Title: View from Kurunegala rock, Ceylon

Creator: Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy

Description: Photo of the landscape, including the ancient man-made lake, seen from one of the rocks at Kurunegala, Sri Lanka. Today Kurunegala is a major city, being the capital of the North Western Province and at the junction of a number of main roads, while in the 13th and 14th centuries it was briefly a royal capital. The city is surrounded by eight large rocky outcrops, six of which are named after the animals they are said to resemble (elephant, tortoise, eel, goat, beetle, monkey). It is likely that this image was taken from the summit of one of these rocks, probably the largest – ethagala (elephant) rock.

Date: [1890s-1900s]

Format: Black and white photographic lantern slide

Archive reference: LDGSL/1088/AC/CEY/1/4

Image reference: 09-06

Recommended print size: Up to 10 x 8 inches (25 x 14cm)