POSTCARDS N.149/150/151/152 - SRI LANKA

Postcards sent on the 10th July; received on the 17th July 2024

Postcards images: Sigiriya UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka
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I opened up the letterbox to find another barrage of mail from Sri Lanka, in the form of 4 beautiful postcards depicting one of Sri Lanka's  eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Sigiriya, which I have already mentioned here on my blog, thanks to a previous exchange of mail with Ravindra. Bohomȧ  sthoothi, my friend!

The postcards issued by Sri Lanka Post depict several views of this wondrous mountain top fortification and city that was once Sri Lanka's capital, which are replicated in the stamps of the set, issued in 2023, celebrating this remarkable site.

- Aerial view of  Sigiriya, sitting on the top of a massive granite column protruding from the forest.

- 50 Rupee stamp from the four stamp set issued on 15JUN2023, dedicated to this UNESCO site.

- 35 Rupee stamp commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Nepal, which occurred on the 1st July 1957.  

The stamp is illustrated with images of the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy, Sri Lanka, (it is believed that the temple houses one of Buddha's teeth)  and the  Lumbini Temple in Nepal, erected in Buddha’s place of birth. Both temples enjoy UNESCO WHS status.

Sigiriya from the ground... Mr. Postman would have a hard time delivering mail to King Kashyapa, the founder of the fortress city in 477 AD.

- 100 Rupee stamp from the four stamp set issued on 15JUN2023, dedicated to this UNESCO site.

The access way to the site. Named the Lion Mountain, it  seems that there was once a lion figure guarding the entrance to the site, of which only the front paws carved in the granite now remain.

- 50 Rupee stamp from the four stamp set issued on 15JUN2023, dedicated to this UNESCO site.

- 15 rupee stamp, issued on 08OCT2019, honouring Soilis Mendis, a Sri Lankan painter. I have found very little information on this 20th century painter and sculptor, who was responsible for the restoration of the Kelani Raja Maha Viharaya Buddhist shrine, loated in the outskirts of Colombo.

This shrine is believed to have been visited by Buddha himself in the 5 century BC, and in the course of its long history it was subject to several destruction attempts, including one by my fellow countrymen, during the time the Portuguese occupied parts of Sri Lanka (1505-1658).

The current Kelani vihara building was constructed in 1946 and Soilis Mendis was tasked with integrating the then still existing walls and ceilling of the shrine into a new building reflecting the country's rich traditions of sculptures and wall murals.

Soilis Mendis worked on the site from 1927 to 1947 and the stamp features both his effigy and one of his mural paintings in the temple.

- 0.50 - Aires; 4.5 - Virgo; and 5 rupee - Libra stamps form a definitive issued themed on "Constellations", issued on 09OCT2007.

Detail of one of the outstanding frescoes at Sigiriya depicting feminine figures, yet to be identified.

- 100 Rupee stamp from the four stamp set issued on 15JUN2023, dedicated to this UNESCO site.