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Widuri |
Danu |
Tips for Sri Lanka
Danu talks about some fun things you can do in his country.
Widuri: Okay, Danu. So I heard that Sri Lanka has a lot of beautiful places. Can you mention some famous one?
Danu: Yes. Sure, Widuri. Sri Lanka is a beautiful island in South Asia. So I will talk about this famous temple known as the Temple of the Tooth Relic.
Widuri: Tooth Relic?
Danu: Yes.
Widuri: Okay. Tooth Relic. What is it?
Danu: Tooth Relic. Tooth Relic is the tooth of Lord Buddha.
Widuri: Tooth?
Danu: Yes, tooth.
Widuri: Okay.
Danu: Yes. And this Temple of the Tooth Relic is situated in the city called Kandy.
Widuri: Kandy.
Danu: Yes. And I'm from Kandy as well.
Widuri: Oh yeah?
Danu: Yes.
Widuri: So it's close to your house?
Danu: My house is right next to the Temple of the Tooth Relic.
Widuri: Wow.
Danu: Yes.
Widuri: Okay. So tell me more about it.
Danu: Sure. So Temple of the Tooth Relic was a castle before.
Widuri: Castle.
Danu: Yes. There was a king ruling Sri Lanka. He's known as the last king of Sri Lanka. So in Sri Lanka, to become the king, you should possess the Temple of the – oh I'm sorry. You should, you must possess the tooth relic.
Widuri: Okay.
Danu: So if you want to become the king or if you want to overthrow the current king, you just have to go and get the tooth relic.
Widuri: Wow, interesting.
Danu: Yes.
Widuri: Okay.
Danu: But since Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country, the people respect and worship the tooth relic. So there are like proper offerings and proper people assigned to take care of the tooth relic in this temple.
So it's a very famous place in Sri Lanka as well as around the world. So for example, in August, there is the biggest festival in Sri Lanka, the display of the tooth relic.
Widuri: Okay.
Danu: So there are so many elephants walking in the street in colorful dresses illuminated, and so many traditional dances.
Widuri: Okay.
Danu: And there is this special tusker. You know tusker, right?
Widuri: Tusker?
Danu: Yes. The elephant right tusk.
Widuri: Okay.
Danu: So this tusker will carry the tooth relic.
Widuri: Oh.
Danu: Yes. The tooth relic is in a special casket.
Widuri: Okay.
Danu: A golden casket. And they will display the golden casket around the streets of my city.
Widuri: I see.
Danu: So during that season, which is in August, the streets will be filled with people, local people and foreign people. So many tourists coming for Sri Lanka just to witness this colorful festival, which is known as the Kandy Perahera.
Widuri: Kandy Perahera.
Danu: Do you know what does perahera means?
Widuri: Is it parade?
Danu: Exactly.
Widuri: Wow.
Danu: Perahera means parade.
Widuri: Parade.
Danu: Kandy is my city so Kandy Perahera. So if I talk more about this temple, it has very old drawings by a famous Sri Lankan artist who used to live in Sri Lanka in the past, for example, maybe 500 years ago. And there is the king's throne, king's crown and the clothes which the king used to wear. So it's a temple and a museum where you can learn a lot about Sri Lanka's history is you can visit there.
Widuri: Wow, for interesting. I bet you never miss this Kandy Perahera every year.
Danu: I have watched so many times and as well as I have done volunteer service for the organizing as well.
Widuri: Wow. You can be a king, you can stole it.
Danu: But it's really, really bad to steal.
Widuri: I see.
situated
The Tooth Relic is situated in the city called Kandy.
Situated means located or placed. Sometimes the word is not needed but it is added for emphasis. Notice the following:
- The pool is situated near a garden.
- The exits are situated in the back.
ruling
There was a king ruling Sri Lanka.
When a person rules over an area, they have power to make decisions over people in the region. Notice the following:
- He ruled the kingdom with an iron fist!
- The people were ruled by the king.
possess
you must possess the tooth relic.
When you possess something you have ownership of it. Notice the following:
- He possesses several nice cars.
- I want to possess a home some day.
offering
So there are like proper offerings.
An offering is a gift of something you give to someone as a good gesture. Notice the following:
- We give offerings in church.
- Monks receive offerings in the morning.
illuminated
colorful illuminated dresses
When something is illuminated it is lit up or shown in light. Notice the following:
- The trees were illuminated for the holidays.
- The room was illuminated with candles.
casket
The tooth relic is in a special casket.
A casket is a small ornamental box that you put valuable things in. Notice the following:
- My ring is in the casket.
- What a lovely, gold casket.
Vocabulary Quiz
offering • illuminated • casket
About the Teacher / Creator
Hello, and welcome to elllo. My name is Todd Beuckens. I've been an ESL teacher for 25 years. I created elllo to provide teachers and students free audio lessons and learning materials not usually found in commercial textbooks.
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