Taprobane: Ancient Sri Lanka as known to the Greeks and Romans Sri Lanka has been known by a multitude of names during its long recorded history spanning a c couple of millenniums and half. Of all the names that Sri Lanka was known, the names, Lanka, Taprobane and Serendib had lasted to date. Sri Lanka has deeply influenced the ancient voyagers, travelers, navigators and historians of cartography, cosmography and geography. Among Greek historians, navigators and cartographers, beginning with Onesicritus of Astypalaea, a commander in the fleet of Alexander the Great, the most common name for the island was Taprobane. This name was subsequently adopted by all Latin authors as well. It is generally agreed that the name Taprobane was derived from the Sanskrit Tamraparni (Pali Tambapanni) since the latter forms occur both in the ancient Sinhalese chronicles (Mahavamsa and Dipavamsa) and in the Rock Edicts of Ashoka, the great Mauyran Emperor of India with apparent reference to the island of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is the land of delights. Sri Lanka Holidays is the total holiday experience that reveals a significant multitude of diverse attractions in culture, nature, wild life, bird life and marine life.
Writes Edward Ives: Some writers, induced by the excessive fruitfulness of the island of Ceylon have supposed it to be the seat of terrestrial paradise; but this opinion is not mine: that it was the Taprobane of the ancients is not unlikely; and indeed there are strong reasons for believing that the island of Taprobane and Ceylon is the same. The ancient, particularly Ptolemy, observe that Taprobane was famous for producing the largest breed of elephant, which is also true of Ceylon. Taprobane likewise was greatly celebrated for its spices, and in this respect Ceylon may be said to rival it, for it produces not only ginger, pepper and cardamoms, but cinnamon also, and the finest in the world. Again Taprobane is said have abounded with precious stones; so does Ceylon; and its rubies, topazes and sapphires in particular are reckoned the best in the East Indies. Taprobane is celebrated for its great fertility, and in this Ceylon is not at all behind it, for from the luxuriance of the soil, they have five kinds of rice which ripen one after another. From all the above circumstances so exactly tallying with each other, we are led to conclude, that island called Ceylon was the famous Taprobane of the ancients. A voyage from England to India, 1773, London. Bookmark & Share
Sri Lanka Travel: the times, travels and travails of The Golden Pearl of the orient Sri Lanka Travel narrates that the sea hath its pearls. Sri Lanka, the Land of Delights is The Golden Pearl of the seas of Exotic Orient: in shape, in beauty, in heritage, in glory, in strategic location and in value to the humanity. The preservation of Theravda Buddhism in written form, alone elevates the ancient island of Sri Lanka to the pinnacle of the contributors to the world heritage.
There is probably no other ancient land, no other tropical island, no other holiday destination in the world that possess such a remarkable combination of diverse tourist attractions, natural and man-made; geographical & historical; cultural and archeological; heritage and heritance, within such a small area of land (65,525 square kilometers) as that of Sri Lanka. Travel Sri Lanka during your Sri Lanka Holidays: we the people at Sri Lanka Travel, Riolta Sri Lanka Holidays reveal for you to revel.
Sri Lanka Travel is for all seasons
Sri Lanka Holidays narrates the shape of the glorious ancient tropical island. In the annals of history, Sri Lanka had most often been described as having a shape of a pearl, i.e., a drop pearl tapering towards the top and rounded at the bottom. The Hindu poets gracefully narrated Sri Lanka as “a pearl upon the brow of India”. Sri Lanka had been a source of exquisite pearls for millenniums: Sri Lanka had produced pearls since the visit of Chinese Buddhist bhikkhu monk scholar Fa-Hien (Fa Xian) to the island then known Lanka (Sinhala: the resplendent) to the colonial maritime powers of Portuguese (1615- 1750), Dutch ( 1751-1805) and British (1805-1948).
Ham Vs. Pearl
The Dutch in Ceylon, in their meat and drink mood identified the shape of Sri Lanka to a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of a pig: smoked ham. The Dutch would have been smoking a tad bit harder at In’t Aepjen. The Dutch even called the Fort they build in the year 1658 in the northernmost peninsula of the island of Sri Lanka, Hammenhiel meaning “the heel of the ham.” The northernmost peninsula had, rather been Achilles heel of Sri Lanka, being the springboard to the marauding Dravidian invaders from powerful kingdom of Southern India bent on plunder and pillage of the ancient capital of Anuradhapura and the early medieval capital of Polonnaruwa (today, UNESCO World Heritage Sites), and then again, until the 2009, with its terrorism that wreaked havoc in the island, having made the western journalists draw the top dollar from the interested parties, sensationalize the bad news with the titles such as “Tear drop of India” and “Paradise Lost”.
The ancient Indian poets who composed epic poems of Mahabharata and Ramayana together with other writers who composed historical narratives of India while naming Sri Lanka, “a pearl upon the brow of India” would have turned in their graves. Milton too. The modern Indian advocates on the concept of emerging major world powers, are unlikely to take the unintended implication in good humor either: if Sri Lanka had been the teardrop of India, then India itself could have been a major world cry baby, a far cry of a super power that it claims to become.
Sri Lanka was never in the history, a part of India.
Sri Lanka, unlike India’s modern neighbors, though never in the history was a part of India, has been the proud custodian of the cannon of Orthodox Theravada Buddhism emerged in India in the 6th century B.C. Destruction of Sri Lanka, could have been a loss, in particular to the heritage of India and in general to the heritage of the world. It was not destined to be so. According to the historical chronicles of the ancient island, Sri Lanka is protected by Satara Waram Deviyo (Sinhala: the four guardian gods of Sri Lanka), four superior and resplendent beings living in other worlds. Sri Lanka is home to the supreme treasure that neither a human being nor his agent could ever destroy: the palladium of the nation, Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha at Sri Lanka Holidays Kandy (Left Tooth Relic of the Supreme Being) and Somawatiya (Right Tooth Relic of he Supreme Being).
Nobody beats destiny
Another tradition that is current amongst the Sinhalese is that, when Buddhism shall have completed 2500 years, a prince named Diyasena will establish a Buddhist Kingdom in Ceylon. Then, it is said, the faith will shine forth in glory and be a beacon to the whole world, and Lanka itself will be prosperous and joyous. This prediction, which originated from a verse in a poetical work, written during the reign of Parakrama Bahu the 6th of Kotte-the last period of brilliant achievement of the Sinhalese during the vicissitudes of the past 500 years. [The Revolt In The Temple (April 1953)]Hail the Heroes of the Nation & The Hero of Modern Sri Lanka, Prince Diyasena of “Revolt in The Temple” or “Dharma-Vijaya” (Sinhala: Triumph of Righteousness) maestro of “The Turn of the Screw” at “The Turn of the Tide” from 26th July 2006 at Mother River, Our Mother Lanka, to 19th May 2009 at “The Sea of Conches”,
Hail My Sri Lanka! Viva Our Island!
The Paradise Regained, the super supreme western powers and colonialists that ripped the orient nations of their wealth, are now robbed of their grand opportunity to perpetuate the title of “Tear Drop”. To the Sri Lankans, their island of ancient glory coupled with clear and present peace is non-other than a Golden Pearl of the exotic Orient.
To kiss or not to kiss the subcontinent: a bridge too close.
Not only the sheer geographical shape of Sri Lanka, but also the setting of the island separated by Palk Strait, mere 32km off the shore of the southern coast of India catches the eye, its fascinating- the subcontinent as well as the small island have tongues of land of their lands jutting out, in the same angle, just on the verge of reaching, almost, not yet; I am in two minds to let you kiss me. Is that what the island is wondering about?
Visit Sri Lanka anyday: Sri Lanka Travel is for all seasons, year round
The main South Western Monsoon (May to September) and North Eastern Monsoon (December to February) defining the tourist seasons of the tropical island, the South Western and Southern Coastal Belt serve the main tourist season during October to April while Eastern Coast serves the secondary tourist season during April to September. Sri Lanka Travel is for all seasons, the year round.
Make merry in Sri Lanka beaches
Bali has its beaches from palm fringed white sand on the east coast to the wilder sand beaches on the west coast, with sleepy undisturbed coves in-between. So does Sri Lanka from the Sri Lanka Holidays South western & southern coastal belts replete with palm fringed pristine bay beaches to never ending wild undisturbed secluded white sandy beaches of Eastern coast belt.
Of the 1340 km of coast line of Sri Lanka, South-western and southern coastal belts are replete with lovely palm fringed sandy beaches that spread from Beruwala to Tangalle. In some of the areas, these twin coastal belts are elevated forming picturesque headlands. Unawatuna beach close to VOC Galle Dutch Fort, is an example of a bay beach with a headland. The eastern coastal belt too, though bold and rocky in some places, is home to several fine beaches such as Nilaveli and Uppaveli close to Trincomalee and Arugamby, Passikuda, and Kalukuda close to Batticalo.
On both sides of the island of Sri Lanka, the sandy coastal belts are interspersed by shallow lagoons of brackish water causing estuaries of enchanting beauty. Sri Lanka Holidays Bentota beach, home to Bentota national Holiday Resort is a prime example.
Central Highlands: live in colonial sanatoriums of Sri Lanka
Egypt has its healing climate, the Engadine of Swiss Alps its lovely scenery, Brazil its wooded wilderness, the Alps their flowery meadows, and Peru is high plateau; but here, in Sri Lanka, easy of access and free of ardors of long journeys, are all these and a hundred other attractions, forming a consummate combination of the most delightful conditions a man can live: the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka.
Four-fifth of the island consists of undulating plains that give way to the lofty mountains in the Sri Lanka Holidays Central Highlands of salubrious climate slightly titled towards the south western region. The concentration of hills in a single region, triangular in shape, south of Kandy, has resulted in “The Hill Country of Sri Lanka”, popularly called “Central Highlands of Sri Lanka”, a world apart in weather, climate, vegetation and terrain with the surrounding plains. Off the Central Highlands flow most of the 105 rivers of Sri Lanka in radial pattern to the plains surrounding it.
Rejuvenate at Hill country sanatoriums
Hatton, a starting point to Adam’s Peak Sri Pada mountain; Diyatalawa, A military canton established in the British colonial era; Haputale, Home to Lipton’s seat; Sri Lanka Holidays Nuwara Eliya, the British colonial sanatorium, Bandarawela, the main market town of the hills; Ella, the Paradise Village are home to seamless plantations of Ceylon Tea, the finest tea in the world.
Get enlightened at Ancient Kingdoms: living testimony to the 2553 years of unbroken recorded Sinhalese Buddhist Civilization of Sri Lanka
Egypt has its great pyramid of Giza, Iran its sub terrain aqueduct system of Qantas, Indonesia its Borobudur, Rome its Vatican, Jordan its Edomite stronghold of Petra; but here, in Sri Lanka, easy of travel, within a few hours, are living monuments of heritage that rival all those: ancient Anuradhapura’s Jetavana Stupa, Abhayagiri Stupa and Ruwan Weli Seya Stupa; ancient Polonnaruwa’s and Anuradhapura’s vast ancient Irrigation networks consisting of enormous rainwater reservoirs, the man made lakes; ancient Golden Dambulla Golden Rock temple; medieval Kandy’s Sacred Temple of the Tooth; ancient Sigiriya’s Lion Rock Citadel. All these are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Begin Sri Lanka Travel in Colombo
Sri Lanka Travel begins at Colombo, the prime airport, sea-port, emporium and commercial capital of the Indian Ocean Island of Sri Lanka. Having visited Sri Lanka Holidays Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara (Sinhala: Kelaniya Royal Colombo Buddhist Temple), having learned a few important episode of 2553 years of uninterrupted glorious history of Sri Lanka, We make a move to Kandy. The Colombo-Kandy road begins at Queens’s House, Fort, Colombo. Do your Sri Lanka Travel with Riolta Lanka Holidays (Pvt.) Ltd., 10 minutes from CMB Bandranayake International Airport, Colombo. Riolta, bunpeiris.
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