Coconut

The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is an erect palm in the family Arecaceae which is grown its fruits, used primarily for the extraction of coconut oil for use in cooking. The coconut palm has an erect or slightly curved stem which grows from a swollen base. The stem is smooth, light gray in color and has prominent leaf scars. The stem is topped with a crown of 60–70 spirally arranged leaves. The leaves are long (up to 7 m/23 ft), pinnately divided and composed of 200–250 tapering leaflets. The inflorescence is a spike produced at the leaf axil with 20–60 branches, each with a female flower at the base and many male flowers. The fruit is a drupe containing a single seed. It is ovoid in shape with three sides divided by ridges. The exocarp and the mesocarp make up the husk of the coconut. The seed is protected by a thick, stony shell, or endocarp, and is partially filled with a liquid known as coconut water. The edible endosperm is white and meaty and can be between 1.0 and 2.5 cm (0.4–1.0 in) thick. Coconut palms can reach a height of 30 m (98 ft), produce up to 75 fruits a year, and live for up to 90 years. The origin of the coconut is unknown although the center of genetic diversity lies in Southeast Asia.

                                                  Asian Elephant

Asian elephants are the continent's largest terrestrial mammals. They can reach 6.4m in length and 3m at the shoulder, and weigh as much as 5 tonnes.

They are smaller than African elephants and have proportionally smaller ears, which they keep in constant motion in order to cool themselves. They also have a single 'finger' on the upper lip of their trunks as opposed to African elephants, which have a second one on the lower tip.

Their skin ranges from dark grey to brown, with patches of pink on the forehead, the ears, the base of the trunk and the chest.

A significant number of male Asian elephants are tuskless. The percentage of males with ivory varies from just 5% in Sri Lanka to aound 90% in southern India - possibly reflecting the intensity of past ivory hunting.
 

D.S.Senanayake (The First Prime Minister in Sri Lanka)

Don Stephen Senanayake respected as the ‘Father of the Nation’, was the first Prime Minister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) post independence. He is remembered for his leadership in the peaceful political movement aimed at achieving independence from the British. On February 4, 1948, the nation was granted self-rule as the Dominion of Ceylon. Senanayake became the first Prime Minister of independent Ceylon in 1948 and held the office till his death. Prior to premiership, he was elected to the Legislative Council of Ceylon. He represented the ‘Ceylon National Congress’ in the newly created ‘State Council of Ceylon’ and later served as the Minister of Agriculture and Lands. He initiated ‘Land Development Ordinance’ that aided at cultivation of barren lands by implementing various irrigation schemes. He made efforts to modernise agriculture and also stressed on developing cooperatives. He played an instrumental role in effecting many leading hydro-power and irrigation projects such as ‘Gal-Oya’, ‘Inginiyagala’ and ‘Udawalawa’. He later left ‘Ceylon National Congress’ and founded the ‘Union National Party’ (‘UNP’). He was respected as a Prime Minister by all communities including the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims.

C.W.W.Kannangra (father of free education)

 Dr. C.W.W. Kannangara was born on October 13, 1884 in Randombe, Balapitiya. He studied at Wesleyan Missionary School in Randombe and later at Richmond College, Galle. He was an excellent all-round student but had to undergo many difficulties at his young age. He served as a teacher first and became a lawyer in 1910. He entered politics in 1919 and was the first Minister of Education in Sri Lanka. He introduced free education for all and started Central Schools. He served 16 years as the Minister of Education which marked a remarkable progress in the field. He passed away on September 23, 1969 in Colombo. He is known as the "Father of Free Education".

 

    Poson poya day...

Poson Poya is second only in importance to Vesak and commemorates the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka by the Buddhist missionary monk Mahinda in the 3rd century B.C.

Mahinda met King Devanampiyatissa at Mihintale, a mountain peak near Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, and preached the first sermon. This is why Mihintale is often called 'the cradle of Buddhism' in Sri Lanka.

Although Poson is celebrated across Sri Lanka, the main event is a mass pilgrimage to Anuradhapura, while thousands of white-robed pilgrims climb to the summit of Mihintale to the spot where Mahinda gave his first sermon.

Poson is a very religious festival and temples on the island are filled with devotees and pilgrims to mark this great event. Others may perform religious activities like reading holy books or listen to monks tell stories about Buddha's life.

During the Poson Festival, the selling of alcohol and meat is usually prohibited.

My Country "SRI LANKA" 

My motherland is Sri lanka.It is a one most popular asian country. It is surrounded by Indian ocean. So that people called it ''the pearl of the Indian ocean''. Thambapanni,Ceylon,Lankadeepa are many names that called by ancestral.Sri jayawardenepura is the capital of sri lanka.Sri lanka made SINHALA as the main language in our country.There is a long and pride history in Sri Lanka.It was a British colony before 1948. But out heroes could rescued it from them.That day was confermed as our independent in 1948 of February 4th.

My motherland is a Buddhidm country. There are four main religion such as Buddhism, Islam,Hinduism and Christianity.And also it is a democratic country.My country is rich of many resourses. Even it is a small island now it has became a miracle, Because of their beauty. There are lot of marvellous places. The amazing gardens,attractive waterfalls, beautiful rives,forest and various plants,flowers are the main benefactors of increase the beauty. It is the main reasone for the increase in tourism because of the attractiveness. Now the Sigiriya which was used as a rock shelter included as a world heritage. The education system is some what familiar to the British system.In political side there has a two party system such as united national party and Sri Lanka freedom party.The formal president is hon.Mahinda Rajapaksha.He ended 25 years along civil war and LTTE terrorism in the country. So that his name has included to the great heroes in sri lanka.

                   Television...

Television has become one of the most common things in our day-to-day life and everyone has a television in their house. Television has become the main source of entertainment, news, and Information. Television has brought the whole world into our house within a small box. When we open a news channel on TV we get so much information about our locality, states, country, and also about the whole world. To get rid of headaches and boredom we open an entertainment channel like movies and cartoons. There are also some informational and learning channels that are there on television.

 Ruwanwelisaya Stupa..

Ruwanweli Maha Seya is a prominent Buddhist stupa situated in the ancient historic city of Anuradhapura. It was built by King Dutugemunu in 2nd century BC. It is regarded as a highly sacred and important religious site by Buddhists from around the world. Ruwanweli Maha Seya is also known by the names of “Swarnamali Chaitya”, “Rathnamali Chaitya” and “Mahathupa”. It belongs to the “Atamasthana” of Anuradhapura. It stands along with the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, as one of the oldest and most sacred sites for Buddhists.

Ruwanweli Maha Seya is believed to contain the largest collection of relics (two quarts) of the Buddha, from all over the world. Being one of the greatest architectural structures of the era and even up to date, the stupa resembles a bubble of milk. A massive white structure, Ruwanweli Maha Seya is designed according to the teachings of Lord Buddha. Its massive structure resembles the Four Noble Truths whereas the rings represent the Noble Eightfold Path. The pinnacle at the top of the stupa, made of crystal, represents the ultimate goal of Buddhism which is enlightenment.

Sri Maha Bodhi

THE JAYA SRI MAHA BODHI

   

THE JAYA SRI MAHA BODHI is a sacred fig tree, or Ficus religiosa, that stands in the Mahamewna Gardens in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Not only is it the closest authentic living link to Gautama Buddha, it is also the oldest human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date and a recorded history.

About 2,600 years ago, Lord Gautama Buddha sat with his back against an Esathu tree on the banks of the Neranjana River in Bodhgaya, India. It was at this moment, as he sat against the tree, that the Buddha is said to have achieved enlightenment. In doing so, the tree also gained a venerated status. It became known as the Bodhi tree, and pilgrims came to see it even within the lifetime of the Buddha.

Vesak festival..

Vesak festival is a religious festival. It is celebrated during May, by Buddhists all over the world. On this day, all Buddhists go to the temple, offer flowers, light oil lamps, and worship the Buddha. Most of the Buddhists observe sil. Our whole family observes sil on this day.

We make beautiful Vesak lanterns. We light the oil lamps and Vesak buckets in the evening. Houses are decorated with Buddhist flags and streamers. It is very beautiful in the night. People go to see the pandals. Lots of people go on pilgrimages. Small children are very happy.

I’m counting the days until Vesak comes.

 Benefits of Technology...

In our day-to-day life technology is very useful and important. Furthermore, it has made communication much easier than ever before. The introduction of modified and advanced innovations of phones and its application has made connecting to people much easier.

Moreover, technology-not only transformed our professional world but also has changed the household life to a great extent. In addition, most of the technology that we today use is generally automatic in comparison to that our parents and grandparents had in their days.

Due to technology in the entertainment industry, they have more techniques to provide us with a more realistic real-time experience.