POSTCARD N.158 - SRI LANKA

Postcard sent on the 5th August; received  0n the 19th August 2024

Postcard image: Galle Lighthouse
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Lighthouses... Who isn't fascinated by these amazingly photogenic buildings, most times located at places that, by themselves, are worthy of a photo, but which gain a whole new plastic dimension just for the presence of the erect tower of a lighthouse somewhere at one of the place's tips?

I love them, I have always did, ever since I visited my first lighthouse with my father in the Azores, Santa Maria Island - Farol de Gonçalo Velho - when I was a kid.

Ravindra is a great Lighthouse fan (and I'm sure an even greater fan than myself, for Lighthouses are is philatelic theme of choice) so it comes as no surprise that amidst the many postcards that he so generously keeps sending me, one dedicated to these incredible infrastructures should be included.

Ravindra tells me that this is the Galle Lighthouse, located at the tip of the Galle peninsula inside the Galle fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also another remnant of the Portuguese presence in Sri Lanka, since the original fort was built by them (well... us) in 1588.

The lighthouse itself was built by the British in 1939, and is 26.5 metres tall.

All the Galle site was badly hit by the horrendous Tsunami of  2004, and even though  the harm done by the flooding was huge, it would have been worse were it not for the fortified walls which somewhat shielded the buildings inside from direct hits by the waters.

I read that Sri Lanka has now managed to fully restore the site to its former condition, what is really something to be happy about, knowing how hard the country was hit by the catastrophe.

Three circular stamps were used to mail the postcard. left to right:

- Cricket is the most popular sport in Sri Lanka and I expect its heroes to be worshiped are like soccer players around here. One of the great names in the sport is Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan (1972 -) who is credit as being the  highest wicket taker in test cricket. (I, of course, had to look this up, since cricket is completely outside my sphere of reference).

Muttiah Muralitharan was honoured with the 5 Rupee circular stamp on the postcard, issued on 03DEC2007.

- Volleyball was introduced in Sri Lanka in 1916 by R. W. Camack, the Director of Physical Education at the Colombo Y.M.C.A., at the time.

Nowadays and since 1955,  all matters Volleyball in the country are managed by the  Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation, and the sport rose so much in popularity that it has been declared by the Government as Sri Lanka's national sport, although, as mentioned above, the most played sport in the country is probably Cricket. 

Celebrating the 100 years of Volleyball in the country, Sri Lanka Post issued on 07DEC2026 the 10 rupee circular stamp used on the postcard, illustrated with the image of a player getting ready to hit the ball.

- On 15JUN2023, Sri Lanka Post issued a mini-sheet containing 20 x 50 Rupee circular stamps, dedicated to fruits and vegetables of Sri Lanka.

The stamp on the postcard is illustrated with an image of a Dialium ovoideum (Velvet Tamarind) plant, which is endemic to Sri Lanka and cultivated for its edible fruit.

The Postmark again hails from Colombo and is dated of  the 5th August.