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Details
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| * Date of Issue : 03rd December, 2014 * Denomination : Rs. 10.00 * Stamp Designer : Jagath Kosmodara * Stamp Size : 30mm * 30mm * Format : Square * Printing Process : Offset Lithography * Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet |
* Perforation : 12 * 13 1/4 * Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA * Quantity Printed : 500,000 * Last Date of Sale : 02nd December, 2015 |
Jesus Christ, the son of Almighty God was conceived in the womb of mother Mary and was born in a poor cattle mart in Bethlehem. Infant Jesus, who was laying a manager, brought the message of peace and humbleness to the world. Not only high and powerful kings but also poor shepherds came to worship infant Jesus and it made the cattle mart filled with wonders of Christmas. These Christmas stamps have been designed associating the winning arts of the ‘Christmas Art competition 2014’, held under the theme of ‘Wonder of Christmas in Gawahala’.
It's been scheduled to celebrate the national celebration of Christmas 2014 at St. Mary’s Church, Grand Street, Negombo. St. Mary’s Church, Grand Street, Negombo The first building was built in 1603 as 'St. Mary’s Church'. The present huge church building is the 5th church building and the foundation stone was placed by Ref. Fr. Vistarien in 4th June 1874. It was completed after almost 50 years in 1922. It is the biggest cathedral in Negombo and has a painted ceiling as well as alabaster statues of various saints. Artist Mr. N.S. Godamanne has painted five paintings under the guidance of Rev. Fr. Sebastian and twelve other paintings also painted on mile stones of the life of Jesus Christ. |
| * Date of Issue : 30th November, 2014 * Denomination : Rs. 10.00 * 2 * Background Illustration - Stamp: Vojitha Heshan Herath Dinithi Sanchala Panagoda * Souvenir Sheet Designer : Elissa Ronashi Beliketimulla * Stamp Size : 41mm * 30mm * Format : Horizontal * Printing Process : Offset Lithography |
* Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet
* Perforation : 13 1/ 2 * 14 * Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA * Quantity Printed : 500,000 Stamps 10,000 Souvenir Sheets * Last Date of Sale : 29th November, 2015 |
Dr. Philip Revatha (Ray) Wijewardene, who passes away in August 2010 aged 86, was a unique Sri Lankan whose multi-facted career blended many disciplines and pursuits straddling the sciences and the arts. Despite being an accomplished engineer, aviator, inventor and Olympian, he chose to introduce himself as a farmer and mechanic “who still got his hands dirty”. He was educated at St. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia and Cambridge University, UK where he studied three branches of engineering, aeronautical, mechanical and agricultural. He also earned a masters degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School, and later received three honorary degrees from universities in the UK and Sri Lanka.
In the 1960s, he invented the world’s first two – wheeled (Land Master) tractor, and working with tropical farmers. Ray worked for many years in Malaysia for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, Nigeria. In 1984, he-co-authored a book on conservation farming which is still in use for promote ecologically sustainable agriculture. Returning to Sri Lanka in the 1970s, he kept on experimenting with rain – fed farming, agroforestry and dendro thermal power. For decades, Ray worked closely with Sri Lanka’s business, research and policy communities as Chairman of the Tea Research Board, head of the inventor’s commission and chancellor of the University of Moratuwa. The government of Sri Lanka awarded him the national honors of ‘Vidya Jyothi’ and ‘Deshamanya’ for distinguished public service. Ray was an outstanding sportsman who represented his country in sailing, in the Mexico Olympics in 1968, and won a silver medal at the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1970. As an aviator, he was licensed to fly fixed-wing, aircraft, helicopters and autogyros. Ray is also an accomplished violinist and oil painter. |
| * Date of Issue : 31st October, 2014 * Denomination : Rs. 10.00 * Stamp Designer : P. Isuru Chaturanga * Stamp Size : 30mm * 30mm * Format : Square * Printing Process : Offset Lithography * Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet |
* Perforation : 12 * 13 1/4 * Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA * Quantity Printed : 500,000 * Last Date of Sale : 30th October, 2015 |
Posts claim their place in the changing communication landscape
Postal Services have always been important motors of economic activity and growth. The very creation of the Universal Postal Union 140 years ago established multilateral framework for the exchange of documents and goods across borders. It helped postal services pave the way to globalized trade and commerce. Today, posts are poised to play a very important role in a new wave of globalization being ushered in by the internet, which calls for greater inclusion of citizens everywhere. With half of the world’s population living in rural areas, the postal network is well placed to reach them. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, 80% of post offices are located in smaller cities and rural areas, where the majority of people live. For postal services to flourish, electrical and internet connectivity is essential, especially in developing countries, where only 32% of the population has access to the internet. The global postal network is a tremendous asset for extending this digital reach-not only for the benefit of citizens and businesses, but also for governments, development agencies and other stakeholders looking for solutions to many of the challenges our world is grappling with. According to the World Bank, post offices are the cheapest providers of remittance services, ahead of banks and money transfer operators. Posts are also the second biggest contributors to financial inclusion after banks, with one billion people holding postal accounts. And there are new opportunities with cross-border e-commerce. Although this business is still relatively new, global online sales should reach 1.5 trillion dollars by year end. More often than not, online purchases are delivered by the post. Postal activities stimulate the global economy and improve livelihoods. And, with 640,000 post offices worldwide, we find them where they can make a difference. By increasing post offices’ electrical and internet connectivity, governments can ensure that post offices make a major contribution to efforts to bring communication, financial, social and economic services to rural populations. As the communication landscape evolves, I see an important place in it for posts, especially in this new globalized world. I urge governments to carry on investing in their national postal network so that citizens and businesses continue to benefit from a most essential and affordable public service. I wish you a happy World Post Day! Bishar Abdirahman Hussein Director – General of the Universal Postal Union |
| * Date of Issue : 09th October, 2014 * Denomination : Rs. 10.00 * Stamp Designer : P. Isuru Chaturanga * Stamp Size : 41mm * 30mm * Format : Horizontal * Printing Process : Offset Lithography * Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet |
* Perforation : 13 1/4 * 12 1/2 * Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA * Quantity Printed : 500,000 * Last Date of Sale : 08th October, 2015 |
In 1950 the United Nations designed a special day for children which is celebrated world over by different countries in numerous ways.
Sri Lanka too will celebrate World Children’s Day on 1st October 2014 under the theme “Protect us with love” which asserts the importance of children to be properly cared for in love and protected (whether at home or in institutions) (Articles 18-20 of the CRC) so that they grow up to be responsible citizens of the nation. This year’s celebrations of World Children’s Day is of even greater significance as 2014 marks the 25th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The emblem of World Children’s Day 2014 is also embodied in the stamp that is issued to mark this day and depicts an innovative toy in the form of a propeller made from a rubber seed and an ice cream stick using natural and widely available materials available to children, that reinforces the right of children to lay, leisure and artistic activities (Article 31 of the CRC) which is one of the most important rights when considering the childhood of all children everywhere. |
| * Date of Issue : 01st October, 2014 * Denomination : Rs. 10.00 * Stamp Designer : Pulasthi Ediriweera * Stamp Size : 30mm * 41mm * Format : Verticle * Printing Process : Offset Lithography * Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet |
* Perforation : 14 * 13 1/2 * Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA * Quantity Printed : 500,000 * Last Date of Sale : 30th September, 2015 |
Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933) is the most acclaimed Buddhist missionary of Sri Lanka. He is remembered for his stellar contribution towards the 20th century Buddhist resurgence in Sri Lanka then under colonial rule, restoration of Bodhgaya where the Buddha attained enlightenment and other Buddhist shrines in India the land of the Buddha. In 1893 he was invited to attend the world parliament of religions in Chicago as a representative of “Southern Buddhism” - the term applied at the time to Theravada Buddhism. This was a time when Sri Lanka then a British crown colony was rediscovering its ancient Buddhist heritage. This was the time when Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott had founded the theosophical society where interest in Buddhism was be kindled in the West. The young Dharmapala assisted Colonel Olcott in his work, particularly by acting as his translator. He also developed close relations with Madame Blavatsky, who advised him to study Pali the language of the Buddhist scripture. It was at this time that he changed his name Don David Hewavitharene to Dharmapala –“Guardian of the Dharma”.
In 1891, he made his first visit to the sacred places of Northern India and found them in dire neglect. The Mahabodhi shrine had been restored by General Sir Alexander Cunningham, but no Buddhist institutional structure was in place to maintain this fountain of the Buddhist traditions. The temple was in the custody of a Hindu priest. Dharmapala initiated a long struggle to gain control of Bodhgaya but lost the battle for control in 1906. Meanwhile the Maha Bodhi Society which he founded in 1891 remained committed to Bodhagaya to its pristine splendor. The Mahabodhi society under his personal stewardship expanded its activities in the promotion of Buddhism in India. Eventually he extended his reach to Japan in the East and London in the West. In 1892 he initiated the publication the Maha Bodhi Journal. His missionary work in Buddhism received global recognition early 20th Century and soon became a global figure. He travelled widely and was prolific in his writings and lectures which he continued in the next forty years until his death in 1933.He established schools and hospitals in Sri Lanka and built Buddhist temples in India. The most important temple he built in India was in Saranath where the Buddha preached his first sermon to the five disciples with the famous exhortation “Go forth o bhikkus, for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world, for the benefit, for the good and for the happiness of gods and men”. He continued his work as an ‘Anagarika’ which literally means a homeless person. In anticipation of his death in 1933 he got himself ordained as a Bhikku in 1933 at Saranath India. He died in December of the same year at Saranath, aged sixty-nine. Dharmapala made two outstanding contributions to Buddhism in the twentieth century. He pioneered the revival of Buddhism in India where it was virtually extinct for several centuries. He is the foremost Buddhist evangelist of modern times to preach the Dharma in three continents: Asia, North America and Europe. Dharmapala made his contribution to Buddhism as the first Anagarika- that is as a celebrate person devoted entirely to serve Buddhism – in modern times. |
| * Date of Issue : 17th September, 2014 * Denomination : Rs. 10.00 * Stamp Designer : P. Isuru Chaturanga * Stamp Size : 20mm * 50mm * Format : Verticle * Printing Process : Offset Lithography * Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet |
* Perforation : 12 * 13 1/2 * Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA * Quantity Printed : 1,500,000 * Last Date of Sale : 16th September, 2015 |
The idea of a Restricted Union in this part of the world came up first in the late 1950s. In order to give a concrete shape to the idea, after informal discussions, the Philippines government sent through diplomatic channels invitations to 18 countries for a roundtable in Manila from 10th to 23rd January 1961. Among the countries invited were Afghanistan, Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The roundtable drew up the Asian-Oceanic Postal Convention. The convention was to come into force on 1st April 1962. On that date, they formed a union among themselves and established its headquarters in Manila with Mr. Palomar, postmaster general of Philippines as its first director. The headquarters was relocated to Bangkok in 2002. In due course others countries of the Asian-Pacific region joined this regional postal union making it today an inter-governmental body of 32 countries. The Executive Council comprises all the member countries of the Union with a quorum of the majority. To ensure the continuity of the work of the union in the intervals between congresses, the executive council meets in principle once each year.
The functions of the executive council are: (a) To perform any duty assigned to it by a resolution of the congress. (b) To lay down the international postal service rules which shall provide for details necessary for the operation of the international postal service between the member-countries. (c) To maintain contacts with postal administration of the member-countries of the Union with a view to improving the postal service. (d) To prescribe rules for the administration of the bureau and to supervise the activities of the Bureau. (e) To review and approve the annual budget and accounts of the administrative section prepared by the Bureau in the intervals between congresses. (f) To make useful contacts with the various organs of the Universal Postal Union, with the restricted Unions or with other specialized agencies of the United Nations with special interests in the area and, if necessary, to appoint representatives to conference of such organizations. (g) To conclude agreements on behalf of the Union with the Universal Postal Union and other restricted Unions and international organizations with regard to such matters as technical co-operation with the concurrence of at least two-thirds of the members of the Union. The Council may authorize the director of the bureau to execute such agreements. (h) To assemble, prior to each universal postal congress, in order to exchange and harmonize their views. (i) To make necessary steps, with the agreement of the majority of the members of Union, provisionally to carry out such other administrative acts which are not covered by the acts of the Union and cannot await the next congress for the settlement. Chairman of the Executive Council is elected by the first Executive Council meeting convened immediately after the holding of the congress at the same venue. In the normal course the chairmanship shall devolve by right on the host country of congress. The present chairman is India elected after the 2013 congress held in India. Member Countries are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Lao, South Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Island, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Vietnam. |
| * Date of Issue : 15th September, 2014 * Denomination : Rs. 7, Rs. 10, Rs. 35, Rs. 50 * Stamp Designer : P. Isuru Chaturanga * Stamp Size : 41mm * 30mm * Format : Horizontal * Printing Process : Offset Lithography * Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet * Perforation : 13 1/2 * 14 |
* Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA * Quantity Printed : Rs. 7 - 1,000,000, Rs. 10 - 1,000,000, Rs. 35 - 1,000,000, Rs. 50 - 1,000,000 Souvenir Sheet - 15,000 * Last Date of Sale : 14th September, 2015 |
Dr. R.L. Spittel was born in Tangalle on 9th of December 1881 to Dr. Fredrick Spittel. His father educated him at Royal College, Colombo. In 1905, Dr. Spittel passed out of the Ceylon Medical College as a doctor. When he joined Government service his salary was just a bare Rs. 750. He proceeded to England, did his Conjoint Diploma in 1908 and his FRCS in 1909. On his return, he was appointed as the 3rd surgeon at the General Hospital Colombo. In 1935, when he retired from Government Service, he was a Senior Surgeon and a Lecturer at the Medical College. He continued his services to the people as a Consultant Surgeon. His invaluable services towards medicine earned him the honor of being made a commander of the order of the British Empire in 1942 and a Companion of the order of St. George in1950. He was so humble that he felt undeserving of the latter award. It took a lot of persuasion by the then prime minister Hon. D.S. Senanayake, to coax him into accepting it. He was the president of the Ceylon Branch of the British Medical College from 1940 to 1946.
Despite being a medical doctor, he had a deep love for the wilds and a huge leaning towards anthropology. An avid naturalist, Dr. Spittel’s love was the jungles of Ceylon, gaining a vast arena of knowledge on its fauna and flora and also the native aborigines of Ceylon. He authored many books of which some of the well known and well read ones were “Wild Ceylon”, “Wild White Boy”, “Vanished Trails”, “Where the White Sambur Roams” which graphically described jungle adventures and the “Savage Sanctuary” which is a biographical novel based on documentary evidence on the Veddah outlaw called Tissahamy. This collection of material had been researched by Dr. Spittel himself. Dr. Spittel’s white skin and his “Medicine Man Role” was so acceptable to the Aboringine clan, that they revered him as a hero. When he retired from Government service at 53 years of age, he ventured out to run his own nursing home called Wycherly. This, his own building, which is sprawling mansion took two years for completion by 1922 and it is of enormous heritage value today. Dr. Spittel was helped by his wife Dr. Clarie who incidentally was the fourth woman Physician in Ceylon. He passed away on September 3rd 1969, listening to the sounds of the birds in his aviary. |
| * Date of Issue : 03rd September, 2014 * Denomination : Rs. 10.00 * Stamp Designer : P. Isuru Chaturanga * Stamp Size : 30mm * 41mm * Format : Verticlel * Printing Process : Offset Lithography * Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet |
* Perforation : 13 1/4 * 14 * Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA * Quantity Printed : 500,000 * Last Date of Sale : 02nd September, 2015 |
Sri Lanka enjoys eight times larger marine environment than its land area. This sea area is blessed with various types of marine resources. Coral reefs are undoubtedly one of them. They sometimes referred as rainforest or gardens of the ocean mainly due to its higher bio diversity and the ecosystem productivity. However, when considering the magnitude of coastal line of Sri Lanka the extent of reefs are limited to very few stretches, but it always retains its ecological and economic importance to the highest level possible.
Pigeon Island is one of the highly diverse, ecologically and socioeconomically important reef habitats located in Sri Lanka. In order to manage and conserve this fragile ecosystem, the island and the surrounding reef area was given the status of marine national Park by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. The park is located 272 km away from Colombo, 15 km North of Trincomalee and 1km off the coast of Nilaveli in Eastern Province. The National Park contains one of the best remaining coral reefs of Sri Lanka. The island was used as a shooting range during the colonial era. The name “Pigeon Island” was derived because of a wild strain of Blue Rock Pigeons (Columba Livia), who is restricted to this island listed under nationally threatened bird species ranked under critically endangered species. In order to protect and conserve this organism, the island was declared as a sanctuary in 1974. During this declaration, the adjacent sea area was not included into the sanctuary. Nevertheless, later in 2003, it was re-designated as a National Park by Department of Wildlife Conservation under the Flora and Fauna Ordinance Act, No.22 including the coral rich sea areas of the island. It is the 17th National Park in Sri Lanka. Moreover, it was cited in the IUCN directory of South Asian Protected areas and declared as a SAM (Special Area Management) area by Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management Department of Sri Lanka. The Park boundary encompass with 471.4 hectare (out of which, 9ha. Within the land) including the surrounding sea of one mile radius around the island. At a glance, this island appears as one landform but virtually it consisted two islands as small and large landmasses with rocky outcrops. They are named as Large Pigeon Island, Small Pigeon Island and Salabalas Rocks (Salapilas Rocks). The large pigeon island is fringed by a coral reef, and is about 200m long and 100 m wide, with rocky outcrops, a rubble beach and a narrow sandy beach. Its highest point is 44.8m above mean sea level. The small pigeon island is surrounded by rocky islets. Salabalas rockys are rocky protrusions located in the park boundary. The reef environment is dominated mainly by branching Acropora spp. with some foliose Montipora, Ecinopora spp. in addition to the coral families such as Faviidae. Pocilloporidae, Mussidae and Poritidae present in higher abundance. Larger areas of soft corals such as Sinularia, Lobophyton, and Sarcophytn can also be observed in deeper areas of north and south ends of the Island. The framework of corals is riddled with plenty of species. The complex three-dimension nature of reef provides shelter and foraging sites for millions of other vertebrates and invertebrates. Many of the 100 species of corals and 300 coral reef fishes were recorded around the Trincomalee area are found within the national park boundary. Frequent sightings of Juvenile and adult black tip reef sharks (Charcharinus Melanopterus) are an intriguing view around the shallow coral areas. Pigeon island is home to a number of endangered and protected fish species such as Bicolor cleaner wrasse (Labroides Bicolor)(protected reef fish), Raggedfin Parrotfish (Chlorurus Rhakoura) (restricted to Sri Lanka), Humphead Wrasse (Cheilinus Unadulates) (globally endangered). In addition to that the Mellon Butterflyfish (Chaetodon Trifasciatus), black wedged buterflyfish (Chaetodon Falcula), Moorish Idon (zanclus cornutus), Blue ringed Angelfish (Pomacanthus Annularis), Emperor Angelfish (Pomacnthus Imperator) add extremely rich colors to the reef environment of the island. Hasksbill turtle (Eretmochelys Imbricata), green turtle (Chelonia Mydas), Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta), Leatherback (Dermochelys Coriacea) and Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys Oivacea) are the visiting sea turtles of the coral reefs and the surrounding sandy beach. However, the island and the surrounding marine ecosystem at present under various influences of environmental and anthropogenic orient. Impacts caused by Crown-of-Thorns (COT) Starfish (Acanthaster Planch), fast growing sea algae (Halemeda and Caulerpa), thermal stress and fungal attacks are accelerating at an alarming rate. Due to its fascinating beauty, Pigeon Island is one of a fun spot in Sri Lanka favor visitors as a bathing beach and a snorkeling and scuba diving site. Tourism related activities such as snorkeling, diving, bathing, boat movements and fisheries related activities such as usage of non-sustainable fishing methods such as dynamiting and ornamental fish collection are common in the area. All these trigger chronic stress conditions that can ultimately contribute to the degradation of the ecosystem within the Pigeon Island National Park. Hence, wise and prudent use and management of resources such as banning of reef walking, controlling of boat movements, restriction of bathing activities, zonation of reef system, organizing of regular cleanups of invasive species, collection proper disposal of solid waste originated at the island, periodic monitoring and surveys would be suggested as immediate reef protection and management interventions. |
| * Date of Issue : 22nd August, 2014 * Denomination : Rs. 7, Rs. 10, Rs. 15, Rs.25, Rs. 35, Rs. 50 * Stamp Designer : Sudath Jayawardena * Stamp Size : 41mm * 30mm * Format : Horizontal * Printing Process : Offset Lithography * Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet * Perforation : 13 1/2 * 14 * Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA |
* Quantity Printed : Rs. 7 - 2,000,000 Rs. 10 - 2,000,000 Rs. 15 - 2,000,000 Rs. 25 - 1,000,000 Rs. 35 - 2,000,000 Rs. 50 - 1,000,000 Souvenir Sheets : 25,000 * Text by : Dr. P.B. Terney Pradeep Kumara(Ph.D) Kushani Dissanayake, Piyumi Guruge * Photo Credit : B. Dayaratne * Last Date of Sale : 21st August, 2015 |
