Grade 8 History: Traditional Technologies, Kandyan Kingdom, and the Renaissance

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Sri Lankan irrigation technology, the Kandyan kingdom, European Renaissance, and Portuguese colonial history in Sri Lanka.

Traditional Technologies

Technologies that have kept advancing from generation to generation and are unique to Sri Lanka, used by ancestors to resolve day-to-day issues.

Village Tanks

Small tanks constructed by villagers under the leadership of village heads to supply water for small settlements in the dry zone.

Abhaya Vapi

The ancient name for the tank presently known as Basawakkulama, believed to have been constructed during the reign of King Pandukabhaya.

Bisokotuwa

A unique invention of Lankan irrigation technologists; a square-shaped cistern sluice inside a tank used to regulate and control the release of water through a tunnel.

Breakwater

Stone layers laid on the inside surface of a tank dam to prevent it from being washed away by waves created by wind.

Anicut

A bund or dam constructed across canals, streams, or rivers to block and divert water into paddy fields.

Jaya Ganga (Yodha Ela)

A 54-mile long giant canal constructed by King Dathusena to carry water from Kala Wewa to Thissa Wewa in Anuradhapura.

Eth Pokuna

A large pond in Abhayagiriya constructed to store water, assumed to be for bathing purposes.

Ulu Vaduwa

The term used for a tile maker or producer of bricks during the Rajarata civilization.

Vahalkada

Frontispieces constructed facing the four cardinal directions to enhance the aesthetic value of a dagoba.

Chetiyagara (Watadageya)

A chamber constructed as a protection for a small dagoba, often featuring stone pillars and a roof.

Bodhigara

A house constructed around a Bo tree for the tree's protection, aesthetic enhancement, and the convenience of devotees.

Gedige Tradition

A style of image house where both the walls and the roof are made entirely of bricks or stone.

Vaijayantha Prasadaya

A seven-floor royal palace constructed by King Parakramabahu I in the inner city of Polonnaruwa.

Sandakadapahana

A unique semicircular stone slab (moonstone) placed at the entrance of buildings, decorated with intricate carvings like lotuses and animals.

Sena Sammatha Wickramabahu

The first king of the Kandyan kingdom who freed it from Kotte rule and established the capital at Senkadagala.

Udarata Givisuma (Kandyan Convention)

A treaty signed on March 2, 1815, between Governor Robert Brownrigg and the Kandyan elite, ceding the kingdom to British rule.

Tampita Viharaya

A tradition of constructing temples on stone pillars to prevent damage to the wooden structure by insects like termites.

Renaissance

The 'revival' or reawakening in European history between the 14th and 16th centuries characterized by a transformation in art, religion, and science.

Humanism

A Renaissance concept that shifted focus from theism (god as supreme) to studying the affairs, history, and artistic skills of humans.

Father of Astronomy

A title given to Nicolaus Copernicus, who discovered that the Earth is spherical and that planets revolve around the sun.

Exploration

The act of searching for and discovering unknown countries using new sea routes, popularized by Europeans at the end of the 15th century.

Strait of Magellan

The strait at the southern end of the North American continent discovered by Ferdinand Magellan, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

VOC

The Dutch East India Company, established in 1602 to handle Dutch trade and political interests in Asia.

Vijayaba Kollaya

The 'sack of Vijayabahu' in 1521, a political turmoil where King Vijayabahu VI was killed, leading to the division of the Kotte kingdom into three parts.

Vidor da Fazenda

A special Portuguese official responsible for managing revenue and organizing economic affairs in captured territories.

Maha-badde

The Cinnamon Department established by the Portuguese to manage the trade and peeling of cinnamon in rural areas.

Missionaries

Religious priests (such as Franciscans, Jesuits, and Dominicans) sent by the Portuguese to promote Catholicism in captured countries.