College, Polonnaruwa where he first developed, while still in school, as a teenager, Sirisena became interested in communism and joined the Communist Party becoming closely associated with party leader N. Shanmugathasan in party activities. In 1968 he took part in a communist party anti-government rally which was broken up by baton charging police, at the age of 17 years he was chosen as the secretary of the SLFP Youth Organisation in Polonnaruwa by the SLFP Member of Parliament for Polonnaruwa, Leelaratna Wijesingha. In 1971, aged 19, he was jailed for 15 months for alleged involvement in the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Insurrection, following his release from prison, Sirisena joined All Ceylon SLFP Youth Organization led by Anura Bandaranaike and joined politics at the national level. After serving at a number of institutions, Sirisena obtained the SLFP membership in 1978. In 1974 Sirisena started working at the Palugasdamana Multi Purpose Cooperative Society as an office and in 1976 he became a grama niladhari. He rose up the SLFP ranks, joining its politburo in 1981, where he was chosen as the President of the All Island SLFP Youth Organisation, and also later served as Treasurer. During the 1981 Presidential poll, when Basil Rajapaksa joined the United National Party, subsequently, he was appointed the Polonnaruwa SLFP chief organiser by the SLFP hierarchy. He became president of the All Island SLFP Youth Organisation in 1983, Sirisena studied for three years at the Sri Lanka School of Agriculture, Kundasale from where he earned a diploma in agriculture in 1973. In 1980 he earned a Diploma in Political science at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Russia, Sirisena contested the 1989 parliamentary election as one of the SLFPs candidates in Polonnaruwa District and was elected to the Parliament. He was re-elected at the 1994 parliamentary election, this time as a Peoples Alliance candidate, in 1997 he was appointed as the General Secretary of the SLFP for the first time, from which he later resigned. In August 2000 Sirisena tried to become general-secretary of the SLFP but was beaten by S. B, Sirisena was instead appointed one the Deputy Presidents of SLFP
21.
Ranasinghe Premadasa
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Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa was the third President of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 to 1 May 1993. Before that, he served as the Prime Minister in the government headed by J. R. Jayewardene from 6 February 1978 to 1 January 1989. He was awarded Sri Lankas most highest award to a civilian Sri Lankabhimanya in 1986 by President Junius Richard Jayewardene and he was assassinated in Colombo in a suicide bombing by the LTTE. R. Premadasa was born on 23 June 1924 at Dias Place, Colombo 11, to the family of Richard Ranasinghe of Kosgoda and Jayasinghe Arachchige Ensina Hamine of Batuwita, R. Premadasa was the oldest of five children, three sisters, and one brother. While attending school, he attended the Hewavitharana Daham Pasala and he completed his education at St. Joseph’s College, during the Le Goc era. He satisfied all the requirements for registering at the University of London for higher studies, however, he gave up this opportunity to engage in higher studies and chose path of social service for the welfare of the poor and down- trodden. He was the organizer of the community development project of the area in 1939. These youth who enrolled in his development movement refrained from taking liquor, allying with late A. E. Goonesinghe, the founder leader of the Ceylon Labour Movement, he commenced his political life. He had several ups and downs in that era and he had been the Deputy Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council while functioning as a member of San Sebastian’s Ward. Joining hands with late Dudley Senanayake, he joined the UNP, the following year he joined the protest march to Kandy on October 3, which had been organized by the late J. R. Jayewardene. This march was disrupted at Imbulgoda by some thugs led by a politician of the area. He was elected the third Member of Parliament for Colombo Central in the Dudley Senanayake government at the election held in March 1960. Later he was elected Member for the Cinnamon Gardens Ward in the Colombo Municipal Council and it was at this time that he married Hema Wickramatunge, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wickramatunge Arachchige Charles Appuhamy of Bandarawela, on June 23,1964. The son, Sajith, and daughter, Dulanjali, were born to this couple, Premadasa initially supported the Labour Party, then headed by A. Ekanayake Gunasinha. He was elected Deputy Mayor of Colombo in 1955, part of his political program was shelter for the poor, after the United Nations declared a Year of Shelter. On the economic front, the garment industry project that he initiated became a forerunner in earning foreign exchange, later he was raised to the position of Minister of Local Government. In the following general election held in 1970, he was elected first MP for Colombo Central and sat in the Opposition with late J. R. Jayewardene, Premadasa was once again appointed Chief Opposition Whip. Further, he was elected chairman of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth Inter- Parliamentary Association held in Australia, in the meantime, he held membership of the Constituent Assembly which drafted the constitution of 1972
22.
Gamini Dissanayake
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Dissanayake Mudiyanse Ralahamilage Lionel Gamini Dissanayake was a prominent Sri Lankan politician, a powerful minister of the United National Party, and Leader of the Opposition. He was designated as the UNP candidate in the 1994 presidential election, but was then assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He was born in Kandy as the eldest son of a family of seven children to Andrew Dissanayake who served as an MP and his mother, Welegedara Samaratunga Kumarihamy of Kotmale. Born and bred in Kotmale, his basic values were cultivated in this rural milieu social surrounding, the wealthy Dissanayake family resided in both Kandy as well as Nuwara Eliya. Dissanayake had his schooling at the prestigious Trinity College in Kandy, later in life, he completed an MPhil Degree in International Relations at Cambridge University UK. He comfortably secured his Nuwaraeliya-Maskeliya multielectorate seat in the 1977 elections and was appointed as the minister of Mahaweli Development, dissanyake spearheaded the Mahaweli Development Project. This was a project which was expected to take 30 years to finish. But due to Dissanayakes skills he managed to finish the project within 6 years, the Mahaweli Development Project is the largest development project conducted in Sri Lanka after independence. The whole country was affected by the project focused on irrigation, hydro power generation, agriculture. Further it was criticised by the time as to introduce shinhala population into Tamils motherland and he was the chairperson of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board in the early 1980s and helped his country to gain the Test Status in cricket. He played a role in signing the Indoo-Lanka Peace Accord in 1987. In 1989 he was re elected as a MP from Nuwaraeliya District securing the highest percentage of votes obtained by any UNP MP. He was the Minister of Estate Development during Premadasa regime and he was not awarded a portfolio in 1990 cabinet reshuffle and remained as a back-seat MP in the parliament. Dissanayake was accused of abduction of Prof. Ralph Bultjens, Prof Rohan Goonarathne in an interview with Hasitha Kuruppu told that Dissanayake did that as Bultjens in his lectures accused Dissanayake for swindling of money. Later he was acquitted from the courts and he played a major role in the aborted impeachment motion against President Premadasa and as a result was expelled from UNP in 1992. In the same year Dissanayaka joined Lalith Athulathmudali to form United National Democratic Front which was a political force of that era. Dissanayaka contested to Kandy District at 1993 provincial council elections and became a member of the Central Provincial Council, after the assassination of Athulathmudali, Dissanayake became the leader of DUNF. Later he rejoined UNP and was appointed to the parliament as a national list MP and was offered a portfolio in the Wijethunga Government
23.
Lakshman Kadirgamar
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Sri Lankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar, PC was a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and statesmen. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2001 and he achieved international prominence in this position due to his wide ranging condemnation of the LTTE and his efforts to have them banned internationally. Lakshman Kadirgamar was born in Colombo and he had four elder brothers, S. J. C. Kadirgamar Jr. His mother died when he was seven years and he was looked after by his elder sister Eeswari who married Dr. A. M. D, Kadirgamar received his primary education at C. M. S. Ladies College, Colombo and moved ton with his sister in Matale in the war years where her husband was posted to and he decided to attend Trinity College, Kandy as a boarder for his secondary education even though all his brothers had attended Royal College, Colombo. It was a practice to board children in places away from Colombo as Colombo was under the threat of bombing by Japanese. At Trinity, he captained the college first eleven cricket team in 1950 while also competing in the college athletic and he played in the annual Bradby Shield Encounter. He was the winner of the Senior Batting Prize in 1948, a Rugger Coloursman in 1948 and 1949, Trinity Athletics Lion in 1949, and winner of the first Duncan White Challenge Cup for Athletics in 1948. In recognition of his performance in academic and extra curricular spheres. He was also the Senior Prefect of Trinity College, in 1950 Kadirgamar went on to study law at the University of Ceylon in Colombo and the year after in Peradeniya, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1953. Kadirgamar was the holder of the All India Inter University 110-metre hurdles title in both 1951 and 1952 and he was the top student with a First Class at the Advocates Intermediate Examination in 1953 of the Ceylon Law College. In 1955 he took oaths as Advocate of the Supreme Court of Ceylon, thereafter he won a scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied from 1956 to 1959, receiving in 1960 his BLitt degree from the University of Oxford. His thesis was on Strict Liability in English and Roman-Dutch Law, in November 1958 he applied successfully to become a barrister of Inner Temple, London. In the same month he became the second Sri Lankan to be elected to serve as President of the Oxford Union and he played cricket in the Balliol College team. Upon leaving Oxford he took up a legal career and he returned to Ceylon and built up a practice in commercial, industrial and administrative law. He was part of the team of the accused of the coup détata was attempted in 1962. In 1963, he was commissioned by Amnesty International to investigate the Buddhist-led resistance campaign that year against the regime in South Vietnam and this was the first-ever report for Amnesty of a situation in an individual country. Kadirgamar left Ceylon in 1971 following the JVP insurrection that year, moving to England, going on to work for international organisations in Geneva, Kadirgamar served in 1974-6 as a consultant for the International Labour Organization
24.
W. D. Amaradeva
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Sri Lankabhimanya Wannakuwatta Waduge Don Albert Perera better known by his adopted name Amaradeva, was a prominent Sri Lankan vocalist, violinist and composer. Primarily using traditional instruments like sitars, tablas and harmoniums, Amaradeva incorporates Sinhala folk music with Indian ragas in his work, many consider Pandit Amaradeva’s contribution to the development of Sinhala music as unmatched, hence without argue cited as the Maestro of Sri Lanka Music. In doing so, Amaradeva created a uniquely Sinhalese music style that stayed true to folk tradition while incorporating outside influences and his work was vital in the creation of the sarala gee genre practised subsequently by artists like Sanath Nandasiri, Victor Ratnayake, T. M. Pandit Amaradeva had been the recipient of awards including the Philippine Ramon Magsaysay Award, Indian Padma Sri Award and Sri Lankan Presidents Award of Kala Keerthi. In 2003 the French government awarded him the honour, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Notably he still remains the most popular artist as confirmed by Nielsen Media Research findings He has also represented Sri Lanka in many including the UNESCO1967 Manila Symposium. Amaradeva was born the youngest of seven children to a carpenter, Wannakuwatta Waduge Don Ginoris Perera, Perera was a Buddhist while Mendis was a Methodist bringing both Christian and Buddhist values and music traditions to the family. Amardeva was introduced to music at an age by his father who crafted and repaired violins at Moratumulla Wadu Kaarmika Vidyalaya. Amaradeva would often strum the violin while his mother sang hymns, another family influence was Amaradevas elder brother who taught Indian classical music to him. Amaradeva was presented with his own instrument on his birthday which was a Japanese made tin violin by his father. Amaradeva obtained his education under Ven. Malalankara Nayaka Tero of the Koralawella temple, the principal of that school, Mr. Ku. Jo. Fernando was an member of Hela Hawula and had a close connection with Kumaratunga Munidasa. He knew about Amaradeva’s talent and introduced him to Kumaratunga, Amaradeva was lucky to be appreciated by Kumaratunga for his singing talent. Since he had a chance to all these scholars during his childhood, he had an interest in national identity. When he was studying in grade five at Koralawella School, a teacher called Mr. W. J. Fernando was transferred to his school from Kalutara. Hence, W. J. Fernando was the first school teacher of Amaradeva. He realized Amaradeva’s talent and directed him on singing and playing, under his guidance, Amaradeva won all the school singing competitions
25.
Vijaya Kumaratunga
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In 1978, Kumaranatunga married Chandrika Bandaranaike, daughter of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Vijaya Kumaranatunga and Chandrika Bandaranaike had two children, kumaranatungas first film was Hanthane Kathawa, in which he played the lead role. He won the most popular award in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 1988. That was a record in the history of Sri Lankan cinema and he was posthumously awarded as the best actor for the role he played in Kedapathaka Chaya. He performed as a singer as well in several films. Also, he more than 100 songs by releasing nearly 10 cassettes. He sang all his songs without taking any money, during his career, Vijaya performed in one English film, The God King, and one Tamil film, Nanguran. The only film he produced was Waradata Danduwam, which was screened after his death and he was also a politician, who started his political life in the Lanka Sama Samaja Party. He later joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was SLFPs 1st National Organizer and he was active in the presidential campaign of Hector Kobbekaduwa in 1982. After the election, he was jailed under the regulations by J. R Jayawardena for allegedly being a Naxalite. He contested Mahara by-election under SLFP candidature in 1983 and was maltreated by UNP supporters, an attempt was made on his life and one of his friends was killed. Vijaya won the first round of counting and a round was ordered. At that point an infamous blackout occurred at the counting centre, by the time electricity was restored, the UNP candidate had recorded a victory by a few votes. The opposition insisted that someone had literally eaten some of Vijayas votes to ensure UNP victory and he founded the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party. He and his party argued for peace in the ongoing civil war in Sri Lanka. His party then contested at several by-elections including Kundasale and Habaraduwa, addressing the mammoth public rally held at Campbell Park on January 28,1988, Kumaratunga lashed out at the UNP, SLFP and the JVP for failing to address the need of the hour. Interestingly, Kumaratunga also voiced his concerns about the SLFPs links with the JVP, in 1988 his party came to a concillation with several other left wing parties including LSSP, NSSP, Sri Lanka Communist Party and EPRLF to form a new alliance-United Socialist alliance. A few days prior to the establishment of the new alliance, later USA forwarded Ossie Abeygoonasekera as its presidential candidate and he would record the last place at the presidential elections in 1988
26.
Sri Lankan independence movement
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The Sri Lankan independence movement was a peaceful political movement which aimed at achieving independence and self-rule for Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, from the British Empire. It was initiated around the turn of the 20th century and led mostly by the middle class. It succeeded when, on February 4,1948, Ceylon was granted independence as the Dominion of Ceylon, Dominion status within the British Commonwealth was retained for the next 24 years until May 22,1972 when it became a republic and was renamed the Republic of Sri Lanka. The British Raj was dominant in Asia after the Battle of Assaye, following the Battle of Waterloo and its prestige was only briefly dented by setbacks in India, Afghanistan and South Africa. It was virtually unchallenged until 1914, the formation of the Batavian Republic in the Netherlands as an ally and of the French Directory, led to a British attack on Ceylon in 1795 as part of Englands war against the French Republic. The Kandyan Kingdom collaborated with the British expeditionary forces against the Dutch, once the Dutch had been evicted, their sovereignty ceded by the Treaty of Amiens and subsequent revolts in the low-country suppressed, the British began planning to capture the Kandyan Kingdom. The 1803 and 1804 invasions of the Kandyan provinces in the 1st Kandyan War were bloodily defeated, in 1815, the British fomented a revolt by the Kandyan aristocracy against the last Kandyan monarch and marched into uplands to depose him in the 2nd Kandyan War. The struggle against the colonial power began in 1817 with the Uva Rebellion and they were defeated by the occupiers. An attempt at rebellion sparked again briefly in 1830, the Kandyan peasantry were stripped of their lands by the Wastelands Ordinance, a modern enclosure movement and reduced to penury. The masses were without the leadership of their native King or their chiefs, the leadership passed for the first time in the Kandyan provinces into the hands of ordinary people, non-aristocrats. The leaders were yeomen-artisans, resembling the Levellers in Englands revolution and mechanics such as Paul Revere, however, in the words of Colvin R. de Silva, it had leaders but no leadership. The old feudalists were crushed and powerless, no new class capable of leading the struggle and heading it towards power had yet arisen. In the 1830s, coffee was introduced into Sri Lanka, a crop which flourishes in high altitudes, the principal impetus to this development of capitalist production in Sri Lanka was the decline in coffee production in the West Indies, following the abolition of slavery there. The British therefore had to draw on its army of labour in India. An infamous system of labour was established, which transported hundreds of thousands of Tamil coolies from southern India into Sri Lanka for the coffee estates. These Tamil labourers died in tens of both on the journey itself as well as on the plantations. Monoculture was thus increasingly capped by monopoly within the plantation economy, the pattern thus created in the 19th century remained in existence down to 1972. The only significant modification to the economy was the addition of a rubber sector in the mid-country areas
27.
International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
