For 2,000 years the Lion flag of Kandy waved defiantly over the Indian Ocean island of Ceylon. Under it the Sinhalese Buddhist kings struggled and connived with invading princes and rival island chieftains for uncertain sovereignty over their huge (25,000 sq. mi.) island of blue mountains, green jungles and yellow sands. Then Ceylon became a British Crown colony, and in 1815 the Lion of Kandy was hauled down to make room for another, more famous member of his species.
Last week, the British Lion was still in Ceylon, but only as a guest. In a Buddhist ceremony in Kandy as old...
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