O/L HISTORY

Short notes
related to
➢ Ancient literary and religious
information as well as the
Wamsakatha have been written on
ola leaves.

➢ Sri Lanka inherits a tradition of

talipots, which belonged to along
period of time.

➢ Claudius Ptolemy
➢ A Greek-Roman
➢ Lived in Alexandria between 90-
168 A.D.
➢ Was a geographer.
➢ He drew a map of Sri Lanka.
➢ Wrote the book, “Approach to
Geography”

➢ The ‘Galpotha inscription'

➢ Made by King Keerthi Sri
Nisshankamalla.
➢ This is located in Polonnaruwa
 ➢ Panakaduwa copper plate
➢ Written on the order of king Vijayabahu I.
➢ This was granted to an officer named
Sithnarubima Budalna with gratitude for his
loyalty to the king.
➢ This document is important to study the history
of 12th century A.D.

➢ This coin, used in Sri Lanka, has been

made of gold.
➢ It is called ‘medieval golden coins
(Madyakalina Ran Kahawanu)’.
➢ These coins are a source which helps to
study not only the ancient economy but
also the technology.

➢ The sculpture of Man and the Head of Horse in Isurumuni

temple in Anuradhapura.
➢ This sculpture is believed to have been created in 7th or 8th
century A.D.
➢ This sculpture represents the gods ‘Agni’ (Head of Horse)and
‘Parjanya’. (Image of man)
➢ This cave, located in Pahiyangala, Bulathsinhala in
Kaluthara District.
➢ Was a habitation of the prehistoric men who lived 38000
years ago.
➢ This Pahiyangala cave reveals significant information of the
prehistoric people who lived in the lowland wet zone in Sri
Lanka.

➢ A few stone tools in the geometric

shape, which belonged to the
middle-stone age in Sri Lanka.
➢ They have been made of pure
alabaster stone known as ‘Bim
Weeduru’.

➢ It was a custom of the prehistoric

man to bury the dead body of a
family member or a relative, who
lived with them, in the same cave in
which he or she had lived.
➢ Evidence has been found that after
some time, they exhumed the
skeletons and applied red ochre
stones on them
➢ Have performed a kind of a ritual
activity.
➢ A bead found in a pre-historic
habitation in Sri Lanka.
➢ This has been made of a piece of
bone of an animal.

➢ A human skeleton which

represents the pre-history in Sri
Lanka.
➢ This was discovered in the
Pothana cave close to Sigiriya.

➢ This is a pre-historic cemetery.

➢ This was discovered in the
premises of the Kolambageara
Ranchamadama government
school in the Rathnapura district
of the Sabaragamuwa province.
➢ This was discovered during
excavations done in 2007.
➢ The cemetery had been used
around 3350 years ago.

➢ A stone casket - type- tomb

found from Ibbankatuwa burial
ground, close to Dambulla.
➢ Clay pots containing ashes of
dead human bodies have been
deposited in this burial ground.
 ➢ In these clay tub burials, used in
the proto-historic era to perform
rituals for the dead, human
skeletons were cremated.
➢ Later the remains were deposited
after putting them into clay pots.
➢ This clay tub burial was
discovered in the proto-historic
burial ground in Ranchamadama.

➢ The painted clay pot, dated 1129 B.C., found in the ancient house
in Udaranchamadama.
➢ Used in the proto-historic era.
➢ This instance clearly shows that Sri Lanka had the technology of
making pots from very ancient time.
➢ The picture on the right hand side displays the early shape of the
same clay pot.
➢ The Ibbankatuwa burial ground
(cemetery) in Dambulla was used
between 700 and 450 B.C.
➢ The burial grounds like these
were used by the influential
people like the Parumakas.
 ➢ The tanks in the villages were
connected through canals in
order to widen the use of small
tanks which obtained rain water.
➢ The word ‘prolapsed-tanks’ is
used to introduce that kind of a
tank-system.
➢ The people in the dry zone of Sri
Lanka use the word ‘Ellangawa’
to name it.
➢ This map shows that kind of a
prolapsed tank existed in
Hambantota district.

➢ This necklace which was

discovered in the Ibbankatuwa
burial ground belonged to the
period between 700 and 450 B.C.
➢ This is a bead necklace and some
of the beads in this were
imported ones.
➢ The luxury of the growing rich
Parumakas is reflected by this.

➢ Some clay stamps used in the

ancient time.
➢ There was not anything marked
on them when they were
discovered.
➢ Stamps like these were used by
government officers.
➢ These three stamps were
discovered in the place where
there was the old urban hall in
Tissamaharamaya.
➢ The statue of King Bhathikabhaya
➢ This king performed a great Pooja
to Ruwanweliseya.
➢ This statue can be seen in the
premises of Ruwanweliseya even
today.

➢ A clay stamp discovered in the

place where the ancient Magama
city was located in
Tissamaharama.
➢ Several symbols used by the then
royals in Ruhunu are marked here.

➢ Several symbols in an inscription

written in the 9th century A.D.
➢ Here, the mark ‘ Vatapatha (fan)’
indicates the sceptre which
symbolizes royalty.
➢ The mark ‘Wela (creeper)’
indicates the swan. The swan
symbolizes the purity of the given
allowance.
➢ The crescent mark at the top
symbolizes that this allowance
persists until the sun and the
moon exist.
➢ The marks of the dog and crow
symbolize that those who
disturbed this allowance would be
born as those animals in their next
birth.
➢ A cross engraved on a stone post in
Anuradhapura.
➢ Cross belongs to a catholic sect
named Nestorians.
➢ This belongs to a time after the
Portuguese came to this
country.

➢ This is an inscription, which

belonged to the Arabs, inscribed on
a tombstone.
➢ This is a letter inscribed in Cufic
scripts.

➢ This is an ancient Shiva Devala

➢ Located in Polonnaruwa.
➢ This is a shrine related to
Hinduism.
➢ Granite has been used to build
this.

➢ Sigiri nymphs painted on the

walls of Sigiriya Rock(Built by King
Kashyapa, 1)
➢ These paintings depict the nature
of art prevailed in the royal
palace in the 5 th century.
➢ Scholars say that these paintings
represent Meghalatha, thunder
clouds and Vijjulatha, lightning.
➢ This photo shows an ancient sluice gate.
➢ This was discovered during the inspection to construct a sluice
gate in the current Maduru Oya Reservoir dam.
➢ The related reservoir is Maduru Oya.
➢ It is made from stone slabs.

➢ The road engineers of

Anuradhapura, built bridges out of
granites to cross the Malvathu
Oya flowing across Anuradhapura.
➢ It clearly shows that they had
known the basic scientific theory of
constructing bridges.
➢ These are the present ruins of a
stone bridge built so.
➢ It has been used for transportation
in the past.

➢ A few pairs of metal scissors.

➢ Found in excavations, among the
ruins of the hospital buildings in
Alahana Pirivena in Polonnaruwa.
➢ These were used for hospital
surgeries.
➢ This reflects the development of
ancient medical treatments.
➢ These photos show old iron furnace.
➢ This shows that the technology of melting iron has been
mastered by the artisans of our country from ancient time.
➢ This discovered in the Samanala Wewa area which belongs to the
Sabaragamuwa province.
➢ It was operated with the help of natural wind power

➢ The ruins of an ancient Devalaya,

discovered in a place named
Pallebadde Galpaya in
Sabaragamuwa province.
➢ This was buried in four feet deep
from the ground level.
➢ The place, has been identified as a
place where ‘Kirimadu Yagaya’
was performed.
➢ This belonged to the second
century A.D.

➢ This elephant lamp made of bronze.

➢ This was discovered from Kotawehera,
Dedigama in Kegalle District.
➢ The oil in the lamp is filled into the
stomach of the elephant image.
➢ The principle of static hydrology has
been used to refill oil, when the oil
level decreases.
➢ This shows the knowledge possessed
by ancient craftsmen about the
principles related to Physics.
➢ This represents One of the oldest coins used in Sri Lanka.
➢ They were known as Hasebu coins.
➢ They were produced in India.
➢ Those coins were brought to this country by Indian merchants.
➢ These are made up of Silver.
➢ Sun was one of the main symbols in these.

➢ This represents One of the oldest coins used in Sri Lanka.

➢ They were known as the Elephant and Swastika coin.
➢ This belonged to the first century A.D.

➢ These colourful beads were found

in ancient Magama city,
Hambantota.
➢ These relics reflect that the
women who lived in those days
preferred to wear jewellery made
up of such beads.
➢ This drawing displays a group of
people eating delicious food.
➢ This was drawn in the 19th
century A.D.
➢ This can be seen in the
Mulkirigala temple.
➢ This reflects about the clothes
of that time and the customs of
the society at that time.

➢ This drawing displays the

liveliness of the environment.
➢ This picture, which was drawn in
the 19th century,
➢ This is in the Kelani temple.
➢ Thuparama Stupa in a ruined
and overgrown state.
➢ This was built by King
Devnampiyatissa.
➢ After the downfall of the
Anuradhapura kingdom, all of
such monuments were ruined.
➢ This photograph was taken
before the reconstructions of
the recent time.

➢ The way Polonnaruwa

Lankathilaka image house
looked before its recent
reconstructions.
➢ This was bulit by King
Parakramabahu,1.
➢ After the downfall of
Polonnaruwa kingdom, the
monuments such as this went
wild.

➢ A drawing of King Rajasinghe

II.
➢ This was drawn by the British
national named Robert Knox,
who stayed in this country.
➢ This king made an agreement
with the Dutch to expel the
Portuguese from Sri Lanka.
➢ Before he became king, he
was known as Prince Maha
Asthana.
➢ A rare photograph which
displays the Kandyan
pageant
➢ The nature of the streets of
the old Kandy city is
reflected.
➢ This was in 19th century.

➢ A drawing, which displays

two divine children,
➢ Painted in the Sistine
church, Rome.
➢ This was painted by Michael
Angelo.

➢ A drawing, which displays

how Galileo Galili examined
the space through his
telescope.
➢ Scientific inventions was a
prominent feature in the
European Renaissance.
➢ He is known as the father

of experiment.
➢ Architecture and sculpture
is one of the
transformations of the
Renaissance.
➢ This photograph shows a
residential building which
was built according to the
style in Renaissance period.
➢ This can be seen in France.

➢ The Dutch symbol which

has been carved in an old
building
➢ Today, this logo can be seen
on one of the entrance
gates of the Galle Fort wall.
➢ Animal images of lion and
horse can be seen here.
➢ This was created during the
Dutch period.
➢ The trading company that
owns this logo is V.O. C.

➢ This shows a meeting

between the Kandyan
leaders and the Dutch.
➢ Through this, we can get an
understanding of the
clothing of the Kandyan
leaders at that time.
➢ The purpose of these
meetings was to get the
help of the Dutch to drive
out the Portuguese.