Anuradhapura is an ancient capital of Sri Lanka, famous for its monuments and architecture. It is situated in the North-central province of Sri Lanka. The very first kingdom in Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura was made the country's capital by King Pandukabhaya (reigned c. 437 BC - 367 BC, although some sources also state 337 BC-305 BC). The word "Anuradhapura" is derived from Anuradha, which is the name of one of king vijaya's chief ministers, whose special charge was this city, and " ...

Read more here: » Anuradhapura: Encyclopedia - Anuradhapura

See also:

History of Sri Lanka, History of Sri Lanka - Pre-history, History of Sri Lanka - Early history, History of Sri Lanka - European occupation, History of Sri Lanka - British Rule, History of Sri Lanka - The struggle for independence, History of Sri Lanka - Second World War, History of Sri Lanka - Post War, History of Sri Lanka - Independence, History of Sri Lanka - Independent Republic, History of Sri Lanka - Second Republic, History of Sri Lanka - Civil war, History of Sri Lanka - Ceasefire

Read more here: » History of Sri Lanka: Encyclopedia II - History of Sri Lanka - Early history

Whilst the area is thought to be inhabited from as early as the 3rd century BC, it is said that during the first century BC King Vattagamini Abhaya (also known as Valangamba / Valagam Bahu), took refuge at Dumbulla whilst fleeing from an army that had driven him out of Anuradhapura. He later created a cave temple on the site. In the 5th century the stupa was built. The 12th century saw statues of the Hindu gods Vishnu and Saman added to the complex. In 1848 a nationalist movement star ...

See also:

Dambulla, Dambulla - History, Dambulla - Temple Approach And Surroundings, Dambulla - Caves, Dambulla - Temple Grounds

Read more here: » Dambulla: Encyclopedia II - Dambulla - History

Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 330s BC 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC - 280s BC - 270s BC 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 293 BC 292 BC 291 BC 290 BC 289 BC 288 BC 287 BC 286 BC 285 BC 284 BC 283 BC Events Planting of the Sri Maha Bodhi Sacred Fig tree at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, the earliest known planting date for any planted tree still surviving. King Demetrius I of Macedon flees Macedon after an attack by Pyrrhus of Epirus. ...

Read more here: » 288 BC: Encyclopedia - 288 BC

Dambulla is a world heritage site in Sri Lanka, located north of Kandy in Matale district (7°51′24″N, 80°38′57″E), or 12 miles south west of Sigiriya, on the Matale-Anuradhapura Road. The town of Dambulla is built around a large granite outcrop, concealing an impressive Buddhist cave complex, Raja Maha Vihara, dating from the 1st century BC. It is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. There are 80 or more caves on the site, five sanctuaries, four main monasteries, 157 statues, 153 Bud ...

Including:

• Dambulla - History
• Dambulla - Temple Approach And Surroundings
• Dambulla - Caves
• Dambulla - Temple Grounds

Read more here: » Dambulla: Encyclopedia - Dambulla

The system of Caste in Sri Lanka is a division of society into strata, differing somewhat from the classic Varnas of India. It is one of many caste systems in the world. Caste in Sri Lanka - History. The Caste system appears to have been introduced to Sri Lanka by Aryan-language-speakers from North India. There is evidence, in early historical chronicles, of the main vedic castes in the early Anuradhapura era, although it is possible that these categories were used as a literary convention. It has be ...

Including:

• Caste in Sri Lanka - History
• Caste in Sri Lanka - Description
• Caste in Sri Lanka - Religion and caste
• Caste in Sri Lanka - List of Castes
• Caste in Sri Lanka - Sinhalese system
• Caste in Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka Tamil system

Read more here: » Caste in Sri Lanka: Encyclopedia - Caste in Sri Lanka

Alexandria of the Caucasus was one of the capitals of the Indo-Greek kings (180 BCE- 10CE). During the reign of Menander I the city was recorded as having a thriving Buddhist community, headed by Greek monks. In Buddhist litterature, the Greek (Pali: Yona, lit: "Ionian") Buddhist monk Mahadhammarakkhita (Sanskrit: Mahadharmaraksita) is said to have come from “Alasandra” (thought to be Alexandria of the Caucasus, with 30,000 monks for the foundation ceremony of the Maha Thupa ("Great stupa") at Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka: < ...

See also:

Alexandria of the Caucasus, Alexandria of the Caucasus - Indo-Greek capital, Alexandria of the Caucasus - Modern times, Alexandria of the Caucasus - External link

Read more here: » Alexandria of the Caucasus: Encyclopedia II - Alexandria of the Caucasus - Indo-Greek capital

The Caste system appears to have been introduced to Sri Lanka by Aryan-language-speakers from North India. There is evidence, in early historical chronicles, of the main vedic castes in the early Anuradhapura era, although it is possible that these categories were used as a literary convention. It has been posited (by Bryce Ryan and others) that the system as it exists in Sri Lanka is a preservation of that of early vedic India, which bore litt ...

See also:

Caste in Sri Lanka, Caste in Sri Lanka - History, Caste in Sri Lanka - Description, Caste in Sri Lanka - Religion and caste, Caste in Sri Lanka - List of Castes, Caste in Sri Lanka - Sinhalese system, Caste in Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka Tamil system

Read more here: » Caste in Sri Lanka: Encyclopedia II - Caste in Sri Lanka - History

List of famous trees - Africa. Arbre du Ténéré, a very isolated tree in the Sahara region. List of famous trees - Asia. The Bodhi tree, a Sacred Fig tree under which Buddha is supposed to have been enlightened, at Bodh Gaya, India. The Sri Maha Bodhi tree, propagated from the Bodhi tree, planted in 288 BC at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. The 450 year-old giant banyan tree at Adyar in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India in the grounds of the Theosophical ...

See also:

List of famous trees, List of famous trees - Real individual trees, List of famous trees - Africa, List of famous trees - Asia, List of famous trees - Europe, List of famous trees - North America, List of famous trees - Oceania, List of famous trees - Mythological and religious, List of famous trees - Fictional

Read more here: » List of famous trees: Encyclopedia II - List of famous trees - Real individual trees

The caste system appears to have been introduced to Sri Lanka by Aryan-language-speakers from North India. There is evidence of the main vedic castes in the early Anuradhapura era. The introduction of Buddhism in the 3rd century BCE somewhat blunted the edge of the system somewhat. However, there is a reference to King Dutugemunu Abhaya's son, Saliya choosing to lose caste by marrying Asokamala, a Chandala (outcaste) woman, in the 2nd century BCE. The later caste system seems to have evolved as much through waves of ethnic migration a ...

See also:

Caste, Caste - Overview, Caste - Origins of the Caste System, Caste - Varna, Caste - Twice Born, Caste - Jati, Caste - Indian caste system, Caste - Modern perceptions of caste, Caste - Nepalese caste system, Caste - Sri Lankan caste system, Caste - Balinese caste system, Caste - Japanese caste system, Caste - Castes in ancient Israel, Caste - Castes in Rwanda and Burundi

Read more here: » Caste: Encyclopedia II - Caste - Sri Lankan caste system

Dagoba (Sanskrit), or Stupa. Lit: a sacred mound or tower for Buddhist holy relics. These are pyramidal-looking mounds scattered all over India and Buddhist countries, such as Ceylon, Burmah, Central Asia, etc. They are of various sizes, and generally contain some small relics of Saints or those claimed to have belonged to Gautama, the Buddha.

As the human body is supposed to consist of 84,000 dhatus (organic cells with definite vital functions in them), Asoka is said for this reason to have built 84,000 dhatu-gopas or Dagobas in honour of every cell of the Buddha’s body, each of which has now become a dharmadhatu or holy relic. There is in Ceylon a Dhatu-gopa at Anuradhapura said to date from160 years B.C. They are now built pyramid-like, but the primitive Dagobas were all shaped like towers with a cupola and several tchhatra (umbrellas) over them. Eitel states that the Chinese Dagobas have all from 7 to 14 tchhatras over them, a number which is symbolical of the human body.

(See also: Dagoba, Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary, )

"Yona" (also sometimes "Yonaka") is a Pali word used in ancient India to designate ancient Greek people. Its equivalent in Sanskrit is the word "Yavana". "Yona" and "Yavana" are both transliterations of the Greek word for "Ionians" (Homer Iāones, older *Iāwones), who were probably the first Greeks to be known in the East. Yona - Old World usage. This usage was shared by many of the countries east of Greece, from the Mediterranean to India and China: Egyptians used ...

Including:

• Yona - Old World usage
• Yona - Indian references
• Yona - Role in Buddhism
• Yona - Invasion of India
• Yona - Scientific abilities
• Yona - Other references
• Yona - The Yonas and other northwestern invaders in Indian literature
• Yona - Later meanings
• Yona - Contemporary usage
• Yona - Notes
• Yona - External link

Read more here: » Yona: Encyclopedia - Yona

A tree can be defined as a large, perennial, woody plant. Though there is no set definition regarding minimum size, the term generally applies to plants at least 6 m (20 ft) high at maturity and, more importantly, having secondary branches supported on a single main stem or trunk (see shrub for comparison). Compared with most other plant forms, trees are long-lived. A few species of trees grow to 100 m tall, an ...

Including:

• Tree - Classifications
• Tree - Morphology
• Tree - Champion trees
• Tree - Major tree genera
• Tree - Flowering plants Magnoliophyta; angiosperms
• Tree - Conifers Pinophyta; softwood trees
• Tree - Ginkgos Ginkgophyta
• Tree - Cycads Cycadophyta
• Tree - Ferns Pterophyta
• Tree - Life stages
• Tree - Bibliography

Read more here: » Tree: Encyclopedia - Tree

Caste systems are an ancient system of social stratification or hierarchy that have existed throughout history and throughout the world, but the most well-known caste system today is the Indian Varna system. The word caste is derived from the Portuguese word casta, meaning "pure", while the original Hindu word varna means "color". Caste - Overview. Anthropologists use the term more generally to refer to a social group that is endogamous and occupationally specialized; such groups ...

Including:

• Caste - Overview
• Caste - Origins of the caste system
• Caste - Varna
• Caste - Twice born
• Caste - Jati
• Caste - Indian caste system
• Caste - Modern perceptions of caste
• Caste - Nepalese caste system
• Caste - Sri Lankan caste system
• Caste - Balinese caste system
• Caste - Japanese caste system
• Caste - Castes in ancient Israel
• Caste - Castes in Rwanda and Burundi

Read more here: » Caste: Encyclopedia - Caste

The Indo-Greeks (or sometimes Greco-Indians) designate a series of Greek kings, who invaded and controlled parts of northwest and northern India from 180 BCE to around 10 CE. They were the successors in India of the Greco-Bactrian dynasty of Greek kings (the Euthydemids) founded by the military governor Diodotus around 250 BCE when he established the independence of his Bactrian territory from the Seleucid Empire. During the two centuries of their rule, the Indo-Greek kings combined the Greek and Indian languages and sym ...

Including:

• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Historical outline
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Occupation of Northern India
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Consolidation
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Eastern territories
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Western territories
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - The Indo-Greeks and Indian culture
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - The Indo-Greeks and Buddhism
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - The conversion of Menander
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Buddhist proselytism
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Buddhist symbolism
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Representation of the Buddha
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Incipient Greco-Buddhist art
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - The Indo-Greeks and other faiths
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Hinduism
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Zoroastrianism
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Indo-Greeks in the art of Gandhara
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Scythian and Kushan invasions
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Aftermaths
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Art and religion
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Astronomy
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Military role
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Linguistic legacy
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Influence of Indo-Greek coinage
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Genetic contribution
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Greco-Roman exchanges with India
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Main Indo-Greek kings timeline and territories
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Eastern territories
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Western territories
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Indo-Greek princelets Gandhara
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Notes

Read more here: » Indo-Greek Kingdom: Encyclopedia - Indo-Greek Kingdom

Middle Bronze Age 19-15th c. BC Proto-Canaanite 14th c. BC Ugaritic 13th c. BC Phoenician 11th c. BC Samaritan 6th c. BC Aramaic 9th c. BC Brāhmī 4th c. BC Hebrew 3rd c. BC Syriac 2nd c. BC Avestan 3th c. Arabic 4th c. Greek 8th c. BC Old Italic 8th c. BC Latin 7th c. BC Runes 2nd c. Gothic 4th c. Armenian 405 Glagolitic 862 Cyril ...

Including:

• Brāhmī - Literature
• Brāhmī - Examples

Read more here: » Brāhmī: Encyclopedia - Brāhmī

A hospital today is an institution for professional health care provided in part by physicians and nurses. Hospital - Terminology. During the Middle Ages the hospital could serve other functions, such as almshouse for the poor, or hostel for pilgrims. The name comes from Latin hospes (host), which is also the root for the words hotel and hospitality. Some patients just come just for diagnosis and/or therapy and then leave (outpatients); while others are "admitted" and stay overnight or ...

Including:

• Hospital - Terminology
• Hospital - Types
• Hospital - History

Read more here: » Hospital: Encyclopedia - Hospital

Ancient Buddhist and Brahmanical texts reveal that Uttarapatha was the name of northern division of Jambudvipa of ancient Indian traditions. Initially, the term Uttarapatha referred to the northern high road ..the main trade route that followed along the river Ganges, crossed the Indo-Gangetic watershed, ran through the Punjab to Taxila (Gandhara) and further to Zariaspa or Balkh (Bactria) in Central Asia. The eastern terminus of the Uttarapatha was Tamraliptika or Tamluk located at the mouth of Gang ...

Read more here: » Uttarapatha: Encyclopedia - Uttarapatha

Thailand:    61,000 Malaysia:    23,000 Singapore:    12,000 The Sinhalese are the main ethnic group of Sri Lanka. They speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and number approximately 15 million people with the vast majority found in Sri Lanka, while nearly 100,000 live in other countries, mainly in Southeast Asia including Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.[2][3] Sinhalese people - History. Legendary accounts relating to the Indian epi ...

Including:

• Sinhalese people - History
• Sinhalese people - Genetic and anthropological assessments
• Sinhalese people - Geographic diaspora
• Sinhalese people - Religion
• Sinhalese people - The modern Sinhalese
• Sinhalese people - Contemporary Problems
• Sinhalese people - Online References

Read more here: » Sinhalese people: Encyclopedia - Sinhalese people

Sri Lanka is a tropical island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of India. Sri Lanka - Name. In 1972, the official name of the nation that governs the island was changed to the Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka (ශ්‍රී ලංකා in Sinhala / இலங்கை in Tamil). In 1978 this was changed to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Prior to 1972, Sri Lanka was known by a variety of names. Sri Lanka ("resplendent land" in Sanskri ...

Including:

• Sri Lanka - Name
• Sri Lanka - History
• Sri Lanka - Politics
• Sri Lanka - Provinces
• Sri Lanka - Geography
• Sri Lanka - Ecology
• Sri Lanka - Economy
• Sri Lanka - Demographics
• Sri Lanka - Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka
• Sri Lanka - Culture of Sri Lanka
• Sri Lanka - Miscellaneous Facts about Sri Lanka

Read more here: » Sri Lanka: Encyclopedia - Sri Lanka