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The Jubilee Post (Sinhala: ජුබිලි කණුව) is a historic monument that was located at the Mirihana Jubilee Kanuwa junction on the Nugegoda - Pitakotte road (B120) in Colombo District, Sri Lanka.
History
This post was established in parallel to the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria (reigned: 1837-1901). As recorded on itself in two languages, English and Sinhala, this pillar has been erected in 1887 as a monument to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the coronation of the queen. The post was initially on the verge of the road but later it was dismantled from the original location and installed in the middle of the junction (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018). However, due to renovation works on the road, the pillar was removed again in 2020.
The post and inscriptions
The post is about 120 cm in height and has been fixed on a rectangular-shaped base of about 52 cm long, 34 cm wide, and 26 cm tall (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). The writing on the post is executed on five sides of it. Two sides have been written in Sinhala and the other three sides are written in English (Gamage, 2020).
Side 1: "J. Garth E. Garth W.O. Garth R.O. Garth O. Ephrams H.L. Daniel"
Side 2: "God bless queen Victoria Empress of India"
Side 3: "ඉන්දියා දේශයේ රාජාධිරාජිණිය ශ්රීමත් වික්ටෝරියාභිධාන මහා රාජිණින්ට දෙවියන් වහන්සෙ සෙත් සලස්වා දෙන සේක්වා"
Side 4: "ඉන්දියා දේශයට රාජාධිරාජිනී නෙෙකශ්රීන් විරාජමාන
වික්ටෝරියාභිධාන මහා රාජිණිය රජ පැමිණීමෙන් පනස්වෙනි වර්ෂයෙ පවත්වන ලද
මංගල්ලෝත්සවය සිහිපත් කරනු සදහා ශ්රී ශුද්ධ ඛෘෂ්ථ වර්ෂ ප්රමාණයෙන් එක්වා දහස් අටසිය අසූ සත් වැන්නෙහි පිහිටුවන ලදී"
Side 5: "Erected in commemoration of the Jubilee of her majesty Queen Victoria Empress of India 1887"
References: Gamage, 2020.
A protected monument
The old Jubilee Post at the Mirihana Jubilee Kanuwa junction in Grama Niladhari Division of Mirihana South (no.523 A) in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 8 July 2005.
See also
#) Queen Victoria Statue, Colombo
References
1) Gamage, D.P., 2020. Epigraphical Notes (Nos. 22-23). Department of Archaeology. ISBN: 978-955-7457-30-7. pp.68-71.
2) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. p.90.
3) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. p.11.
4) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: No: 1401. 8 July 2005.
2) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. p.90.
3) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. p.11.
4) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: No: 1401. 8 July 2005.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 16 April 2022
