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Aug 2 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
Interesting...from what I'm seeing, after the Kandyan Convention in 1815, the Sinhala numeral system fell out of fashion and where replaced with the Arabic numerals we know today.
#history #srilanka #lka ImageImageImage
Looking at some of Sri Lanka's oldest civil registration records done under British rule, it looks like only Arabic numerals are used (1822 Colombo Marriage Records). Image
Additionally, there was also a Tamil Numeral System (shown below) that was also used many centuries ago. It probably originated from India and you can probably find some modern examples of it being used. Image
However, Tamil numerals which were actually readily used by the government registrars in the north alongside Arabic numerals till the early 1900s. It appears to have been able to resisted outside pressures a bit longer - possibly from the prior British/Missionary experiences. Image

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More from @HistoryCeylon

The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
Aug 3
Kattankandy Mosque Massacre

#OnThisDay (3 Aug 1990), 147 worshippers were massacred by the LTTE at two different mosques in Kattankandy, Batticoloa. Disguised as Muslim worshippers themselves, 30 perpetrators attacked the over 300 people, spraying gunfire.

#Srilanka #lka Image
"I was kneeling down and praying when the rebels started shooting. The firing went on for 15 minutes. I escaped without being hit and found myself among bodies all over the place."
- Mohammed Ibrahim, a 40-year-old businessman
"Before I escaped from a side door and scaled a wall, I saw a Tiger rebel put a gun into the mouth of a small Muslim boy and pull the trigger."
- Mohammed Arif, a 17-year-old student who also survived the massacre
Read 8 tweets
The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
Aug 3
#OnThisDay (2-3 Aug 1989), the Valvettiturai massacre occurred where 64 Tamil civilians were killed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force. The massacre was in retaliation of an LTTE attack on the IPKF that killed 6 soldiers.

#History #Srilanka #lka ImageImageImage
"At the junction there were hundreds of IPKF soldiers. I saw there many cars smashed up. Most of the shops at the junction had been burnt down. I saw many dead bodies in front of the shops."
- Nadarajah Anantharaj
The IPKF did not accept responsibility for the massacre, rather blaming the deaths as results from the "crossfire" and not direct involvement from the IPKF. Image
Read 6 tweets
The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
Jul 26
Black July in Black and White

🧵TW: Violence

A look at the photos from Black July

#BlackJuly1983 #BlackJuly #SriLanka #History #lka
"Mobs of Sinhala youth rampaged through the streets, ransacking homes, shops and offices, looting them and setting them ablaze, as they sought out members of the Tamil ethnic minority." - London Daily Telegraph
"In Pettah, the old commercial heart of the city, row after row of sari boutiques, electronic dealers, rice sellers, car parts stores, lie shattered and scarred..." - London Guardian
Read 8 tweets
The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
Jul 26
TW: Violence

When we look at the history behind Black July, its not only Sri Lankan Tamils that were affected. Indian Tamils also suffered during this tragic time. Here are some of the stories from then...
Nuwara Eliya (29 July 1983)
Nuwara Eliya (29 July 1983)
Read 7 tweets
The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
Jul 25
Today in History (24-30 July 1983)

39 years ago, an Anti-Tamil Pogrom descended across Sri Lanka eventually escalating into mass violence killing thousands. This week, we'll be hearing the stories of the victims, trying to stop it from happening again.

#BlackJuly1983 #LKA
“While travelling on a bus when a mob laid siege to it, passengers watched as a small boy was hacked ‘to limb-less death.’ The bus driver was ordered to give up a Tamil. He pointed out a woman who was desperately trying to erase the mark on her forehead..."
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"The woman’s belly was ripped open with a broken bottle and she was immolated as people clapped and danced. In another incident, two sisters, one eighteen and one eleven, were decapitated and raped, the latter ‘until there was nothing left to violate..'
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Read 6 tweets
The Sri Lankan History Project Profile picture
Apr 19
With the recent discussion of the #nationalanthem and the debate between singing it in #sinhala and #tamil, today we're going to take a look at the #history of this song seeing what we can take away from it's controversial past...

#EconomicCrisisLK #GoHomeGota2022 #Srilanka
Prior to Independence, the national anthem of Ceylon was 'God Save the King' - a fact of colonial rule which many despised. The Ceylon National Congress, one of the nation's independence organisations, vowed to create a new national anthem when the nation became independent.
When Ceylon achieved it needed a new national song so contest was set up to select one and a judging panel was set up. However there was resentment as "In a controversial decision, two of the panelists were declared winners...It began as – 'Sri Lanka Matha/Pala Yasa Mahima'"
Read 14 tweets

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