Independent nation, Blend of diverse cultures

by Ranga Chandrarathne

One of the principle components of Sri Lankan polity is its unique culture and the rich admixture of different religions and races.

Apart from the aborigines or veddas, the major ethnic groups, Sinhalese and Tamils migrated from neighbouring India and made settled down in all corners of the Island.

Although pre-historic evidence and the written history of Sri Lanka, including the chronicle Mahavamsa, has little or no direct bearing on Sri Lankan polity, historical records clearly indicate that human habitat goes back to pre-historic man.(Homobalangodasis).

Large tanks that cultivated thousands of acres of paddy fields and Buddhist monasteries and temples which spiritually nourished the population formed the nucleus of the hydraulic civilisation, particularly, during Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa era.

It was during this era that country witnessed large-scale irrigation schemes such as Parakrama Samudraya, Yodha Ela which is considered as a masterpiece in engineering.

One of the significant aspects of ancient irrigation schemes and technical know-how behind them is the degree of precision by the creators of these marvels maintained throughout their works. The Yodha Ela, a canal, was built with a gradient of one inch per kilometre which is a peerless engineering feat.

Ruined cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa and many other seats of governance, Kassapa's rock fortress Sigiriya with its celestial damsels and remnants of the colonial monuments such as Dutch fortress of Galle and colonial bungalows, constitute a rich tapestry of cultural landscape which is influenced not only by different colonial powers of the day, Portuguese Dutch and the British, but also the major religions of the world which continue to inspire and nourish the spiritual life of the heterogeneous population.

The Theravada tradition of Buddhism remains as the principle religion while Christianity with different denominations, Islam and Hinduism also flourished in total harmony with one another.

However, the little known or often ignored fact is the present status enjoyed by Buddhism was the indirect result of the signing of the Kandyan Convention in which the British, among other things, pledged to protect the sacred Temple of the Tooth and the Buddhist Order.

The presence of Christianity in Sri Lanka goes back to the colonial era where different denominations including Roman Catholics and Anglicans set up their missions together with schools in different parts of the country. Besides religions they left behind a modern system of education which though cater to the needs of the colonial master, was also responsible for producing an English-educated, efficient bureaucracy.

Among the unique forms of art, Sri Lankan dance, particularly, Kandyan dance is prominent for its style and rhythm.

According to a Sinhala legend, Kandyan dances originated, 2500 years ago, from a magic ritual that broke the spell on a bewitched king. The Mahavamsa, states that when Prince Vijeya landed in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 543 BC, he had heard the sounds of music and dance from a wedding ceremony.

There are three main styles: Kandyan dance of the hill country, known as Uda rata natum, the low country dance of the southern plains, Pahatha rata natum and the Sabaragamuwa dance, the Sabaragamuwa natum.

Kandyan dance is considered as the classical dance of Sri Lanka. In Sanskrit terminology it is considered a pure dance (nrtta) with a highly developed system of tala (rhythm), provided by cymbals called thalampataa.

There are five distinct types; the ves, naiyandi, uddekki, pantheru, and vannams. Ves Dance, the most popular, originated from an ancient purification ritual, the Kohomba Yakuma or Kohomba Kankariya. Today the elaborately costumed ves dancer epitomizes Kandyan dance.

Puppetry of Ambalangoda, traditional masks carved out of wood, Sri Lankan handicraft, brasswork of Handessa in Kandy, are some of the traditional arts. The art of paintings, especially in Buddhist temples, influences the motifs of Sri Lankan paintings and sculptures.

It is the responsibility of each and every Sri Lankan to protect and foster this unique cultural diversity in hydrogenous population which should be a unifying factor rather than a basis for conflict.

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