Sri Lanka Holidays with Riolta Holidays (Pvt.) Ltd. 3

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: Hotel Serandib, Sri Lanka

2008-06-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: Hotel Serendib, Bentota Bay Beach, Sri Lanka
Amidst the colonial heritage of the south, Hotel Serendib is located in one of the finest beaches along the western coastal belt. The hotel was designed by the international acclaimed architect Geoffrey Bawa to capture the architectural design and ambiance of an 18th century Dutch seaside village.

Together with swaying palms, scent of the frangipani flowers , the serene alcoves & private spaces is the beach-front property well equipped with all the sophisticated comforts of the modernity.

The beach, the sea beckons you from every where, even from nooks & crannies.

Senses Holiday provide luxury
Sri Lanka holidays and holidays to other destinations around the

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: A response

2008-06-30T00:59:00.000-07:00

Response to Tamils for Justice Asoka Weerasinghe Ontario Canada

* 2007 Sri Lankan statistics say the majority ethnic group populating the capital city of Sri Lanka, Colombo, is the Tamils. These are
supposed to be the persecuted Tamils. Ha! Figure that one out.
WEERASINGEH FACT.

* 85% of prime property in Wellawatte, a prestigious part of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka is owned by Tamils. They have not been chased away by the majority Sinhalese nor have the property burnt. Ha! Figure that one out. This is a WEERASINGHE FACT.

* In comparison not a single square inch of land in Jaffna is owned by the majority Sinhalese as they are not allowed to own by the Tamils.
Discrimination you say! Ha! Figure that one out. This is a WEERASINGHE FACT.

* I am labeled by you as a “Sinhala racist” just because I lay out facts to prove that what the Tamils say are half-truths and lies about the majority Sinhalese, but how come by the same token “Tamil racist”
label doesn’t apply to you bunch for supporting a creation of a mono-ethnic, racist, Tamil, separatist state Eelam”, and yet enjoy all the comforts and perks like education and health in the rest of the island? That is a WEERASINGHE FACT.

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS -THE LAND OF DELIGHTS

2008-05-25T01:32:00.000-07:00

Opinion | Ian Chappell >>

Let's hear it for the veterans

A few players supposedly past their sell-by dates have been showing the young ones how it's done this past month and some

May 25, 2008

Old dog, old tricks: Sanath Jayasuriya blazes away © Getty Images

When I was a young lad my father, Martin, would often wander round the house singing, "The old grey mare, she ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be." A catchy phrase will always capture the imagination of a young kid and in this instance I was also encouraged by not having to slave over a song sheet to learn the words. While nowadays the brutal truth of those words is regularly brought home to me, occasionally an "old grey mare" strikes back and it's glorious to behold.

The IPL has provided us with two exhilarating examples. First, 36-year-old Adam Gilchrist hit a blazing century off a mere 42 balls and then Sanath Jayasuriya, two years Gilchrist's senior, followed suit and belted a hundred off 45. Jayasuriya and Gilchrist, the two super-slugging openers of their era, are on the way out but they haven't forgotten that adoring fans are deserving of an encore.

It was Jayasuriya who first decided fast bowlers needed to be jolted out of their cosy existence, and inspired by his deeds, Gilchrist followed suit and added to the accelerating ulcer rate among quickies. It takes a hell of a lot of skill to constantly attack new-ball bowlers with what appears at times to be reckless abandon, but it also requires considerable nerve.

One of the finest fast bowlers I faced, Andy Roberts of the West Indies, probably best summed up the mindset of the opening batsman. When I once chided him about "dumb fast bowlers" he responded by saying, "Ian, the only people sillier than fast bowlers are the opening batsmen who face up to them."

Jayasuriya first captured the world's attention in a duet with Romesh Kaluwitharana against India in the 1996 World Cup. Sachin Tendulkar had fulfilled Indian expectations with a sublime century that posed a stiff test but the dynamic duo silenced the ecstatic Delhi crowd by racing to 42 in only three overs. Jayasuriya went on to score a brazen 79 off 76 balls to lead an improbable Sri Lankan victory. It sent shivers down the spine just watching on television.

However, that was nothing compared to watching Jayasuriya live in Singapore a few weeks later. He decided to go solo, smashing balls into the treetops and lofting good deliveries out of the ground, with one finishing on the steps of City Hall. In the process he made some good fast bowlers distinctly apprehensive. Pakistan's Aaqib Javed only half-jokingly said he wouldn't turn up for the next tournament if Jayasuriya was playing.



	Following Warne's IPL success there are murmurings of him making a comeback for Australia. Hopefully this is a figment of someone's imagination

By the end of the tournament Jayasuriya had set the record for both the fastest 50 and 100. Every time he batted people put down their drinks and jostled for a vantage point because they didn't want to miss a ball of this mastery. On the final night Jayasuriya walked through the Singapore Cricket Club bar and everyone rose to applaud him, including four ex-international captains and that is a memory that will stay with me to the end (or until I get Alzheimer's).

Gilchrist had that same ability to empty bars and fill cricket grounds. In the 2007 World Cup final he launched a daring assault on the Sri Lankan attack (perhaps as a personal tribute to Jayasuriya) and played an innings that single-handedly placed the trophy in Ricky Ponting's grasp for the second successive time. Most cricketers only dream of making a century in the World Cup final but Adam Gilchrist scored exactly 100 of his exceptional 149 runs in boundaries. It was a skilful innings and an amazingly daring display in such an important game.

As an "old grey mare" Gilchrist now has the satisfaction of posting the fourth-fastest century in a Twenty20, a game supposedly for the young and restless. Occasionally the old can become restless. Just ask Shane Warne.

At 38 years and retired from all forms of cricket bar IPL, Warne has taken the tournament by storm, leading the Rajasthan Royals into the semi-finals with inspiring leadership and aggressive play. Following his success there are murmurings of him making a comeback for Australia. Hopefully this is a figment of someone's imagination.

Warne, Jayasuriya and Gilchrist are all going out gradually and in style, providing some wonderful entertainment in the IPL competition. It's not that making a comeback to international cricket would be beyond Warne, it's just that with what he's currently doing it would be out of tune - a bit like Martin's singing all those years ago.

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: Lohapasada,

2008-03-12T03:05:00.000-07:00

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: Lohapasada Ruins, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka bunpeiris
Riolta Lanka Holidays (Pvt.) Ltd., Sri Lanka
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Walking a short distance from the northern gate of the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree towards the Goden Sand Stupa (Ruwanweli Dagoba), on the right, is seen a veritable forest of stone pillars, ruins among the numerous intact & renovated ancient monuments of Mirisavatiya Dagoba, Jethavana Dagoba, Abhayagiri Dagoba, Ruwanvelisaya, Isurumuniya of the glorious ancient monastic city of Anuradhapura (437-845BC) of Sri Lanka. It has 40 rows of pillars of even size in each row, making 1600 pillars altogether, laid out in a square with sides of about 70m. The pillars are about 3.5m tall.
These standing pillars are the remains of an edifice of great splendor at the great monastery ‘Mahavihara’ of Anuradhapura. Looking at the ruins, we must remember that the great building was not built on pillars, like on stilts, but it was built directly on the ground. It had a large tall wooden structure covered with thousands of copper tiles, shining in the bright light.

The original building
The original building was built by King Devapiyatissa (303-270 BC) following the advice of Thera Mahinda, the son of King Ashoka the Great of India, who brought the message of Buddha to the island of Sri Lanka.

The prophesy & the realization of it.
Mahinda Thera prophesied that a future king by the name of Duttagamani would build an Uposathagara here. The Mahavamsa (the Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka) mentions that the king had the prophecy engraved on a golden plate. Having read the inscription narrating the prophesy, King Dutugamunu (161-137 BC) had the Chapter House, the Uposathagara.built on the location.

King Dutugamunu, the hero of the nation
King Dutugamuni, having defeated the marauding Dravidian invaders of Southern India, set to construct a magnificent array of Buddhist temples & stupas. His first task was to construct Mirisavatiya Dagaba enshrining the Jaya kunta, the imperial scepter of victory, in which was deposited the relics of the Buddha. His next major work was to construct the nine storey Brazen Palace. This was followed by the construction of most adored Buddhist stupa of Lanka, the Ruwanwelisaya (Golden Sand Stupa). Having set about to take the final stronghold of marauding Dravidian invaders from Southern India, Vijitapura fortress, King Dutugamunu proclaimed ‘Not for the joy of sovereignty is this toil of mine, my striving had been ever to establish the doctrine of the Sambuddha” (Mahavamsa 25, 17-18). The king was true to word.

Chapter House
An Uposathagara is a building meant for religious purposes, i,e, to perform monastic obligations, holding assembly, preaching & also for the residential purposes for the bhikkus.

The extraterrestrial design
The name of the magnificent building, Lohaprasada or Lohamaypaya meaning The brazen Palace derived its name from its bright copper-tiled roof. Mahanama Thera, the author of Mahavamsa (The Great Chronicle of Lanka), has narrated that the design for the palace was based on a building seen in one of the heavens by a group of monks, who drew the design with 'red arsenic on linen' and dispatched it to the king.

The magnificent building of nine stories
The Lohapasada was a nine storey building, each level reserved for a different profile of monks. The basement was for the monks who attained higher ordination. The next one, for those knowledgeable in Tipitaka (the sacred books) & the following three levels were reserved for the monks who attained different paths of salvation (Sotapatti, Sakadagami & Anagami). The upper floors were for the arahats (one who has vanquished all passions). Each storey had a hundred rooms & the center of the building was occupied by a pavilion of stone pillars studded with precious gem stones.

The accidental fire
Not long after King Dutthagamani passed away, during the reign of King Saddatissa, the Lohapasada was completely burnt down as a result of an accidental fire caused by a lamp. King Saddhatissa reconstructed it to be seven storeys. Since the building was completely burned down, we could safely deduce that the stone pillars were part of a subsequent renovation.

Renovations
King Khallatanga (119-103BC): constructed 32 other beautiful other buildings which could have been used for residencies of the monks

King Bhatikabhaya (19-9 BC): repaired damages
King Amanadagamini Abhaya (23-31 AD); built a beautiful pavilion
King Siringa(195-214AD): rebuilding Lohapasada to be five storeys
King Abhayanaga (236-244 AD): built a pavilion in the court-yard of the Lohapasada
King Gothabhaya (253-266AD): replaced the wooden pillars with stone pillars
King Jetthatissa(266-276 AD): completed the replacement of wooden pillars with stone pillars & rebuilt the building to seven storeys.
King Sirimeghavanna(303-331AD):reconstruction
King Dhatusena(459-477AD): renovation
King Agrabodhi the fourth (667-683 AD): the central pinnacle of the Lohapasada was covered.
King Manavamma(684-718 AD): renovation
King Sena the Second (853-887 AD): renovation
King Kasspa the fifth (914-923 AD): renovation

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS :THE NIGHT OF SIVA, 5th March 2008

2008-03-02T06:53:00.000-08:00

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS ;THE NIGHT OF SIVA

Be good on 5th March 2008. Be very good. Be good to all.

Sastri: It is an allegory. The wild animals that the hunter fought with are lust, anger, greed, infatuation, jealousy and hatred. The jungle is the fourfold mind, consisting of the subconscious mind, the intellect, the ego and the conscious mind. It is in the mind that these "wild animals" roam about freely. They must be killed. Our hunter was pursuing them because he was a Yogi. If you want to be a real Yogi you have to conquer these evil tendencies. Do you remember the name of the hunter in the story?

Atmanathan: Yes, he was called Suswara.

Sastri: That's right. It means "melodious". The hunter had a pleasant melodious voice. If a person practices Yama and Niyama and is ever conquering his evil tendencies, he will develop certain external marks of a Yogi. The first marks are lightness of the body, health, steadiness, clearness of countenance and a pleasant voice. This stage has been spoken of in detail in the Swetaswatara Upanishad. The hunter or the Yogi had for many years practised Yoga and had reached the first stage. So he is given the name Suswara. Do you remember where he was born?

Atmanathan: Yes, his birthplace is Varanasi.

Sastri: Now, the Yogis call the Ajna Chakra by the name Varanasi. This is the point midway between the eyebrows. It is regarded as the meeting place of the three nerve currents (Nadis), namely, the Ida, Pingala and the Sushumna. An aspirant is instructed to concentrate on that point. That helps him to conquer his desires and evil qualities like anger and so on. It is there that he gets a vision of the Divine Light within.

Atmanathan: Very interesting! But how do you explain his climbing up the bael tree and all the other details of the worship?

Sastri: Have you ever seen a bael leaf?

Atmanathan: It has three leaves on one stalk.

Sastri: True. The tree represents the spinal column. The leaves are threefold. They represent the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Nadis, which are the regions for the activity of the moon, the sun and fire respectively, or which may be thought of as the three eyes of Shiva. The climbing of the tree is meant to represent the ascension of the Kundalini Shakti, the serpentine power, from the lowest nerve centre called the Muladhara to the Ajna Chakra. That is the work of the Yogi.

Atmanathan: Yes, I have heard of the Kundalini and the various psychic centres in the body. Please go on further; I am very interested to know more.

Sastri: Good. The Yogi was in the waking state when he began his meditation. He bundled up the birds and the animals he had slain and, tying them on a branch of the tree, he rested there. That means he had fully conquered his thoughts and rendered them inactive. He had gone through the steps of Yama, Niyama, Pratyahara, etc. On the tree he was practising concentration and meditation. When he felt sleepy, it means that he was about to lose consciousness and go into deep sleep. So he determined to keep awake.

Atmanathan: That is now clear to me; you certainly do explain it very well. But why did he weep for his wife and children?

Sastri: His wife and children are none other than the world. One who seeks the Grace of God must become an embodiment of love. He must have an all-embracing sympathy. His shedding of tears is symbolical of his universal love. In Yoga also, one cannot have illumination without Divine Grace. Without practising universal love, one cannot win that Grace. One must perceive one's own Self everywhere. The preliminary stage is to identify one's own mind with the minds of all created beings. That is fellow-feeling or sympathy. Then one must rise above the limitations of the mind and merge it in the Self. That happens only in the stage of Samadhi, not earlier.

Atmanathan: Why did he pluck and drop the bael leaves?

Sastri: That is mentioned in the story only to show that he had no extraneous thoughts. He was not even conscious of what he was doing. All his activity was confined to the three Nadis. The leaves, I have said before, represent the three Nadis. He was in fact in the second state, namely, the dream state, before he passed into the deep sleep state.

Atmanathan: He kept vigil the whole night, it is said.

Sastri: Yes, that means that he passed through the deep sleep state successfully. The dawning of day symbolises the entrance into the Fourth state called Turiya or superconsciousness.

Atmanathan: It is said that he came down and saw the Lingam. What does that mean?

Sastri: That means that in the Turiya state he saw the Shiva Lingam or the mark of Shiva in the form of the inner lights. In other words, he had the vision of the Lord. That was an indication to him that he would realise the supreme, eternal abode of Lord Shiva in course of time.

Atmanathan: So it appears from what you say that the sight of the lights is not the final stage?

Sastri: Oh no! That is only one step, albeit a difficult one. Now think of how the story continues. He goes home and feeds a stranger. A stranger is one whom you have not seen before. The stranger is no other than the hunter himself, transformed into a new person. The food was the likes and dislikes which he had killed the previous night. But he did not consume the whole of it. A little still remained. That was why he had to be reborn as King Chitrabhanu. Going to the world of Shiva (Salokya) is not enough to prevent this. There are other stages besides Salokya. These are Samipya, Sarupya and finally Sayujya. Have you not heard of Jaya and Vijaya returning from Vaikunta?

Atmanathan: Yes, I have understood now.

Click following link to go to the original article
The Scriptures record the following dialogue between Sastri and Atmanathan, giving the inner meaning of the above story.

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS ; Sri Lanka, a possible IT Hub

2008-03-02T00:32:00.000-08:00

Riolta Lanka Holidays (Pvt.) Ltd., Sri Lanka
We reveal for you to revel : the right stuff
We reveal for you to revel: our Island, our Nation & our Faith will Prevail
Manadil Urdi Vendum
B. U. N. Peiris www.bunpeiris.com
www.mysrilankaholidays.com www.rioltalankholidays.com
Sri Lanka, The Land of Delights
Sri Lanka is the ideal location for an Asian IT HUB. But then where are the Sri Lankan experts? Idling in an Ideal location?
Internet for Economic DevelopmentUSAID/W and USAID/Sri Lanka are convinced that Sri Lanka is well situated for pursuing Internet applications for development.¹ For that reason, a team sent from USAID/W joined with USAID/Sri Lanka staff to undertake an assessment and present ideas for including Internet-related projects within USAID/Sri Lanka

activities, with particular focus on providing value-added ideas for integration with the existing focus on competitiveness and the Mission’s support of the Technology Initiative for the Private Sector (TIPS) program.

The U. S. program in Sri Lanka supports the following U.S. foreign policy and strategic goals: broad-based economic growth and agricultural development, democracy and good governance, and humanitarian assistance. Within South Asia, Sri Lanka provides a unique environment for advancing these interests. With the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) focusing on ending the ongoing ethnic conflict, and with clear potential for achieving sustainable economic growth, USAID is helping the country move through an important political and economic transition.

Sri Lanka has a fifty-year tradition of vigorous democracy with competing political parties, a free press and an independent judiciary. Although it has achieved high levels of literacy, low birthrate, low infant mortality rates and broad gender equality and has made progress on economic reforms, it remains at the bottom of the list of middle-income developing countries. The prolonged 15-year ethnic conflict raging in the North and East Provinces continues to threaten its progress.

The Sri Lanka economy remained resilient in 1998 despite adverse external conditions in the region and increases in defense expenditures. A growth rate of 5% is expected for 1998, which is below the initial target of 6%. Growth in the economy remained highly dependent on export earnings from the garment sector and from plantation crops. Although Sri Lanka has made progress in macro-economic reforms, progress on financial and structural reforms that would stimulate productive investment, diversify the economy and raise incomes has remained slow.

USAID's programs are aimed at improving the trade and investment environment. Building on previously developed strong relationships with a wide range of companies, USAID's programs strengthen business associations that promote key reforms related to agriculture, manufacture and trade liberalization, and that improve business strategies for global competitiveness.

An open and transparent financial market, which shifts from being dominated by banking to strong capital markets, is essential for Sri Lanka to improve its competitiveness. USAID has had considerable success in establishing a modern and efficient stock exchange in Sri Lanka, but the stock market remains small in capitalization. USAID programs support expansion of the investor base and contribute to improving regulation and increasing transparency of the capital market. USAID programs also support establishment of new financial instruments, including development of corporate bonds to facilitate financing of industry and infrastructure development.

Despite the war, Sri Lanka’s economic performance has been relatively satisfactory. Its rate of growth places it in the top 20% of countries worldwide in terms of real GDP growth during the period 1995-97. Much of this growth has been led by exports, especially textiles and garments, which have more than tripled in real terms over the last decade. However, recent global trends in the garment and textile sectors suggest that continued growth will depend on development of other sectors within the economy. As a result, USAID/Sri Lanka undertook a competitiveness assessment in the summer of 1998, which resulted in a number of important findings, including:

Although there is still room for improvement, the Sri Lankan government scores fairly well relative to other countries on its macroeconomic framework;
The government also has performed relatively well in the active and creative use of fiscal policy to mobilize investment and boost exports. However, continuing to rely on incentives is not a sustainable source of a competitive advantage for Sri Lanka, largely because other countries can replicate the strategy and it fosters complacency in the private sector;
In stark contrast to the strength of the reform of macroeconomic policies, the policy, legal and regulatory framework facing individual firms in the private sector is deficient;
Weak business strategies and a lack of understanding of competitive position characterizes much of Sri Lankan industry, including tourism, toys, gems and jewelry, and floriculture; and
While the war is a factor in discouraging economic development, any prospective “peace dividend” will be disappointing if the enabling environment for business is not improved.

The assessment concluded that “whether Sri Lanka will progress rapidly to develop a fast-growing, outward-looking economy depends fundamentally on reaching a national consensus on a competitive strategy, making the necessary policy and regulatory reforms that will improve the enabling environment for firms, and on the firms themselves, implementing better business strategies.”

The evidence suggests that the implementation of information technology strategies can effectively fuel economic development and competitiveness in Sri Lanka. This assessment report provides a roadmap for such implementation.

The assessment team wishes to thank the following people for their assistance in completing the assessment while in Sri Lanka: Lisa Chiles, Gary Robbins and Sarasali Fonseka in the USAID/Sri Lanka Mission; Ray Jubitz and Sujeewa De Alwis of TIPS; Lalith Gamage of CyberTrader; and Jayantha Fernando of CINTEC.

March 2000

That was in March 2000. Its 2008 now & what have achieved since then? Where are we in IT today?

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS -THE LAND OF DELIGHTS

2008-02-28T03:40:00.001-08:00

We reveal for you to revel: the right stuff
We reveal for you to revel: our island, our nation & our faith will prevail

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS; ICT Show

2008-02-28T03:22:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka at world's largest ICT show

Thursday, 28 February 2008

Sri Lanka will be one among the 75 exhibitor nations participating in the world's largest Information Communication Technology (ICT) exposition, CeBIT 2008. The country and its potential in the field will be showcased with the patronage of Sri Lanka Export Development Board. The exhibition show will be held from 4th March at Hanover,Germany.

CeBIT is accepted as the biggest and the world's No. 1 trade show and market place for ICT sector worldwide. The organizers of this year's event expect around 500,000 visitors from all over the world.

The exhibitors will have the opportunity of directly connecting with the international market and to interact closely with international ICT buyers and partners while promoting their ICT products and services.

The Sri Lankan participant will display their products in the fields of ERP solutions, BPO and KPO services,consultancy support services in ICT, HR solutions and Mobile solutions etc.

Sri Lanka has shown a tremendous and a rapid development in the ICT export sector over the past several years.According to Central Bank statistics, exports of ICT sector in 2006 have increased up to US$ 170 million. This growth in the ICT export sector has been reflected in the increase of ICT export companies.

There are more than 250 ICT exporting companies operating in the country. Most of these companies are in small and medium scale. The Show will wide open doors for Sri Lanka ICT industry to accrue benefits such as getting exposure to the global ICT market place, familiarize with new technology trends, understand the global ICT market trends and meeting the competitors apart from directly generating business.

2008-02-26T03:14:00.001-08:00

Sri Lanka Holidays: all I need to know

2008-02-25T22:58:00.000-08:00

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.

Robert Fulghum’s book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (1988, Villard Books, Random House)

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: THE LAND OF DELIGHTS

2008-02-24T05:01:00.000-08:00

We reveal for you to revel:the right stuff in "The Land of Delights".
We reveal for you to revel: our island, our nation & our faith will prevail.
www.mysrilankaholidays.com
May all big & small gods protect our defence forces!
Riolta Lanka Holidays (Pvt.) Ltd. Sri Lanka
www.rioltalankaholidays.com
www.bunpeiris.com

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: DIE HARD

2008-02-23T04:15:00.000-08:00

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: DIE HARD bunpeiris
"When the going get tough, tough get going."
A No. 1 hit by American rock singer Bruce Sprinstein. This is a special feature for you to gain courage. This content of this article is not connected to Sri Lanka.
A special feature: extraction from the greatest epic ever in the world, The Mahabharata, the Hindu epic

“Build not for the future, but for eternity, for it is very nigh;
& if thou sowest aught, make no count of the harvest, for the seasons are not thy hand;yet both sow & build for the greater good, & work in hope”
Above could be from Bible itself, my apologies for being uncertain of its origin. When the going get tough, tough get going. May you have great success in your good work! Following is from The Mahabharata itself.
The Mahabaratata translated by Chakravarhi V. Narasimhan ISBN 0-231-11055-3

“As a Kastriya, you duty is to fight a righteous battle. This is the highest good for you, you should not falter at this hour. Such a fight is an open door to heaven, & happy are they who engage in such a battle. Either you will win a victory & enjoy the earth, or be killed & go to heaven.
Therefore arise, O Arjuna, & be determined to fight. Get ready for battle without thought of pleasure of pain, gain & loss, victory or defeat. In this way, you will not incur any sin.
“Remember that you have a right to action alone, but not for the fruits thereof. Be not motivated by the desire for the fruits of action. At the same time, do not pursue a policy of inaction.”
“O Arjuna,” he continued, “In this world I have taught a twofold way of life: the way of knowledge for men who engage in contemplation, & the way of works for men of action. One cannot maintain even one’s physical life without action. Therefore, do your allotted work regardless of results. Resign yourself to me & fix your consciousness in the self, without desire or egoism, & then fight, freed from fever.”
Arjuna replied,“My confusion has been dispelled by this supreme discourse containing the self, which you have given me out of your grace.” Krsna said, “I am time itself, grown mature, capable of destroying the world, & now engaged in subduing it. Even without your effort, all the opposing warriors shall cease to exist. Therefore arise & win great glory, conquer your enemies, & enjoy a prosperous kingdom. They are already slain by me & you, O Arjuna, are merely the occasion. Kil Drone, Bhisma, Jayadratha, Karna, & all the other great warriors whom I have already doomed. Do not fear, but fight & conquer your enemies in battle.”

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: ISURUMUNIYA

2008-02-17T22:43:00.000-08:00

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: ISURUMUNIYA, Anuradhapura

Sri Lanka

bunpeiris

Isurumuniya Rock temple built in the 3^rd Century BC is one of the most attractive & peaceful attractions in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. The rock temple carved house of solid rock by the side of a man-made square pond, houses magnificent statue of Buddha. Around the temple & at the museum next to the temple are some of the finest rock carvings of ancient Lanka.

A cleft in the rock that is a home to thousands of bats is a fascination to the nature lover. You & climb up the stone cut stairs of the temple & enjoy a panoramic view of the magnificent landscape of the small villages.

Following extract is by courtesy of Ratna Paranavitana
Sinhalayo by illustrious Dr. Senerat Paranavitana (1876-1972), the first Ceylonese Archeological Commissioner in Sri Lanka ISBN 955-9170-20-1

The bas-relief of a young warrior on a stone seat with a charming young damsel seated on his lap is a very pleasing work of the sculptor’s art. It has characteristics associated with the Gupta School in India. The graceful limbs of the women & the expression of coyness & satisfaction in her face are in striking contrast with the coarse & sensuous features of the man. The scene depicted has not been definitely ascertained, as the original provenance of the sculpture has not been recorded. It might have come from the Royal Pleasure Gardens adjoining the so-called Isurumuni, where the sculpture is to be seen now, & may be a representation of Prince Saliya & the Chandala maiden Asokamala, for whose sake he renounces the throne.

Carved in the sunken relief on the face of the rock at the same place is the figure of a man seated in the pose called the ‘royal ease” (maharaja-lila) with the head of a horse behind him. It is in a severe & simple style, the delineation of the bodily feature being rendered with a great economy. The subject depicted has been identified as the sage Kapila by Coomaraswamy: but it is more likely to be the representation of the god Parjanya, the personification of the cloud, & Agni in the form of the horse. The sculpture is reminiscent in style of the rock relief at Mahabalipuram, of the descent of Ganga, & is in the Pallava style of about the seventh century.

At isurumuni is also to be seen a bas-relief which appears to be narrative in intention, & which gives us some idea of the grouping of figures & composition adopted by sculpture cannot be definitely determined, but may represent Prince Saliya with Asokamala before King Dutthagamini.

The bas-reliefs of elephants sporting amidst lotuses cared on the face of the rock at Isurumni, & in a pond in the adjoining Royal Park, exhibit great skill on the part of the sculptor in representing these beasts in various attitudes.

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: THUPARAMA STUPA

2008-02-04T07:29:00.001-08:00

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: THUPARAMA STUPA

Location at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Heading north from the Ruvanvalisaya Dagoba, a broad walkway leads 300m to Thuparama stupa. Opposite is the junction that leads the way to Abayagiri Stupa, monastery, the museum & the Lankarama Dagoba.

Construction
Thuparama was constructed by King Devanampiya Tissa (250BC – 210BC) shortly after his conversion to Buddhism at the behest of Mahinda, who suggested that the new Sinhalese faith be provided with a suitable focus for its worship. A monk was dispatched to Ashoka, Buddhist emperor of India, who obligingly provided the king of Lanka with two of his religion’s most sacred relics: Buddha’s right collarbone & alms bowl. While the relic of right collar bone of Buddha was enshrined in the Thuparama stupa, alms bowl was sent to Mihintale

First Stupa in the recorded history of Sri Lanka
While Mahiyangana Stupa was built during the first visit of Buddha to the resplendent island, i.e. prior to the recorded history, Thuparama stupa is considered the first dagoba to be built in the 2550 years of recorded unbroken history of Sri Lanka.

A modest structure by Anuradhapura standards
The Thuparama Stupa (60ft in height), though by later Anuradhapura standards (Jetavana Stupa-400ft, Abhayagiri Stupa-370 ft, Ruwanvelisaya-338ft) is a modest monument, ruins of the Aramic complex (monastery) covers nearly 3 ½ acres of land.

Renovations
By the seventh century, the original structure had fallen into ruins. King Aggabodhi the second had it restored & converted into a vatadage (circular relic house), with the original dagoba being enclosed in a new roof, supported by the four concentric circles of pillars of diminishing height. Remains of the magnificent Polonnaruwa Vatadage testify to this uniquely Sri Lankan form of Buddhist architecture.

Model of the vatadage at the museum
An excellent model in the Archaeological Museum shows how it would all have looked.

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: SRI LANKA’S BUDDHIST RELICS

2008-02-03T01:10:00.000-08:00

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: SRI LANKA’S BUDDHIST RELICS

Relics
Relics are an important aspect of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Shamanism, and many other faiths. Numerous Holy Relics of the world range from Holy Shroud of Turin to Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha at Kandy.

Distribution of Relics
Following the final extinction (Maha-parinibbana) of Buddha in 543 BC at Kusinara (Kushinagar), North India the body of Gauthama Buddha was cremated. With the rescue of various fragments of the remains of Buddha, the Mallas of Kushinagar thought themselves most fortunate to have received all the relics of the Buddha's body. However, following the representations from eight other eight countries that constituted ancient India, the relic were divided into eight portions by Brahmin Drona. The eight devotees of Buddha each took his share to his own country and the eight great stupas were built enshrining the holy relics.

Redistribution of sacred relics of Buddha
In time these relics were again subdivided & redistributed by Mauyran Indian Emperor Ashoka who is believed to have built 84,000 stupas.

Sacred Relics of Buddha today
Today relics are contained in various stupas scattered across Asia with Sri Lanka featuring most prominent sites.

Stupas in Sri Lanka enshrined with Relics received following the cremation of Buddha
Thuparama Stupa, Anuradhapura
Seruwila Stupa
Somawathiya Stupa
Tissa Maha Dagaba, Tissamharama
Muthiyanga Stupa, Badulla

Relics that are not enshrined in Stupas
Sacred Tooth Relic at the Holy Temple of the Tooth, Kandy
The Seema Malaka & Gangaramaya Temples, Colombo

Relics bestowed by Buddha himself during his life time
Giragadu Seya, a modern stupa is enshrined with Sacred Kesha Dhathu (hair relic bestowed upon two Indian brothers named Tapassu & Bhalluka by Buddha himself.
Sri Lanka’s Mahiyangana Stupa, the one & only stupa that was built during the lifetime of Buddha, is enshrined with a lock of pure blue black hair bestowed by Buddha to Prince Mahasumana of Sumanakuta (Adam’s Peak). In a latter stage of the history the stupa was also enshrined with Neck bone relic of Buddha.

The latest Pol Pot of Asia & Face off, face about of Bruce Fein

2008-01-31T23:09:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Bruce Fein: Staunch opponent of Tigers in 2004, zealous defender in 2008

Bruce Fein, a lobbyist with credentials from Harvard University, is openly soliciting money to get the Tiger terrorists deproscribed. In an advertisement written for the Bruce Fein Project he markets himself in his website as one who “is uniquely gifted and experienced to give expression to the Tamils’ grievances in the corridors of power in Washington and electronic and print media” and also that he is “well versed in the oppression that afflicts the Tamils under the current Government and their legitimate aspirations for a separate state after grim decades of pervasive and odious discrimination.”

In his statement (January 22, 2008) criticizing the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s story titled “TAMING THE TAMIL TIGERS”, he “challenge(s) the legal correctness of the State Department’s listing of the Tamil Tigers as a foreign terrorist organization; and, advocating independent statehood for Sri Lanka’s Tamils through legal channels based on the United States Declaration of Independence, natural and international law, and historical practice” .

Among other things, including the usual litany of complaints made by the separatist lobby, he denies that (1) the Tigers are terrorists (2) the Tiger should be banned as terrorist because they had not harmed any American under federal law, section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act; (3) the Tiger terrorists killed India’s Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President Ranasinghe Premadasa of Sri Lanka; (4) that a single Tamil had headed the Armed Forces; and (5) the Tigers executed the 15 French workers in Trincomalee even though the forensic evidence of the Australian investigator established that the bullets embedded in the aid workers were the ones used by the Tigers.

However, his role as a lobbyist for the Tamil Tigers in 2008 contradicts his position taken in 2004. In a column he wrote to the The Washington Times, dated February 3, 2004, he defended unequivocally the then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright for designating 30 organizations, including the Tamil Tigers, as “foreign terrorist organizations” under the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.

Arguing for the banning of terrorists he said: “The designations pivoted on the indiscriminate use of violence by the government PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey) and the LTTE to intimidate civilian populations and to cow the democratically elected government in Turkey and Sri Lanka to capitulate to their secessionist demands.”

He also wrote: “The Tamil Tigers seek a secessionist state in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka through terrorism. Characteristic of like organizations, the LTTE undertakes auxiliary activities that strengthen its terrorists torso and sweeten its public face: political organizing and advocacy; diplomacy; social services and humanitarian aid; etc.

He even opposed the alleged medical assistance programme of the Tamil Tiger terrorists.

He wrote: “Medically assisting the LTTE, however, facilitates terrorist abominations. Its injured members more quickly return to terrorist duties. And the LTTE more readily attracts grass-root sympathizers, financial contributions and terrorist recruits. The nefarious LTTE terrorist goal of partitioning Sri Lanka into separate Tamil and Sinhalese nations would be closer.”

He concluded by stating: “As Mr. Bumble in “Oliver Twist” would have said, “if the law sustains a constitutional right to assist foreign terrorist-secessionist organisations against countries with which we are at peace, then the law is an ass, an idiot.”

Now, going into reverse gear, he states that (1) the Sri Lankan Government is a terrorist state; (2) one million Tamils were permanently disenfranchised and denied citizenship by the Sri Lankan Government; (3) “the assassinations of India’s Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lanka’s President Ranasinghe Premadasa, moreover, occurred long years ago, and suggest little or nothing about the contemporary danger of the Tamil Tigers to the United States ; and (4) in 1983, the Government sponsored race riots that eventuated in the slaughter of 4,000 Tamils and the displacements of hundreds of thousands.

The Asian Tribune has sent the following questionnaire to him seeking clarification on his contradictory positions:

(1) With all you impressive credentials from Harvard University and elsewhere, as advertised in your website, you could not have made a mistake in condemning the Tamil Tiger terrorists in your forthright article published in The Washington Times in February 3, 2004.

But in you latest statement challenging the FBI you go all out to defend the Tamil Tiger terrorists?

Have the Tiger terrorists turned into saints overnight after you were given the job of lobbying for them ? Can you please explain how you came to back the Tiger terrorists in 2008 after condemning them in absolutely unequivocal terms in 2004?

(2) In your statement attacking the FBI you state that “Sri Lanka has been allied with enemies of the United States , including Iran , Cuba , Saddam Hussein, and Yasar Arafat’s PLO.”

In your Washington Times article you wrote: “But a constitutional right to assist a foreign terrorist organization to win secession from a nation with which the United Sates is at peace — whether through negotiations or otherwise — is preposterous. Think of the ignominious Munich “peace conference” of 1938.

Could an American citizen steeped in international affairs have claimed a free speech right to advise Adolf Hitler on how to outfox the British and French to capture sovereignty over the Sudentenland from Czechoslovakia?”

“This is a good question but isn’t this exactly what you are doing in the case of the Tamil Tigers who is headed by “the latest Pol Pot of Asia”? ( New York Times , James Burns, May 28, 1995).

If anyone steeped in international affairs has no right to defend Hitler what right have you to defend Velupillai Prabhakaran, “the latest Pol Pot of Asia “, in the Congressional corridors of power?

Besides, US continue to have relations, either officially or unofficially, with Iran, Cuba. So why is it bad for Sri Lanka to have official or unofficial relations with these countries?

Does this reflect your vaunted understanding of international relations? Since Britain and India, for example, maintain friendly relations with these counties will you recommend to the Congress that US should blacklist them too?

Furthermore, if Yasser Arafat is an enemy of US why was he invited to Camp David and why did President Clinton shake hands with him? If Castro is an enemy of US why is ex-President Jimmy Carter advocating the lifting of the ban on Cuba?

(3) You state: “The assassinations of India’s Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lanka’s President Ranasinghe Premadasa, moreover, occurred long years ago, and suggest little or nothing about the contemporary danger of the Tamil Tigers to the United States .”

Are the law professors of Harvard that idiotic/ignorant not to have taught you that there are no statutory limitations for war crimes and crimes against humanity?

In addition, you state: a recent memoir by a military official in India ‘s armed forces asserts that Gandhi ordered the army to kidnap and to assassinate the leader of the Tigers during peace negotiations.” Obviously, you read and quote only what suits you. Are you aware that this was denied by Indian officials? If you disagree what proof have you to establish your case?

(4) “There has never been a Tamil president or prime minister of Sri Lanka,” you say. Can you kindly name a single Hispanic or an Afro-American (Barak Obama, notwithstanding) as being either a president or a vice president of America? Can you kindly name one non-Anglican who is allowed to sit on the English throne?

You also say: “No Tamil has ever headed the Armed Forces.” Can you kindly make some inquiries from your Tamil informers and kindly tell us who the first Sri Lankan Army Commander (Maj-Gen. Anton Muttucoomaru) was?

Can you kindly tell us who the second Navy Commander (Rear-Admiral Rajan Kadiragamar) was ? Can you kindly tell us whether Rudra Rajasingham, the Inspector General of Police, was from a tribe in Timbuctoo?

(5) Then you state: “One million Tamils were permanently disfranchised and denied citizenship at Sri Lanka’s independence.” Can you kindly tell us which law course at Harvard taught you that a nation, particulary a new nation, has no right to define who its citizens are? Besides, do you know that the Citizenship Act was passed with the consenting vote of G. G. Ponnambalam, the most formidable leader of the Jaffna Tamils at the time.

The leader of the Muslims, T. B. Jayah, and the representatives of other minorities (except the Indian Tamils) voted for it. If all the elected community leaders (except the Indian Tamils) voted for it on what principle are you contesting the right of an elected parliament to define who its citizens are going to be?

Do you also know India subsequently accepted those who did not qualify for citizenship as their citizens under the Sirima-Shastri Agreement? Do you know that since then practically all the Indians have been accepted as citizens?

(6) “In 1961, a Gandhi-like non-violent Tamil movement for regional autonomy was brutally crushed by the Sinhalese,” you say.

What is the evidence you have for the “brutal crushing”? If they were brutally crushed how did they contest elections and carry on their separatist campaign in Jaffna and other parts of the country? Besides, what kind of “non-violent movement” was this when it distributed wooden pistols by the movement’s leaders?

(7) “The principles celebrated in the United States Declaration of Independence and enshrined in natural and international law establish an unequivocal right to separate statehood by Sri Lanka’s Tamils,” according to you.

You also state: “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations pursuing invariably the same objective evinces a design to reduce [a people] under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.”

On this argument can you name the non-black Congressmen who will campaign with the Afro-Americans for a separate state in the US? How many legislators are likely to be re-elected if they campaign for the right of the Hispanic to use their language in the US states which have already passed laws declaring that English ONLY shall be the official language?

Will they also consider Eboli, a dialect of the Afro-Americans, as an official language of America?

(8) Consider also this quote: “The (FBI) story neglects to note that the Tamil Tigers are not an illegal organization in Sri Lanka itself; and, that the United States Department of State has urged the GoSL to negotiate with the Tamil Tigers.”

Do you not know that the Tigers were once a banned organisation in Sri Lanka and in order to facilitate peace talks it lifted the ban? Not only did it lift the ban it even went for talks with “the deadliest terrorist organisation in the world” (FBI) without insisting on the primary condition of laying down arms before opening negotiations.

Do you also know that none of the Western democracies would ever open negotiations with a terrorist group until and unless they lay down their arms?

(9) “The (FBI) story omits facts indicating that the current GOSL is a state sponsor of terrorism against its Tamil citizens;” you say. If this is the case how do you explain the fact that the majority of the Tamils live in harmony with the majority of the Sinhalese in the South, voting with their feet against to live outside the terrorist outfit in the Vanni? Besides, if the state sponsors terrorism why don’t the Tamils run away to seek safety in the haven of Tamil Tigers in the Vanni?

(10) On the homepage of Tamils for Justice, the objective of the Bruce Fein project includes “The Deproscription of the LTTE.” In the Bruce Fein statement of January 22, 2008, you state that Tamils for Justice “is not a front for the Tamil Tigers. Nor does it represent, associate with, or take direction from the Tamil Tigers or any other organization within or outside the United States.”

The press release Tamils for Justice issued on January 23, 2008, states likewise. How do you reconcile these two contradictory statements? If Tamils for Justice is not an LTTE front, then why is the deproscription of the LTTE its stated objective?

(11) Do you agree that the LTTE is a terrorist organization?

(12) Do you believe that the end justifies the means? That is, do you accept using terrorism for gaining political objectives?

(13) Do you disagree with the UN Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, under which, activities of LTTE front organizations are being investigated by several foreign governments?

(14) Do you now believe in the LTTE cause ? If so why ?

(15) As you, presumably, believe in transparency and accountability will you declare the details of the funds collected for the deproscription of the Tamil Tiger terrorists, including the names of the donors, particularly because of the suspicion of Tamil for Justice being associated with a banned terrorist organisation?

(16) Who are the office bearers of Tamils for Justice?

(17) Do you see a difference between the LTTE and al Qaeda? If you do, then what is it?

(18) Would you also agree to represent al Qaeda’s deproscription provided an organization similar to Tamils for Justice hires you ?

(19) You say in your statement of January 22, 2008, that there is no evidence to justify the accusation that the LTTE was responsible for assassination of two world leaders. If that is the case, how can you justify your accusation that the GOSL is responsible for the executions of 15 French aid workers in the Trincomalee area, as stated in your statement of January 22?

(20) Who provides information for the Bruce Fein Project?

(21) You say that in 1975, Tamils were politically united behind a declaration of independence to establish a Tamil statehood. Demand for a separate state was made by the Tamil United Liberation Front in 1976 and not 1975, and it was not a declaration but a resolution called “ Vadukkodai Resolution”.

Are you aware that this resolution is based on a myth of a Tamil homeland which has been debunked by Prof. K. M. de Silva, Sri Lanka’s foremost historian, in his monograph which has not been contested by any Tamil or any other historian ? Do you know that the LTTE demand for a separate state is a demand for something that never existed?

(22) Are you aware that A. Amirthalingam, leader of TULF and the cream of Tamil leadership have been liquidated by the Tamil Tiger terrorists ? Do you know that S. Chandrahasan, the son of the father of Tamil separatism, S. J. V. Chelvanayakam, has declared that the Tamil Tigers have killed more Tamils than all others parties put together ?

How do you propose to represent the Tamils for Justice with such scant knowledge of Sri Lanka’s history?

(23) You state that four Tamil members of parliament were assassinated while under Government protection. How many Tamil, Sinhala and Muslim parliamentarians were assassinated by the Tigers? Were they also not afforded security ? Wasn’t the late Lakshman Kadirgamar, a Tamil Foreign Minister, and President R. Premadasa, not given the highest protection by the Government when the Tigers assassinated both ?

(24) You state: “ Neither Tamils for Justice nor Bruce Fein will be crucified on a cross of fear or cowardice.” No one will bother to crucify Bruce Fein, for sure.But we hope Bruce Fein will show courage in answering these questions.

(25) You state: “.....the LTTE undertakes auxiliary activities that strengthen its terrorists torso and sweeten its public face (through) political organizing and advocacy;” etc.

Have you taken up the job of lobbying for the Tamil Tigers “to sweeten its public face” through “political organizing and advocacy”?

by H. L. D. Mahindapala

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS:TERRESTRIAL PARADISE

2008-01-31T04:20:00.000-08:00

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS:

PORTUGESE NARRATION OF A TERRESTRIAL PARADISE: SRI LANKA bunpeiris The Historic Tragedy (1) of the island of Ceilao (2) Written by Captain Joao Ribeiro. Dedicated to His Most Serene Majesty Dom Pedro theSecond on 8^th January 1685 at LisbonTranslated from Portuguese to English by P.E. PIERIS

Following is an extraction of the above mentioned book . Footnotes in italics are mine, for your entertainment. bunpeiris

I should wish all who have traveled over the world or have read of its greatness, to tell me if they have seen or heard of any part which produces the treasures which as we have shown, are to be found in this Island?
If we take the whole of Africa, we would not find there more than a little gold obtained by purchase, together with some amber & ivory. America produces gold, silver pearls, emeralds some amber & numerous drugs: but we ought to remember that so vast is the extent of this country, that it is named the New World, & that it stretches from Pole to Pole, including numerous kingdoms & provinces, & that the majority of them lack most of the articles we have described.
Those which have some have not got the others. Brazil produces sugar & tobacco; in Arabia there is incense, myrrh, dates & horses; in Persia, silk & some drugs, while pearls are found in the Gulf; in Gusaarate, cloth & drugs; in Canara, rice & pepper; in Malavar, pepper, cardamom & ginger; in the Xoromandal Coast, cloth; in the Kingdom of Carnate which is subject to Golconda, diamonds; in Bengla & throughout the Kingdom of the Mogor, cloth, rice, sugar, & wax. There are also numerous provinces which have some products & not others. In Pegu are found rubies & lacre; in Sumatra gold, copper, tin, benzoin & pepper; in Siam, benzoin & drugs; in China, gold, silk, musk & drugs; in Japao, silver & copper; in the Malucas, cloves; in Banda, nutmegs & mace; in Timor & Solar, sandal.
The products of each kingdom of Europe are well known, but they are more the result of cultivation than the gift of nature; accordingly we do not refer to them.
We see that several of the lands which we have named include numerous large kingdoms, & they cannot fail to have a reputation for great wealth. What then should we say about an island, the greatest length (2) of which is not more than seventy leagues, & which produces the five commodities we have described in such store?
Its cinnamon is the best in the world; its gems are in such abundance & only diamonds & emeralds are wanting; its elephants are the most prized of any within our discoveries, its pepper is the finest in the East, the pearls & seed pearls of its waters are considered very excellent.
I do not speak of the numerous other drugs which the island produces, & of which we take no account. Some amber is found on the coast.
Methinks that those who declared that this Island is the terrestrial Paradise, did not in consequence of its fertility or the profusion of every kind of dainty to support life, nor for the blandness or healthfulness of its climate, nor for the footprint (3) two palms long which the Gentiles have fabricated to attract veneration to the spot; but because while its extent is so limited, it produces such an abundance of riches.
Let us look at he inhabitants of Sofala, Mocambique, & Mombaca, where the trade consists in a little gold, amber & ivory, all purchased, & made the monopoly of the Governors & Captains of these forts. Instead of living in these lands devoid of all that is needed for the maintenance of life, & entirely unhealthy land, which is provided with everything, & pleasant for the life of man; where all would wealthy, & have something to sell without being obliged to buy; all our forces united, & not living in continual fear of defeat or attack; holding the entire Eastern submission so that Kings would be compelled to court our friendship; serving God, & having in that immense tract a firm rock on which to build the Faith of Jesus Christ; while our King would have a wealthy Empire founded on those same forts, which the deserving could be rewarded, with different revenues from what they yield now.

TO BE CONTINUED
(1) Portuguese held sway in the western & south western coastal belt of Sri Lanka. But they weren’t able to conquer the island. The failure to conquer the paradise island was considered a tragedy by the Portuguese.
(2) Ceilo (Portuguese), Zeilan (Dutch), Ceylon (British) Sri Lanka (since 1972)
(3) Adam’s Peak (click here to visit)

Sri Lanka Holidays. Bentota Bay Beach

2008-01-26T01:39:00.000-08:00

SRI LANKA Bentota Bay Beach, A Prime Beach Resort of Sri Lanka
{Click para to enjoy numerous tourist attractions in The Land Of Delights}

We cross the bridge over the River Bentota by car. The railway track of Diesel engine powered trains shares the same bridge. Over the bridge, over the waters of river Bentota, all of a sudden it is calm now. Did we miss something? We try to have a glance behind the car. We travelled from north to south over the bridge & now unlike us, the River Bentota that was running from east to west while we crossed the bridge suddenly changes its mind & takes a ninety degree turn. Now, the river flows north right from the very location of the bridge itself, parallel to the coast, for a few hundred meters, separated by the sea only by a narrow tongue of land. Sea from the west, sea from the north-the choppy breakers of the Indian Ocean, & calm waters of the river Bentota from East. The narrow spit of land is beautifully sandwiched & shaded with palm trees on both the seaward & river sides. It can be reached either from the beach or by boat across the river: the paradise island. CLICK ABOVE PARA TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

Riolta Lanka Holidays (Pvt.) Ltd., Colombo, Sri Lanka
www.rioltalankaholidays.com

Sri Lanka's non-stop epic

2007-12-30T01:54:00.000-08:00

The Mahavamsa or Great Chronicle, Sri Lanka's non-stop epic
The oldest, continuously recorded history in the world is still being continued.
B. Upul N. Peiris ( bunpeiris ), Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, 30^th Dec 2007

“Do thou, O lotus-hued One, protect with zeal Prince Vijaya & his followers, & the Doctrine that is to endure in Lanka for full five thousand years.” Mahavamsa

Sri Lanka, Sinhalese & Buddhism (543 BC- 2007 AD = 2550 years). Our nation will last for another 2450 years.

1815-1948 "The Sinhalese voluntarily surrendered their island to the British Sovereign with full reservation of their rights & liberties. They may thus claim to be one of the few ancient races of the world who have not been conquered."
(Sketches of Ceylon History by Sri Lankan-then called Ceylonese-Tamil scholar Ponnambalam Arunchalam, 1906)

Click here http://www.mysrilankaholidays.com/ancient-glory.html

“My effort is not for the joy of sovereignty; it is for the establishment of the Faith of the Buddha forever” King Dutugamunu (161BC-137BC), the hero of the nation waging war against Dravidian invader Elara

Click here http://www.mysrilankaholidays.com/sri-lankan-history.html

Click here to read the whole article http://www.bunpeiris.com/

http://www.bunpeiris.com/2007/12/sri-lankas-non-stop-epic.html

Sri Lanka Dayan Jayathilaka The Year of Victory 2008

2007-12-27T21:30:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka: Call to make 2008 "The Year of Victory"

By Dr. Dayan Jayathilaka Friday, December 28, 2007

We are about to step into 2008, the 60th year of Sri Lanka's Independence. It shows every sign of being a decisive year. Indeed it must be made so. Sixty years after independence is the right historical and psychological moment to resolve the major problem facing Sri Lanka. That is the reunification of this small island. Sri Lanka's natural borders must be its political boundaries. Its armed forces must enjoy the sole monopoly of violence throughout its territory. Whatever its internal arrangements, the country must be one, single, indivisible political entity.

What does this mean in concrete terms? It means that the LTTE must be eliminated as a military challenge to Sri Lanka's unity and territorial integrity. This in turn means that the Tigers must no longer be an armed force capable of rivalling Sri Lanka's armed forces. The LTTE must no longer exist as a parallel army. This entails the destruction of the LTTE as a fighting force; the elimination of its leadership, its armed cadre and military assets. This would create the opportunity for the LTTE to convert itself into a democratic political formation, provided it accepts that any solution to Tamil political grievances and identity issues must be pursued peacefully and democratically within the parameters of a single, united Sri Lanka.

This objective is both imperative and feasible. It is imperative because any sustainable progress requires the elimination of the enemy armed force and its capacity for instant destabilisation. The varied futures envisaged for the country by leaders as diverse as Presidents Jayewardene, Premadasa and Kumaratunga were thwarted by one factor: Prabhakaran. Sri Lanka can move forward only if it eliminates the obstacle in its path. Its economy can grow in a sustainable manner only if military expenditure levels off and is progressively reduced, and more fundamentally, if the national market is reunified, which means the reunification of the national territory as a single space. After decades of armed conflict punctuated by ceasefires and internationally mediated negotiations, the elimination of Jonas Savimbi was the key to peace and prosperity in resource rich Angola.

The war can be won. We are at a rare moment in our country's history in which we enjoy a favourable confluence of factors: a President (and Defence Secretary) with political will and determination; an experienced and respected military leadership; massive popular support; high military morale; increased recruitment; high performance on the part of all three armed services. Those who make the most facile parallels with the Bush administration, Iraq, Afghanistan and all points of geography and history would do well to ponder the statistical fact that after a quarter century of military conflict, the Sri Lankan people are not about to throw in the towel and bring the boys back home, for the simple reason that the boys are fighting precisely for their home, and therefore a massive 84 % percent of a huge 75% of the island's people, a massive majority of the majority, support the President's war effort. So too does a significant (under the circumstances) segment (20%) of the main Tamil minority. The war is now a People's War.

That is also the secret of the Govt's success in defeating the Budget conspiracy: no party or formation which bases itself at least in part, on a nationalist or patriotic appeal, can afford to be seen to topple the Government at the expense of the war effort and to the benefit of the LTTE. This is also why the Govt does not have to succumb to every slogan of the more extremist or radical nationalist forces but can negotiate if not from strength, certainly not from inferiority.

2008 must then be designated as our Year of Victory. Certainly the war cannot be won by solely military means, but let there be no illusions: a war can be won only by primarily military means. The main, central and decisive effort in the coming year must of necessity be military: in a war, the armed struggle is the main axis and 'motor force of development' of the historical process. All else is utopianism. However the war effort must be supported by politics and diplomacy.

Prabhakaran will attempt a replay of 1987, when he successfully leveraged the external factor (at the time, sub-regional, i.e. Tamil Nadu). Today it will be pressure from those countries which have a large, electorally significant Tamil Diaspora, which plays a role more like the notorious Miami mafia than the Jewish lobby. These Western states seem determined to prevent the military victory of the Sri Lankan state over the Tigers, and seem to prefer the survival/existence of the Tigers as a military entity. Sri Lanka cannot afford to be deterred by these pressures, and sacrifice its future. Any student of the Cold War would recognise the use of the instrument of Human Rights and so-called 'dissident civil society' by the West, to penetrate and undermine regimes and states. Sri Lanka cannot make the mistakes of Gorbachev (the latter years) and Yeltsin, be tranquilised, have its sovereignty penetrated, be weakened and dismantled as countries. Sri Lanka cannot be oblivious to the use of the slogan of "humanitarian crisis" to dismantle the former Yugoslavia. Today the West stands ready to ignore the UN resolution that reiterates that Kosovo is a part of Serbia, and to recognise Kosovo as an independent state.

The anti-Sri Lanka campaign will accelerate next year as Sri Lanka makes headway in the struggle to overcome the Tigers. The West, preceded by the Western-dominated media, will howl about a "humanitarian crisis", and brandish the policy of R2P ('Responsibility to Protect') at us as we close in on Prabhakaran's bunker. However, in our case R2P is ultimately something of a paper tiger. It works in a context such as the former Yugoslavia, a country put together in the post-war years from the most diverse components (in bold, laudable experiment by Tito). Sri Lanka is not a failed or failing state. It is a continent too far for an imposed R2P to be sustained. It is located in Asia, has a distinct cultural identity and a decisive homogeneous majority, a consciousness of a continuous existence as a state entity, an educated and militant youth population. And no part of Sri Lanka hankers after EU membership!

The coming anti-Sri Lanka campaign must be blunted by three counter-thrusts.

We must rebuild our national defences by rejuvenating our National Human Rights Commission and/or creating new and credible institutions headed by internationally respected Sri Lankans. It must be recognised however, that human rights violations will drop off drastically when the war is over, when the enemy has been defeated - just as human rights violations in the South of Sri Lanka dropped off sharply when the JVP had been militarily defeated. The re-enfranchised Tamil people will swiftly recover their rights in a peaceful environment where the highly competitive politics of Sri Lanka's proportional representation come into play.

We must devolve power to the North and East, swiftly and sustainably. This means, as a first step, reactivating the 13th amendment, as proposed by Douglas Devananda. The weight of the Indian state upon the Sri Lankan and the reluctant cooperation of a Government with a 5/6ths majority in parliament, could not secure in 1987, the "Indian Model" so beloved by certain Tamil moderates. The 13th amendment is as good as it gets, and any improvement will have to await a more favourable parliamentary balance of power, with a drastically altered mass consciousness.

(Faced with the stark choice at a referendum of deleting the term "unitary" from the Constitution, I do not see the majority of Sri Lankans, voting "yes"). A realist solution would aim to protect the 13th amendment from further roll-back as was threatened earlier this year. Mr Devananada's Tamil rivals may depict themselves as more pro-Indian than he, but it does not suit India's interest to have a pro-Indian Tamil politician who is so unacceptable to the Sinhalese that he winds up in India, a la Vardarajahperumal! Devananda is a Tamil politician who is loyal to Sri Lanka and close to India; therefore able to act as a bridge.

He is the only Tamil politician who will accept a solution within the existing Constitution, and is also the only Tamil politician trusted sufficiently by the Sinhala South, to be permitted to hold a significant measure of power in the strategically sensitive North. Like the 13th amendment, Mr Devananda is also as good as it gets. Reactivating the 13th amendment in the present day translates itself into an interim administration in the Northern Province and early Provincial elections in the East.

Our foreign relations must be consciously reoriented, and foreign policy must turn for inspiration to "Kadirgamar Chinthanaya". Those Sri Lankans whose natural tendency is to ask " how high?" when the West says "jump", as well as those whose knees knock at the thought of Western cutbacks, neither recall the history of Sri Lanka's own foreign policy nor understand contemporary international relations. It was in the 1950s, in response to the Rubber-Rice Pact between China and Sri Lanka (under a UNP administration!) that US Congress passed the Hickenlooper Amendment cutting aid to our country- yet we did not waver, still less wilt.

As for those who would counter that the Socialist camp existed at the time as an option, it is to be recalled that the "moment of uni-polar hegemony" has passed its zenith or is in crisis, and we live in the period of the Iraqi debacle, the revitalisation of Russia, the rise of China and tendencies towards multi-polarity. Under President Rajapakse, Sri Lanka has already embarked upon a diversification of its dependence. To avoid a tedious debate on foreign policy, for which I have no time, working as I am at one of Sri Lanka's global FDLs here in Geneva, I would only remind the incorrigibly negativist and the defeatist that Sri Lanka's finest foreign policy thinker the late Lakshman Kadirgamar had already, in the last stage of his tenure and life, publicly signalled the geopolitical/geo-strategic reorientation of Sri Lanka's external relations. I advocate a return to that emergent thrust, within an overall Realist policy of power balancing, especially multi-polar power balancing.

Until this war is over and won, our foreign policy has to be the handmaiden of strategy, an overall strategy whose primary goal and objective must be the unification of the state through the military defeat and destruction of the secessionist-terrorist enemy, the LTTE. Foreign policy must be defence-driven, rather than the other way about. It cannot be oriented towards those states that have large Tamil lobbies and which instrumentalize human rights hypocritically to prevent our victory. It must be oriented towards precisely those states, blocs and tendencies which are uninfluenced by such lobbies, and are in favour of combating that which China refer to as "the Three Evils: Separatism, Terrorism and Extremism".

In our 60th anniversary year Sri Lankans would do well to be inspired by the words of Fidel Castro, a product of another small island nation in the tropical sun. In his 700 plus page autobiography My Life (2007) Fidel Castro says "Those who don't respond, those who don't fight, those who don't combat, those people are lost from the beginning, and in us, you'll never find that kind of person."

Source: Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law & Order - Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

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2007-12-26T03:55:00.000-08:00

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2007-12-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

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