Synopsis
A splendid journey through the complexity of Sri Lankan gardens, past and present
The rich history of Sri Lankan gardens extends from the early boulder-and-terrace gardens of Buddhist monasteries to the designed landscapes of the 17th to 19th centuries as well as many significant contemporary examples. Gardens of Sri Lanka leads the reader from one surprise to the next. First, there is the world of Sri Lanka’s great royal estates: spatial generosity reflecting a local aristocratic civilization. Another essential tradition presented is that of Sri Lanka’s monastic gardens. The sheer number of Buddhist monasteries scattered all over the island is remarkable. Most of these sites contain gardens rather than buildings. Then there are colonial gardens; visually magical but representing a dark history, these gardens are often forced amalgams between a self-celebrating culture from outside Sri Lanka and the local topography and vegetation within it. Last but not least are contemporary gardens that have, physically and immediately for those lucky enough to walk through them, an extraordinary force and something to teach the world.
The meticulous execution of Gardens of Sri Lanka and the quality of the photographic and textual documentation allows readers unfamiliar with Sri Lanka’s topography to discover, page after page, the existence of a unique and complex world of gardens that they never knew existed.
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Gardens of Sri Lanka
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hardcover. Condition: Good. HARDCOVER Good - Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may have remainder mark or previous owner's name - GOOD Oversized. Seller Inventory # M8836659551Z3
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Gardens of Sri Lanka
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Gardens of Sri Lanka
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Gardens of Sri Lanka
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Gardens of Sri Lanka
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Gardens of Sri Lanka (Hardcover)
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Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Sri Lanka takes its place in Asian garden history not only by virtue of its chronicle accounts, inscriptional records and literary descriptions of gardens and natural environments, but even more so on account of the unique survival of the archaeological remains of many planned garden forms, especially from time horizons earlier than those of surviving historic gardens in other South Asian societies and cultures. The Sri Lankan relict gardens are an archaeological phenomenon little seen elsewhere in Asia from a period prior to the 13th century.Following the journey proposed by Klaus Holzhausen and the authors of this volume, one goes from surprise to surprise. First of all, theres the unsuspected world of the great royal estates: spatial generosity here reflects a local aristocratic civilisation which found in the garden the highest point of its art. Another essential tradition presented in this volume is that of Sri Lankas monastic gardens. The sheer number of Buddhist monasteries scattered all over the island since almost 2000 years is incredible. Most of these sites contain rather gardens than buildings. Then theres the more complex case of colonial gardens, those magical but often forced amalgams between a self-celebrating culture from outside and the local topography and vegetation. Last but not least - and the volume that Klaus Holzhausen, as a true prophet of the places he has traversed for nearly three decades, makes clear - is the existence of contemporary gardens that have, physically and immediately for those lucky enough to walk through them, an extraordinary force and something to teach the world.The extremely meticulous way in which Gardens of Sri Lanka has been elaborated and the quality of the iconic and written documentation permit readers to already be there and to discover page after page the existence of another world. A meticulous presentation of the Sri Lankan relict gardens, an archaeological phenomenon, little seen elsewhere in Asia. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9788836659555
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Gardens of Sri Lanka
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Gardens of Sri Lanka: 2000 Years of Landscape Architecture Tradition
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Gardens of Sri Lanka
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Gardens of Sri Lanka (Hardback or Cased Book)
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Silvana Editoriale 5/27/2025, 2025
ISBN 10: 8836659551
ISBN 13: 9788836659555
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Hardback or Cased Book. Condition: New. Gardens of Sri Lanka. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9788836659555