History is given a different perspective, as we take you on a trip back in time, visiting some of the vary places and events mentioned elsewhere in this website.
This page also covers significant events of that era, pluck their background stories to gives us a broader understanding of our past. In keeping within the time frame of the genealogical data presented elsewhere in this web site, we limit the scope of the material to a period beginning with the Kotte period and ending up in the British Period, in the later part of the 20th Century.
Interrupted Genius: Donald Friend and the City of Galle
One of the best paintings ever drawn of Galle is a six-meter long mural of the ancient fort city painted by, Australian
Closenberg; The Cliff Citadel
‘His fine natural taste led him to choose for his house a site of almost unequaled beauty ….. a perfect little Miramar’ Ernst
Sri Lanka History – The Dutch Period
The Dutch became involved in the politics of the Indian Ocean in the beginning of the seventeenth century. Headquartered at Batavia in
A virtual tour of Kotte
This page hopes to take you on a virtual tour of the remains of Kotte. It is not an exhaustive analysis of
The case of Manuel Dias Andrady
The Genealogical Tables produced elsewhere in these ancestry pages document the family genealogy to 1658, a 340-year history. These were the last
Portuguese encounter with the King of Kotte – 1517
The findings in this essay are the results of a personal interest to research into my roots as I had an ancestral
Early Postal History of Ceylon and the P&O Steam Navigation Company
Dr. Srilal Fernando In these days of instant communication it is difficult to conceive the difficulties that existed 200 years ago. When
Sri Lanka History – The Portuguese Period
By the late fifteenth century, Portugal, which had already established its dominance as a maritime power in the Atlantic, was exploring new
Mudliyar System and their Claim for Exclusive Social Status during the 19th Century
By M. U. de Silva Abstract The foreign powers who ruled the littoral of Sri Lanka since 1594, picked the headmen who
Sri Lanka History – The British Period
By the mid-eighteenth century, it was apparent that the Mughal Empire (1526-1757) in India faced imminent collapse, and the major European powers
Mackinnon Mackenzie & Company of Ceylon and the P&O Company
Mackinnon Mackenzie and Company of Ceylon Limited dates back to the early years of the century and has a proud history of
The Whist Bungalow
With a documented existence of over 200 years, the “Whist Bungalow” at Mutwal, is a property steeped in history. It was one
Early Prints of Kalutara and it’s Fort.
‘K’ is for Kalutara : From the evidence collected so far it seems that the De Fonsekas and one branch of the
Disappearing Graves of the De Rowel Family
The Our Lady of Assumption’s Church in Bolawatta, has been a place of worship with a history of over 300 years. The
JAYAWARDHANAPURA: The capital of the kingdom of Sri Lanka 1400-1565 A. D.
JAYAWARDHANAPURA Kotte, as its name indicates was originally a fortified city; the word Kotte, is derived from the Malayalam word Kottei (fortress).
Grandpa’s Grandpass
Dr. Srilal fernando Ferry Crossing at Grandpass, Watercolour, 1755, Rijksmuseum Though I was born in Panadura, a small village south of Colombo,
Remains of the Day – Kingdom of Kotte as it is today.
Thousands of people who travel daily down the parliament road and head for the city for their work, pass thru the picturesque