A carved granite temple step
similar to those found in the ancient city of Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka
will be sold in Bonhams Indian and Islamic sale in London on April 23.
The auctioneer Bonhams says the carved granite step is a Sandakada
Pahana - also known as Moonstone - similar to those found in temples
dating from Sri Lanka's Anuradhapura period (c400BC-1000AD). The
magnificent work of art featuring lions, horses, elephants, birds and
Brahim cows, has come to light in the garden of a Devon bungalow. It is
estimated to attract bids in excess of 30,000 pounds. The beautiful
1,000 year old pre-Hindu stone step is one of only six examples known to
date from the period, making this discovery the seventh. The temple
step is a feature unique to Sinhalese architecture in Sri Lanka. The
massively heavy – three-quarters of a tonne stone - measure eight foot
by four foot and is six inches thick. Sam Tuke of Bonhams in Exeter
says of the discovery: "I met the client when she was collecting an item
from our office. She mentioned in passing that she had a large slab of
carved granite that had come from her mothers house in Sussex and that
she had known and loved it since she was four years old. She loved
running her fingers around the animals carved into the stone." "I said
that it sounded an interesting object and she arranged to drop a
photograph into me the next day. When I saw the photographs and she
explained the full story, I knew that it could be of great historical
interest and importance. The house in Sussex had been bought from a tea
planter in the 1950s and the stone had been moved six times. Her
brother had seen similar stones in Sri Lanka whilst on holiday. She
explained that she could not bear to leave the stone behind after her
father died and the house was sold. It has been known affectionately in
the family as 'The Pebble' and is currently lying outside the front of
their bungalow at the end of a concrete path." The beautifully carved
stone features a curved procession of animals including lions, horses,
elephants, birds and Brahim cows. Anuradhapura, the greatest monastic
city of the ancient world, was the cradle of the glorious Sinhalese
Buddhist civilization. Today Anuradhapura, a UNESCO World Heritage
Site, is replete with renovated monuments, restored edifices, preserved
ruins and historical sites where the archaeological excavations are
still being continued.
Difficulty or inability to write a coherent text message, even in people who have no problem speaking, may become a "vital" tool in diagnosing a type of crippling stroke, according to a new research. Scientists at Henry Ford Hospital focused on a 40-year-old man visiting the metro Detroit area on business who showed signs of "dystextia," a recently coined term for incoherent text messaging that can sometimes be confused with autocorrect garble. But in his case, the man saw nothing wrong with the garble. The patient had no problem with a routine bedside test of his language abilities - including fluency of speech, reading, writing, comprehension and other factors. However, when asked to type a simple text message, he not only produced garble, but he was unable to see it as such. Despite showing only slight facial asymmetry and no other symptoms, doctors determined the man had suffered an acute ischemic stroke, in which a clot or other blockage cuts off blood supply t...
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