Ratnapura / History
The history extends back into the mists of times in a haze of fantasy and reality. King Solomon is said to have wooed the Queen of Sheba with the help of a magnificent ruby from Ratnapura. The great traveller Marco Polo, talks of a ruby as thick as a man’s arm which adorned Ruwanweliseya Dagoba in Anuradhapura.
Legendary
gems like the blue sapphire called Blue Belle’ glittering on the
British Crown and the star sapphire inappropriately named Star
of India’ on display at the Museum of Natural History in New York
have been extracted from Sri Lankan mines.
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The fault is with democracy itself. Voters, once they have gained self-confidence, are always more likely to express negative, rather than positive sentiments in elections.
http://www.asiatour.com/srilanka/e-06ratn/es-rat11.htm
Jan Garanoz
Juhu Tara Road, Juhu,
Mumbai - 400049 India
Last updated: May 11, 2010