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Sri Lanka In The 1880s: Rare Historical Photos Capture Life In Ceylon In The Late 19th Century

Sri Lanka is an island Country located in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of India. It was known as Ceylon before 1972, and Serendib and Sinhale, among other names, before that. Sri Lanka, remained under the control of Portugal, the Netherlands and the Great Britain.

After it became independent in the 1940s, a civil war erupted between Sinhalese majority and Tamil Tigers which devastated the nation. The country is a member of the Commonwealth and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. It is known as “the teardrop island” for its unique shape and “the spice island” for its flavors.

These rare historical photos show Sri Lanka in the late 19th century.

#1 A ruined Buddhist temple carved from a rock at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, 1880s.

#2 The Pettah neighborhood in Colombo (Ceylon, today Sri Lanka), 1880.

#8 Tea Harvesters Bringing Leaves to Weight Scales, Sri Lanka, 1880s.

#9 The intricately carved stone entrance to a Hindu temple, Sri Lanka, 1885.

#11 Worshippers and monks at the Buddhist shrine of Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka, 1885.

#12 The Grand Orienta Hotel at Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1885.

#13 Workers on the Nanu Oya Extension Railway, Sri Lanka, 1883.

#15 A driver and his passenger in a rickshaw in Kandy, Sri Lanka, 1880s.

#30 The base of a Dagoba in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, 1880s

#32 Buddhist monks and worshippers gather at Anoy, Sri Lanka, for the exposition ceremony of the Buddha’s tooth, 1880s.

#33 Elephants carrying shrines and worshippers in a Buddhist procession in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1880.

#34 Construction of the Nanu Oya Extension Railway, Ceylon, 1883

#35 Indian religious festival with a parade of elephants at Peschava in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), 1880s.

#38 Several Sri Lankan men carry a white woman and boy in a litter, 1880s.

#39 A white family taking tea on the lawn of their estate in Ceylon, 1880s.

#40 People and a camel on a wide street in a city in Ceylon, ca. 1880s.

#41 Four male Singhalese dancers in traditional costum, Sri Lanka, 1880s.

#42 A group of men dressed in white robes standing next to another group of men, several of whom carry straw fans, Sri Lanka, 1880s.

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Written by Aung Budhh

Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life.

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