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Y: sri lanka/Practical guide & reference
32 cards

Colonial archive

An archive of the colonial era: documents, photos and materials.

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001
4 Aug 2026785Остров

🖤Петербуржцу грозит до пяти лет колонии за посылки с самоцветами из Шри-Ланки

🖤Петербуржцу грозит до пяти лет колонии за посылки с самоцветами из Шри-Ланки Сотрудники Северо-Западной оперативной и Пулковской таможен пресекли попытку незаконной поставки самоцветов стоимостью более 3,4 миллиона рублей. Подозрение вызвали два международных почтовых отправления из Шри-Ланки. Согласно документам, в них были лишь личные вещи и канцелярские принадлежности. Однако в тетрадях среди страниц были скрыты 18 огранённых камней. Расследование вывело на 43-летнего жителя Петербурга. Он отправлял посылки сам себе из-за границы. Таможенники задержали его в аэропорту Пулково, когда он вернулся в Россию. При досмотре у мужчины нашли ещё 22 камня: часть из них была спрятана в карманах, а остальные — в обуви для плавания и перчатке. Экспертиза показала, что в партию входили шпинель, жёлтый сапфир, хризолит, аквамарин, лунный камень, гранат, турмалин, титанит, топаз и цитрин. Против нарушителя возбуждено два уголовных дела по статье о контрабанде стратегически важных ресурсов. Ему грозит до пяти лет лишения свободы. Источник

Open source
002
11 Jun 2026535Остров

⚠️Португальские кораблики у берегов Шри-Ланки.

⚠️Португальские кораблики у берегов Шри-Ланки. https://t.me/expat_sri_lanka_azia/38494 Про то, что это за создание, писали тут.

Open source
003
29 May 2026359Остров

Robert Knox: The Briton Who Described Ceylon After 25 Years of Captivity

The author introduces Robert Knox, who left for Ceylon at 14 and returned 25 years later with a detailed account of the island that became the basis for the new Y: sri lanka game project.

Open source
004
23 Jan 2026613Остров

Exhibition 'Three Songs of Ceylon' Opens in Colombo

The MMCA Sri Lanka exhibition 'Three Songs of Ceylon' explores the 1934 colonial film 'Song of Ceylon' and its reinterpretation by contemporary artists through video works.

Open source
005
25 Oct 2025726Остров

Galle Fort in the 1950s through a Dutch director's lens

Archival photographs of Galle Fort from the 1950s from the collection of Dutch director Michael Rogge.

Open source
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006
25 Sept 2025617Остров

Russian Artist Vatagin in Ceylon in 1914

In 1914, wildlife artist Vasily Vatagin visited India and Ceylon, where he made sketches from life that became the basis of his celebrated works.

Open source
007
21 Aug 2025658Остров

Diplomatic Ties Between Russia and Ceylon: History and People

A note on the diplomatic relations between the Russian Empire and Ceylon, the diplomats who served there, and the connection to Vera Muromtseva and the writer Bunin.

Open source
008
29 Jun 2025557Остров

Galle Face Green: The History of a Former Colonial Cemetery

In 1803, the marshy Galle Face land was used as a burial ground after a failed British campaign in Kandy; the graves were cleared in the 1920s but the history was forgotten.

Open source
009
16 Jun 2025544Остров

Bunin on Colombo in 1916: A Literary Quote

A quote from Ivan Bunin's story 'Sootechiestvennik' (1916) describes a hot port-city Colombo with rickshaws, gem shops, and coconut groves.

Open source
010
16 Jun 2025509Остров

Colombo in the 1940s: A City at the Crossroads of Tradition and Change

A historical essay about Colombo in the 1940s — the capital of British Ceylon with trams, bustling Pettah markets, and a layered colonial identity.

Open source
011
3 May 2025618Остров

Bunin's poem about Ceylon

Ivan Bunin's classic poem 'Ceylon' — a poetic journey along the southern coast from Matara to the Ranna lagoon.

Open source
012
3 Jul 2023282Остров

The Lion Island 1875: land of forests and the Vedda people

Excerpt from the 1875 book Letters from Ceylon: the author travels to Alut-Nuwara to find the Vedda people among ancient stupas and tropical forests.

Open source
013
19 Jun 2023305Остров

Letters from Ceylon: Origins of the Perahera Festival

The 1875 historical text explains that Perahera is not a Buddhist festival; monks rejected it, but King Kirti Sri added the Tooth Relic to reconcile the parties.

Open source
014
16 Jun 2023271Остров

Letters from Ceylon: The Final Night of Perahera

An 1875 historical excerpt recounts the final night of the Perahera festival in Kandy, featuring a huge peaceful crowd and the closing rite performed by priests on the Gagamba river.

Open source
015
15 Jun 2023253Остров

Letters from Ceylon 1875: The Perahera Festival

An excerpt from an 1875 book describes a visit to the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy and the solemn Perahera procession with decorated elephants and pilgrims.

Open source
016
15 Jun 2023235Остров

Continuation of 'Lion Island' Announced

A short notice that the next installment of the historical 'Letters from Ceylon' was delayed due to a library scanner issue.

Open source
017
5 Jun 2023286Остров

Ceylon 1875: From Matara to Tangalle and the Muyagiri Temple

Excerpt from 'Lion Island' (1875): journey from Matara to Tangalle through abandoned rice fields to the famous Muyagiri-Galle temple, worth visiting even for the non-religious.

Open source
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Oceanfront and city listings: compare areas, prices and yields in the catalog.

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018
4 Jun 2023308Остров

Ceylon 1875: Buddhist Temples Around Matara

Excerpt from 'Lion Island' (1875): visiting Buddhist temples near Matara — monks initially demanded payment and asked him to remove shoes, but eventually let the traveller in.

Open source
019
2 Jun 2023280Остров

Ceylon 1875: The Government Resthouse in Matara

Excerpt from 'Lion Island' (1875): description of the comfortable government resthouse in Matara with a sea view, clean rooms, and European delicacies.

Open source
020
2 Jun 2023278Остров

Ceylon 1875: English Language and Culture Transform the Island

Excerpt from 'Lion Island' (1875): on how English language and customs have permeated even the Buddhist clergy — a monk left a calling card and bid farewell with 'good bye'.

Open source
021
31 May 2023276Остров

Ceylon 1875: The Legend of the Leper King at Belligam

Excerpt from 'Lion Island' (1875): near the fishing village of Belligam stands a giant granite figure of the 'Leper King' — a local legend about an ancient ruler.

Open source
022
30 May 2023292Остров

Ceylon 1875: The Road from Galle to Matara

Excerpt from 'Lion Island' (1875): description of the daily coach from Galle to Matara and the different fares charged to Europeans and local residents.

Open source
023
29 May 2023371Остров

Ceylon 1875: Food on the Island, Curry and Imported Delicacies

Excerpt from 'Lion Island' (1875): a description of food in Ceylon — local fruits, traditional sichchi (curry), and imported European goods in hotels.

Open source
024
26 May 2023362Остров

Ceylon 1875: A Morning Walk Through Galle

Excerpt from 'Lion Island' (1875): an early morning walk through Galle — red roads, giant coconut palms and banana trees, and the sound of waves create a theatrical tropical vision for a northerner.

Open source
025
25 May 2023311Остров

Ceylon 1875: The Galle Hotel and Sinhalese Servants

Excerpt from 'Lion Island' (1875): a detailed description of Galle's finest hotel — its spacious rooms, Sinhalese servants in national dress, and local character.

Open source
026
24 May 2023316Остров

Ceylon 1875: Traders at the Galle Hotel

Excerpt from 'Lion Island' (1875): as soon as a steamer docked and passengers gathered at the hotel, local traders with gems and jewellery would descend from all sides.

Open source
027
23 May 2023304Остров

Ceylon 1875: Journey from Galle to Hambantota

Excerpt from 'Lion Island' (1875): description of a Peninsular & Oriental steamer arriving at Point-de-Galle at dawn and the traveller's first impressions of the island.

Open source
028
22 May 2023342Остров

Letters from Ceylon 1875: Island History Since Ancient Times

Continuation of Chapter I of Minaev's 1875 Ceylon letters: the island's fame, Phoenician ships, Solomon's fleet, and Ceylon's ancient ties with the West.

Open source
029
21 May 2023360Остров

'Lion Island': Letters from Ceylon in 1875

Chapter I of Minaev's historical letters from Ceylon in 1875: the journey from Galle to Hambantota and reflections on the island's nature and wildlife.

Open source
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030
21 May 2023317Остров

Russian Orientalist Minaev and His Ceylon Travels

A biographical note on Professor Ivan Minaev — founder of Russian Indology, who visited India, Ceylon, and Burma three times in the 19th century.

Open source
031
20 Apr 2023358Остров

Danish period of Sri Lanka: 150 years of rule

Morning digest with facts about the Danish colonial period 1620–1802: the first governor, paper money with animal imagery, and the island's sale to Britain.

Open source
032
7 Mar 2023224Остров

Brief history of Ceylon: Portuguese, Dutch, and British rule

The morning digest includes a brief history of Ceylon — from Sinhalese rule in the 6th century to British colonial rule in the 19th century.

Open source