Aquasprite Theme Demo

Showing posts with label asia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label asia. Show all posts

Sri Lanka to host Biennial Fulbright South and Central Asia Regional Conference

Posted by lanka matha on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 , under , , | comments (0)





Jan 18, Washington, D.C.: The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in coordination with the United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission and the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka, will host a regional Fulbright Program workshop in Colombo from January 26-28, 2011, a media note issued Tuesday by the Department of State said.
The professional development workshop will bring together staff from Fulbright Commissions and U.S. embassies in the South and Central Asia region to share best practices and information about Fulbright and other academic exchange programs in the region.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs Alina Romanowski will host a moderated conference call from the State Department with media on Thursday, January 20, 2011 from 10:30 � 11:00 am on the Fulbright Program in South and Central Asia.
U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Patricia A. Butenis and Deputy Assistant Secretary Romanowski will provide opening remarks in Sri Lanka on January 26, followed by a key note address on U.S.-Sri Lanka relations from Jayantha Dhanapala, former Ambassador to the United States from Sri Lanka and UN Under Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs. James R. Moore, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs will also give remarks after the plenary.
The South and Central Asia region comprises thirteen countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Almost 1,500 U.S. and non-U.S. scholars, students, teachers, artists, and professionals receive Fulbright and other academic exchange program awards to and from South and Central Asia each year.
The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. government's flagship international exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world.
Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 300,000 participants from over 155 countries with the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Fulbright Program participants are among the more than 40,000 academic and professional exchange program participants supported annually by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.


Culture of Sri Lanka

Posted by lanka matha on Tuesday, December 28, 2010 , under , , , , , , | comments (0)



Culture of Sri Lanka
Unique and very rich


Culture of Sri lanka is very unique like it's beautiful places, ancient ruins, weather conditions, etc. Though the Culture of Sri Lanka society is more than 2500 years old, it is really Buddhism that was the most influential civilising force of the country. People got delimite ideas about what is right and wrong, beneficial results of good deeds in this life itself and vice versa. Lives of the Buddha and his noble disciples had a good impact on the people. People were taught to be sincere, kind, truthful, harmless and to help the downtrodden etc. Buddha’s teachings that emphasised the equality of man and the idea that man is noble not by birth but by his behaviour and actions, helped to make the caste system which was prevalent in India so rigid very much less severe here.


Culture of Sri Lanka

                                                                        Adams peak
Culture is a way of life according to social scientists. Culture differs from one nation or society to another. Customs beliefs, art, architecture, sculptures, music, drama. Languages, social values on one hand and how people live, behave, think, speak, dress, work, eat, drink on the other all join to form a particular culture. Culture could be enriched with the assimilation of certain features of another without loosing the identity of the forever.

Buddhism was one of the influential forces of culture of Sri Lanka

With the introduction of Buddhism, Pali works Tripitaka, Pali literature came to Ceylon and the Sinhala language was supplemented with Pali words without much difficulty for the language spoken by the people here was much similar to Pali. A vast literature in Sinhala derived influenced by Pali tripitaka. Pali commentaries and other literature brought from India and the Pali works were translated into Sinhala. With the growth of Mahayana and vast literature in Sanskrit, place of Pali was taken over Sanskrit and the Sinhala language.Really became a mixture of Pali and Sanskrit languages Sanskrit literary works as Meghaduta, Ramayana, Maharasrata were studied and their structure was followed in Sinhala prose and verse.

Aryans when they came to Ceylon brought the system of farming and irrigation but most probably not a religion nor art, architecture, sculpture, literature etc. All these were introduced with the advent of Buddhism. Monasteries and temples and other religious edifies were built first of stone and later of brick and mortar as residences for the bhikkus huge stupas were constructed to enshrine the scared relic of the Buddha and his noble disciples. These religious edifies were embellished by a rich legacy of sculptural forms. Interior of the Viharas were decorated with images of the Buddha later with Bodhisattvas, various scenes from Buddha’s life. With divinities etc. when you take all these into the account we could say that there Mahinda not only introduced noblest religion in the world but also a culture of a much advanced form. Introduction of Buddhism and arrival of Aryans to Sri Lanka not only helped socially but helped to enhanced culture of Sri Lanka too.
Aryans first introduced the village system government when they arrived in Lanka. According to historical sources, Vijay’s followers established themselves as chiefs of villagers as indicated by the names Anuradhagama à village of Anradha, Upatissagama à village of Upatissa and so on. They chief most probably captured the adjuring villages and set themselves as rulers or rajas of the area. With the introduction of Buddhism these rulers became more humane for they were expected to rule according to the DasaRajaDhamma – 10 kingly virtues (giving, morality, liberality, straightness, gentleness, self-restriction, non-anger, non-hurtfulness, forbearance and non-opposition. At the beginning kings were not looked upon as gods but ordinary men go=given the leadership to work for the welfare of the people under him according to Buddhist principles. Thus the main duties of the Rajas were to develop agricultures by building tanks and canals to protect the people and lands from foreign invaders, plunderers, robbers etc. and also to protect the religion and build religious edifies and grant land for their upkeep.

Thus Ceylon had a culture based on self-sufficiency. There was actually the barter system prevailing in ancient Lanka. Only the kings could trade with foreigners and transact money. Farmer gave some of his products to the villages potter, smithy, traders on cloths, fancy goods etc. in exchange for pots & pans mammoth blades, axes, fancy goods etc. and as such there was no need for the ordinary man to possess money but he and his family had enough for their sustenance unlike people of the contemporary medieval Europe and England where the 8 years, 10 years old worked as slaves in the work, house, in coal mines in stables for a mere pittance..

This culture based on self sufficiency in Lanka as changed into an export – import oriental economy based on export crops as team rubber, coconut, cinchona, cinnamon, canbamousetc. with a damaging influence to sustainable agriculture which declined at a fast rate with the arrival of the Europeans – Rice was exported and the lands were handed over to the Europeans planters for a mere pittance as the farmers could not produce the “so – call deeds” for the land they cultivated for the time immemorial. Thus money became the pivotal factor upon which everything depended. Family relationships, religious practices, ancient customs receded to the background with a new culture based on money.

New resurgence of former cultural traits is to be seen with the gaining of independence in 1948 and the emergence of national heroes as Walisinghe Harischandra, Angarika Dhrmapala, More and more people became aware of their past cultured heritage and began to take a new interest in ancient customs, classical music, dancing etc. which were fast disappearing features of our cultural heritage. One of the most important is the pride of place given to the sheaf of betel or the “bulath hurulla” This had been an important item in religious and marriage ceremonies, functions, festivals etc. Parents, teachers elders are respected with a shelf of betal at Sinhala New year times and at important functions. This has a power of healing differences among parents and children, relations etc. With betal comes habit of our people having the quid of betal of course with certain other ingredients as obecanuts, bit of chunam, camphor, cardamons, nutmeg, mance, etc. it is said that ours kings had a special officer to prepare the squid of betal for him. In our ancient residences the tray of betal with a spittoon nearby (to empty the reddish saliva from the mouth) could be seen which had gone out of fashion today. Even the upper class ladies of yore had the habit of chewing the quid of betal while gossiping or at leisure or playing indoor games. It is said that in India this habit of chewing the quid of betal is not looked up on down but it is fast disappearing from our society instead the poisonus cigarette has taken its place.

Various types of folk art which should get the pride of place seems to be fading away. One such is the various types of decorations made with the young coconut fronds – gokkola- which is endemic to Sri Lanka for it comes from the coconut tree, At folk – dancing, devil dancing ceremonies, Bali performances, Pirith ceremonies, weddings, funeral & decorations done with gokkola are given prominence in rural areas. Special pavilion made for the Pirit ceremony, Poruwa at a wedding for the couple to stand on, Punkalasa (symbolof propriety) etc. decorated with gokkola are slowly dying away giving place to artificial decorations.



COLOMBO CITY

Posted by lanka matha on Friday, December 24, 2010 , under , , , , , , | comments (0)



Climate of Sri Lanka

Posted by lanka matha on Thursday, December 16, 2010 , under , , , , , | comments (0)



Climate of Sri Lanka, Best in the world and an ideal holiday destination for you!




Sri Lanka is neither too hot nor too cold. There is warmth throughout the year. Temperature is almost the same all the year round; diurnal differences in temperature is very low, less that 5 degrees F. No seasonal changes as regards climate of Sri Lanka is isle as in the west. Average temperature is 80 o F in the lowlands and gradually decreasing while proceeding to the interior highlands but the highest point in Sri Lanka is 8292’, so you see, Sri Lanka is an ideal destination for a tourist.
Sri Lanka lies in the tropical zone roughly between 5o N and 10o N latitudes, almost within the belt of calms or Doldrums, which gets conventional rains throughout the year. Though anyone can expect a high temperature according to their circumstances, several factors contribute to an advantageous influence on the climate.
Firstly, this is an small island surrounded by the vast Indian ocean, lying off the tip of the South Indian Peninsula. Secondly, the maximum length and breadth of this being 432 and 224 kms respectively allowing the on-coming sea breeze blowing during the day time spread throughout the island having a favourable effect on this temperature especially in the lowlands and a soothing effect on man, and the average temperature varies 80 degrees F to 84 degrees – 85 degrees F or s degrees F – to 00 degrees F later being the average temperature of the famous town Nuwara Eliya in the Hills.



Visit world famous Garden City of Asia, Nuwara Eliya you will find best climate of Sri Lanka


Though Sri Lanka is always warm and bright and sunny, air is always humid. Percentage of humidity in the air is higher in the wet South West rather than in the eastern dry zone depending on the rains. Towns such as Bandarawela and Badulla are regarded as better health wise, being in the east of the hill country which get less rain and subsequently air is much less humid. So you must spend your hoilday in Bandarawela or Badulla when you visit Sri lanka to experience the best climate of Sri lanka .
Though Ceylon lies within the Rest of Calm, it is also within the area of Indian monsoonal system. Thus the monsoons are really a strong factor modifying the climate of the isle during certain periods of the year. South West monsoons blowing over vast ocean brining with it vast amount of moisture – laden winds, meeting the central hill country drops the moisture on the south west hills and plains, these being on the windward side and passes over the east as a not dry wind, it being the leeward side. This hot dry wind known as kaccan coming down the eastern slopes of the hill country passes at a considerable speed making a loud hooting noise.
In Sinhala hoot is called huva and the people believe that the term huva derived from the word huva (huva >uva). You could hear this noise vibrating through the night in case you spend a night at a town like Bandarawela during the South West monsoonal rains.
Thus the South West of Sri Lanka gets more rain from the South West monsoons from May to July and at the end of the year South East monsoon winds and depressions forming in the bay of Bengal being rains to the East.Driest part of the island lying to the North West and South West is called the Arid zone. Parts of some wild life sanctuaries as Yala, Bundala, Wilpattu, are lying in these zones provide sufficient water for the flora and fauna in the area unless there is a severe drought, which occurs in a while.

Favourite climate conditions prevalent in Sri Lank, warmth all the year round, temperature conditions in the central hills all encourage the tourist to plan holiday at any time of the year.

National zoo in Sri Lanka, one of the largest in Asia

Posted by lanka matha on Monday, December 13, 2010 , under , , , | comments (0)



Sri Lanka's premier zoo at Dehiwela, which is located 11km from Capital Colombo. The National Zoo in Sri lanka is one of the finest and largest in Asia. It may not be the best but is being developed to modern standards. Well laid out gardens give the visitor an opportunity to relax forget the busy schedules back at home or at the office and to get away from the polluted and noisy atmosphere.



Dehiwala zoo, its gardens , now 24 acres in extent are best experiences early morning as soon as the zoo opens. The animals about 350 species are naturally arose active in the mornings going through feeding and cleaning rituals. It is cooler and not crowded as yet. Zoo really gets overcrowded during weekends , holidays and remains open 8 am to 6pm.

You will see different species of animals brought from various countries of the world at the Dehiwala zoo, lions, tigers, leopards, hyenas, wolves, cheetahs, bears, rhinos etc. Even huge animals like elephants, giraffes are also kept in the zoo. As there is greater freedom here than in the many zoos around the world, thousands of visitors visit the zoo every year. The sight of colourful storks at the screaming macaws ruffling mix bright places soon make any visitor quite at ease.

Diversity of the zoo is indicated by the presence of an aquarium walk through aviary, reptile louse, butterfly house and many cages and enclosures. There are more than 500 varies of marine life at the aquarium – Min Medura- built especially with the children in mind. Colourful fish brought from different countries of the world could be viewed here inside the zoo and is regarded as the only aquarium of its kind in Asia.

In the reptile house, there is a rare albino cobra and an enormous python. Children are fascinated to watch the little tortoises riding on backs of fierce crocodiles. Creatures like owls and bats in during natural habitant are allowed to be viewed by the visitors. The zoo has an excellent collection of primates, anthropoids chime apes, monkeys and lions.
Aviary up with a variety of beautiful feathered friends is an interesting sight to see . You also can visit the butterfly house that of various hues fluttering here and there.
Large lake at the centre of the zoo is a playing ground of many species of aquatics birds that r own accord. It is really a breeding ground for egrets, pelicans, cormorants etc..
Group of jackals penguins focussed at the zoo is a symbol of its progress. They are the results of an partnership with other zoos. They had originally come from the Tokyo sea life Park. These birds you could find in an air conditioned section but also could be seen in outdoor fields and also in glaze fronted tanks. They are a good sight to see their feeding time. 

The chick this colony is housing now is really is a result of his zoo had successfully breed these species in captivity.The elephant circus is one of best attarctions of the National Zoo in Sri Lanka
The crowding moment of a visit to the zoo is the elephant circus which commences at 5:15 pm. With extra shows on Sundays and holidays at 3:15 pm. These huge animals performing all kind of tricks such as standing up on their heads wiggling their backs to music, standing up on their hind legs or hopping on one foot. When the largest elephant starts playing a second legs mouth organ, the other elephants starts start skipping and trooping behind. The most existing moment is when an elephant keeps its foot on the stomach of the mahout and raise him by the head using its mouth.
Museum and a live reef tank have been established at the zoo recently.
Dehiwala zoo has trails with signposts and paths so that a visitor can find their way with ease. It required guides could be arranged at the office but wheelchairs access along the paths is really limited. Snacks and drinks are available through out the day and the restaurant caters to special needs of the visitors.
Finally it should be stated that a trip to the Dehiwala zoo with its well laid gardens and a variety of fanua give the visitor an opportunity to relax and to get away from the noisy atmosphere of the city and to keep in touch with nature.