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Chola

(Encyclopedia)Chola chōˈlə [key], S Indian dynasty, whose kingdom was in what is now Tamil Nadu. Its chief capitals were at Kanchi (Kanchipuram) and Thanjavur (Tanjore). The Chola kingdom was one of the three of...

garnet

(Encyclopedia)garnet, name applied to a group of isomorphic minerals crystallizing in the cubic system. They are used chiefly as gems and as abrasives (as in garnet paper). The garnets are double silicates; one of ...

gamboge

(Encyclopedia)gamboge gămbōjˈ [key] [Fr.,=Cambodia], an intensely yellow pigment obtained from the sap of Garcinia morella, a tree of SE Asia and Sri Lanka. ...

Wijetunga, Dingiri Banda

(Encyclopedia)Wijetunga, Dingiri Banda, 1916–2008, Sri Lankan political leader. A member of the United National party, he served in the parliament of Sri Lanka (1965–70, 1977–93), holding several cabinet post...

Dambulla

(Encyclopedia)Dambulla dämbo͝olˈə [key], town, central Sri Lanka. A place of Buddhist pilgrimage, it has a well-preserved cave temple complex at Dambulla Rock that dates to the 1st cent. b.c. There is a recumbe...

arrack

(Encyclopedia)arrack ârˈək [key], strong spirits distilled chiefly in Asia from fermented fruits, grains, or sugarcane. In the 19th cent., Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) became quite noted for palm toddy arrack and in m...

citronella

(Encyclopedia)citronella, common name for a grass, Cymbopogon nardus, the source of oil of citronella, used in perfumes and soaps and as an insect repellent. The plant, with bluish green, lemon-scented leaves, is c...

Kurunegala

(Encyclopedia)Kurunegala ko͝orˌo͞onāˈgələ [key], town (1995 est. pop. 29,500), W central Sri Lanka. It is a road junction and the administrative and commercial center of a coconut, rice, and rubber plantatio...

bandicoot rat

(Encyclopedia)bandicoot rat, giant rat of southern Asia, unrelated to true bandicoots. It is an agricultural pest in the grain crops and gardens of India and Sri Lanka and is known for the piglike grunts it emits w...

Trincomalee

(Encyclopedia)Trincomalee trĭngˌkəməlēˈ [key], town (1995 est. pop. 50,000), capital of Eastern prov., NE Sri Lanka, on the Bay of Bengal. Trincomalee has one of the world's finest natural harbors and can acc...