Anuradhapura is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka and the capital of Anuradhapura District. Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of an ancient Sinhala civilization. It was the third capital of the kingdom of Rajarata, following the kingdoms of Tambapanni and Upatissa Nuwara.
Tourism in Sri Lanka is growing rapidly. For centuries, Sri Lanka has been a popular place of attraction for foreign travelers. The Chinese traveler Fa-Hien visited Sri Lanka as early as the 410's AD/CE, and in the twelfth century, Italian explorer Marco Polo claimed Sri Lanka to be the "best island of its size in the world".
The National Maritime Museum in Galle, Sri Lanka is situated within Galle Fort. It was first opened to the public on 9 May 1992 and is located in a 1671 Dutch Warehouse above the Old Gate of Galle Fort. Whilst the building housing the museum survived the impact of the 26 December 2004 tsunami, the adjoining UNESCO Maritime Archaeology Unit was completely destroyed and all the exhibitions were flood damaged and the majority of maritime archeological artifacts were lost. Under Sri Lanka – Netherlands Cultural Co-operation Program, the Royal Government of Netherlands provided financial assistance for reconstruction of the Maritime Museum. After 3 years period of reconstruction, the Maritime Museum was re-opened to the public.
Fa Hien Cave, also Pahiyangala Cave, is situated in the district of Kalutara, Western Province, Sri Lanka and according to a rural legend, named after an alleged resident during historical times, namely Buddhist monk Faxian. However, there is no archaeological or historical evidence to support this legend. Nonetheless, the site is of archaeological significance as Late Pleistocene human fossilized skeletal remains were discovered in the cave's sediments during excavations in the 1960s, the 1980s and in 2013.
Tangalle is a large town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is one of the largest towns in southern province. It is located 195 km (121 mi) south of Colombo and 35 km (22 mi) east of Matara. It has a mild climate, in comparison to the rest of the district, and sandy beaches.
Batadombalena is an archaeological site with evidence of habitation from 8,000 years BCE, Balangoda Man, located 85 km (52.8 mi) from Colombo in Sri Lanka, a two-hour drive from Colombo.
George Rajapaksa was a Sri Lankan politician. He was the former Cabinet Minister of Health, Fisheries and a Member of Parliament.
Chamal Jayantha Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician who was Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka from 2010 to 2015. Previously he served as Minister of Ports & Aviation and Irrigation & Water Management. He hails from a well known political family in Sri Lanka. His father, D. A. Rajapaksa, was a prominent politician, independence agitator, member of parliament and Minister of Agriculture and Land in Wijeyananda Dahanayake's government. He is the elder brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015. Nine members of the Rajapaksa family have been members of parliament in Sri Lanka.
The archaeological heritage of Sri Lanka is divided in to three ages as Prehistoric, Protohistoric and historical periods. The presence of man activities in Sri Lanka probably dates from 75,000 years ago. Prehistoric sites which are presently identified in the country are distributed from the maritime belt and the lowland plains of the wet and dry zones to the high plateaus and rain forest in the central and south western mountain region of the island. The protohistoric period expands from about 1000 BC to the historical period at about 500 BC. The main indicators of the distribution of protohistoric and early settlements in the island are the megalithic burials and pottery sites.
Lakshman Rajapaksa was a Sri Lankan politician.
Galle Harbour is a natural harbour, located in Galle, on the south-western coast of Sri Lanka. Currently Galle port serves as one of the most active regional ports in the country. It is also the only Sri Lankan port that provides facilities for pleasure yachts. International yacht societies have recognised Galle Harbour as one of the world's best attractions for yachting.
Mulkirigala electoral district was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between March 1960 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Mulkirigala in Hambantota District, Southern Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Mulkirigala electoral district was replaced by the Hambantota multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections.
Kasagala Archaeological Museum is a site museum located at Kasagala, Sri Lanka. It was maintained by Department of Archaeology of Sri Lanka. The museum is used to exhibit antiquities belonging to Kasagala and surrounding area.
Mulkirigala Raja Maha Vihara is an ancient Buddhist temple in Mulkirigala, Sri Lanka. It has been built on a 205 m (673 ft) high natural rock, surrounded with another four rocks known as Benagala, Kondagala, Bisogala and Seelawathiegala. The temple site is located about 2 km (1.2 mi) from the Mulkirigala junction and can be reached from either Dikwella or Tangalle towns. The temple has been formally recognised by the Government as an archaeological site in Sri Lanka. The designation was declared on 8 April 1988 under the government Gazette number 501.
Mihintale Archaeological Museum is an archaeological museum in Mihintale, Sri Lanka. The museum was built in 1984 and is maintained by Department of Archaeology of Sri Lanka.
Isurumuniya Archaeological Museum is a site museum located in Isurumuniya, Sri Lanka. It was established in Isurumuni vihara in 1984. The museum is maintained by Department of Archaeology of Sri Lanka.
Hatthikuchchi Archaeological Museum is one of the archaeological museums in Hatthikuchchi, Sri Lanka. The museum has been categorised as a site museum. It was built in 1990 at Tambutta, Mailewa area close to Haththikuchchi Vihara. Although today the museum has been established close to the Haththikuchchi Vihara premises. The museum is maintained by the Department of Archaeology of Sri Lanka.
Naigala Rajamaha Viharaya is an ancient Buddhist temple situated in Weeraketiya, Hambantota District, Sri Lanka. It is located about 2 km (1.2 mi) away from Weeraketiya junction and 8 km (5.0 mi) from ancient Buddhist temple, Mulkirigala Raja Maha Vihara.
Raj Kumar Somadeva Delgahawatta is a professor of archaeology at the University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka and a member of the World Archaeological Congress. He has received the Charles Wallace Research Fellowship from the Institute of Archeology at University Collage London in 2005.
