Friday 24 October 2008

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: Sri Lanka History

Sri Lanka Holidays: latest edition of Mahawamsa

Tour The Land of Delights with Riolta Lanka Holidays (My Sri Lanka Holidays), Sri Lanka. Total Holiday Experience awaits you in the beautiful tropical island of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Holidays presents the publisher's brief narration on the latest edition of Mahavamsa, for the benefit of those tourists of Sri Lanka Holidays.  The great chronicle of Sri Lanka from chapters one to thirty seven was edited with an annotated new translation with prolegomena by Dr. Ananda W. P. Guruge. ISBN-955-20-8963-8

The Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka Mahavamsa Chapters one to thirty-seven Ananda W. P. Guruge

Sri Lanka has a unique heritage with its fascinatingly colorful history maintained in an unbroken written record extending beyond two thousand five hundred years.With an exceptionally rare historical sense, the island nation has preserved its memory of the varying vicissitudes through which its peoples have endeavored to safeguard its spiritual & cultural identity.

Of its many works of history, the Mahavamsa remains the most inspiring & enduring. Its first thirty-seven chapters, reflecting the first eight hundred years of nation-building was written by the historian-poet Mahanama(1), with remarkable skill in historiography & literary expression, in the sixth century CE in Pali verse. Updated & expanded from time to time, the Mahawamsa, the non-stop historical epic of Sri Lanka, is an integral part of the universal heritage of humanity.

So was it recognized since its first translation into English in 1837 by George Turner & the next in 1912 by Wilhelm Geiger. Reflecting the vast progress made in archeological & epigraphically research & the exploration of corroborative supporting evidence from world literature, a new translation & an in-depth study became a felt national need. Dr. Ananda W. P. Guruge, the internationally renowned scholar in Asian History, with special expertise in Buddhist studies & Sri Lankan history & culture, responded to this need in 1989 with  his annotated new translation with prolegomena.

Godage International publishers (Pvt.) Ltd. is privileged to publish this revised new edition, on a renewed demand for this scholarly treatment of the most important source of Sri Lanka’s ancient history.END

Footnotes by bunpeiris

(1) Historian-poet Mahanama, a Buddhist Bhikshu (priest) was an uncle of King Dhatusena of Anuradhapura, the builder of great rainwater reservoir Kala Weva”. It was King Dhatusena’a son King Kashaypa ( AD 479- 497)  who built Sigiriya Lion Rock Citadel.

Sri Lanka Holidays wish to impress upon all the visitors to the ancient Sri Lanka that the new translation of Mahavamsa is a must read. 

Friday 10 October 2008

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: BIG BUDDHA and LITTLE I

Sri Lanka Holidays Big Buddha and Little I: my inspiration from Buddhism 

Tour The Land of Delights with Riolta Lanka Holidays (My Sri Lanka Holidays), Sri Lanka. Total Holiday Experience awaits you in the beautiful tropical island of Sri Lanka.

Robert Knox, escaping in 1679 from a long captivity among the Sinhalese, had brought home stories of “a world of hewn stone pillars” which he had passed during his flight through Anuradhapura. His narrative was printed in 1817. Nearly a century & a half after Knox’s journey, a pioneer officer, Lieutenant Mitchell Henry Fagan of the 2nd Ceylon Regiment, forcing his way through almost impenetrable undergrowth in 1820 had come face to face with a colossal statue gazing out at him from the foliage: Gal Vihara.

A colossal figure of Buddha cut from a granite wall was most serenely gazing at him from out of the foliage. "I cannot describe what I felt at that moment," he wrote. Neither could I when I first saw the great statues at the tender age of 8. It was like dream that you dream when just about to wake up. And you wake up with the dream & still on a cloud. But the upright Big Buddha most definitely smiled at me. Am I dreaming? No, Big Buddha smiled again.

Since then, for a decade, I had been traveling yearly with my maternal grandfather who used to take all his relations & friends numbering around 30 for pilgrimage of fortnight at his expense on yearly basis during his prosperous days. Imagine 4 a.m.Lakshpatiya, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, late 1960s, young & old relations & friends all in full swing, pilgrim mode, spellbinding stories of village serpent medic Grand uncle Romeal (still tall and as straight as an arrow in Clint Eastwood style), Pol mal (coconut fronds), Ebert Silva passenger bus, Buddhist Homage Gathas (Thunyam sarane), large metal cauldrons & large clay pots, stuff & goods, baskets & sacks, dhal & dry fish, spices & local Palm honey sweets … How do you begin to write, how do you end writing ... I have no idea.
My father had been warning my maternal grandfather against excessive advertisements. Headstrong & flamboyant to the boot, my maternal grand father had a devil may care attitude & paid scent respect to book keeping. Somebody had been following his two page advertisements in newspapers, musical advertisement at 11 am on Radio Ceylon: Aswaya gone tik tik. (then kids hit song Come’n Let’s ride the horse) Kumara Shanthiya (meaning Blessings to the Prince in Sanskrit) sure-fire Ayurvedic medication syrup of infants, toddlers, the tender young for all stomach upsets. The high flying stalwart was destined, most unfortunately, to have his wings clipped.
Another decade later, the greatest spoil sport of all time, Department of Inland Revenue of Ceylon made Ayu. Dr. Prangige Silmon Peter Peiris Gunaratne of Sri Vijaya Oushada Shalwa (Shri Vijaya Medical Hall, next to Vijitha Cinema, Ratmalana,Sri Lanka) bankrupt. How the mighty have fallen! Like an enormous tree that gave shade to all who came. My flamboyant philanthropist grandfather who had a couple of 1 Shri licence plate British made Austin Cambridge cars & a sizeable property of lands & houses lost all.
Another decade later when I remarked I would love to set up luxury tour operations to draw in foreign tourists to show off my land & name the tour package Peter Peiris Fortnight, my father chuckled that my maternal grandfather would turn in his grave: his was charity pilgrimage with no pretensions of comforts at all; my dreams were of luxury travel with a view to profit. All the same, it’s a fair deal, I take my country to them, or rather bring them to my land, I argued. I reveal for them to revel.
In time, My grandfather was to provide me the inspiration to compose 108 web page website on Sri Lanka with great emphasis on the numerous Buddhist cultural attractions of the Island.
Unlike the German tourists, the British tourists seek for touring holiday packages with cultural orientation. After all it was them who rediscovered the lost cities ofAnuradhapura, Polonnaruwa & Sigiriya.

I am still striving to get a steady stream of British tourists. Everything will be fine in another couple of years: Riolta Lanka Holidays presents Peter Peiris Fortnight. We reveal for you to revel. Tour the ancient island of Sri Lanka with Sri Lanka Holidays.

Wednesday 8 October 2008

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: AN INVITATION

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: AN INVITATION

This is an invitation to an IT Professional with a definite bent towards Sinhalese Nationalism with no apologies. A newly incorporated Inbound Tour Operator Company based in Sri Lanka invites a Straight Arrow to their team.

We are in haste following an initial chat on a possible partnership with a large scale luxury tour operator based in U.K., who would be commencing operations to Sri Lanka in the end of 2009 or beginning of 2010.

We are: Key Members (partners) at present

A Travel trade professional: former employee of GSA of on-line Airlines (Hometown; Moratuwa, western coastal belt of Sri Lanka)

A Professional  Accountant: former employee of a Shipping Agent (Hometown: Bandarwela, Central Highlands of Sri Lanka)

A  Holidays Professional:  a former Senior Tour Consultant of one of the top 5 tour operators in Sri Lanka.(Hometown: Kandy, medieval royal city of Kandy, gateway to Central Highlands)

You are (our 4th partner): Now, we ask for a lot

(a)   Sinhalese Buddhist citizen of Sri Lanka or a Resident (Sinhalese Buddhist) in United Kingdom steeped in our Sinhalese Buddhist Heritage

(b)   IT Professional with a University degree

(c)   No nonsense straight talk Straight Arrow who can rise up to the occasion & dare to speak defending our land, our nation & our faith

(d)   Wiling to invest in our incorporated company

You are invited to email bunpeiris@gmail.com ASAP.

Wednesday 1 October 2008

SRI LANKA HOLIDAYS: REVEAL

we reveal for you to revel












Riolta Lanka Holidays






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