Lanka’s cultural values, vital in promoting tourism

by Kalakeerthi Edwin Ariyadasa

Ayubowan!

This widely used expression in Sri Lanka, is at once a hearty greeting and a touching blessing. The word signifies, “May you live long”.

In our traditional culture, “Ayubowan’ is a classic mantra of cordiality, promoting harmony and good-will.

Sigiriya

From time immemorial Sri Lanka – The Resplendent Isle – enticed voyagers from the far flung corners of the civilised world, compelling the travellers by the land’s fabled charm and allure.

The trading ships of the legendary Biblical ruler King Solomon the Wise, called at the Port of Galle in the South of Sri Lanka, to amass precious cargoes of gems, ivory and other exotic treasures.

An ancient lore has it, the scintillating emerald that adorned the necklace of King Solomon’s comely spouse Queen Sheba, came from Sri Lanka.

Viewed in historical hindsight, singular good fortune continues to smile on Sri Lanka’s tourism, over a long period of time, spanning more than twenty-five centuries.

Ancient Sri Lanka was the tourist destination of one of the greatest human beings, who ever lived - The Supremely Enlightened Buddha. Outside his birth-place India,Sri Lanka was the only country the Supreme Buddha hallowed by his visits.

Buddha’s visit

As, recorded in Sri Lanka’s uninterrupted national chronicle Mahawamsa the Supremely Enlightened Buddha visited our sacred land, three times, between 590 BC and 545 BC.

These visits have infused a sacred value, to the history of Tourism in Sri Lanka, elevating this land into holy tourist destination. In consequence, travel in Sri Lanka took on a spiritual quality from early on.

In the history of tourism in Sri Lanka, some of the most celebrated tourists of all time, made this Island their destination. The globally reputed Buddhist pilgrim monk Fa-Hsien from China arrived in Sri Lanka in the fifth century AD. In his travel records he states that he was moved by the sight of paper fan that had been offered at an altar of a Buddhist Stupa in Sri Lanka. He was touched because that object would have been presented only by a person from his home-China.

Marco Polo, the intrepid Venetian (1254 – 1324) who travelled on foot to China – the Cathay Kingdom - visited Sri Lanka. His travel records aver that the King of Sri Lanka at the time of his visit to this Isle, showed him a ruby, the size of a man’s palm.

Ibn Batuta (1304 -1368) the Arab scholar, one of the world’s greatest explorers, refers in his Rihla (The Travels), how he climbed Samantha Kuta (Adam’s Peak) while he was travelling in Sri Lanka.

Splendid destination

The widely reputed Chinese Sailor Zheng He, who took his fleet through the high seas, found Sri Lanka a splendid destination for travellers.

Numerous Greek, Arab and Chinese sea-farerers found in Sri Lanka an unparalleled haven. Some places in Sri Lanka bear names, that indicate their contact with seafaring visitors.

The well-known Sea Port in the deep South of Sri Lanka, currently known as Hambantota, was a familiar harbour for Sampans the sea-crafts of the ancient Chinese and Indonesians.

Sigiriya Frescoes

In the city of Galle, a section of the town is still known as Cheena Koratuwa (The Chinese Settlement). Unawatuna, a natural cove, frequented in early days by sea -crafts of that time, has in it an area known even today as Jaa Kotuwa - ‘the settlement of the Javanese’. Situated about three kilometres from Galle, this place Unawatuna is a hub of modern tourism.

Natural Sea – Currents wafted the sailing ships of ancient voyagers to ports, harbours and coves around the Island of Sri Lanka. This way, the forces of Nature, have promoted the tourism of Sri Lanka, enabling the sea-craft of ancient times to reach the shores of this fortunate Land, with an impressive ease.

If we delve deep into an episode in the Great Indian epic poem Ramayana, we derive evidence to prove that Sri Lanka is indeed unique in global tourism. As Ramayana has it, the mythical ruler of Sri Lanka, the ten-headed King Ravana, was the first entrepreneur in the whole of mankind, to run an air-line.

Sita Devi

He travelled to India by air, on his private plane Pushpaka - known popularly as Dandu Monara (The Wooden Peacock Machine). But the troubling hitch that mars this global tourist record of Sri Lanka, is that, the most reputed person who travelled in that air-line was a reluctant passenger - Queen Sita Devi, the spouse of Prince Rama.

A picturesque word in the English vocabulary establishes the good fortune of Sri Lankan travellers. The word I have in mind is “serendipity” a favourite usage of many. The word originated in association with a Persian fairy tale titled “The Three Princes of Serendib” - 1754. The three heroes of this story are from Serendib - an ancient name for Sri Lanka. These three Sri Lankan princes had the delightful faculty of discovering highly agreeable things unexpectedly - wherever they went. The word serendipity was coined by Horace Walpole.

This upholds the exceptional impressiveness of Sri Lankan travellers. Incidentally, those who travel to Sri Lanka, too will experience this serendipity - by osmosis.

In the course of the evolution of Sri Lanka’s indigenous culture, the tourist habits of the people of this country began to acquire spiritual values.

This is primarily because of the urge felt by the masses of this country to go on holy tours - pilgrimages.

In those ages, when fast vehicles were not even dreamt of, the gentle folk of this land, set out on holy tours - with a total selflessness. A trip, that needs only a couple of hours in our day, took arduous months in the era of the bullock-cart - which was the preferred and the only available form of transport, at the time. When they set out, they resigned all hopes of return. The spiritual values dominated the process of travel.

They trudged on, propelled by a sense of the holy. They cooked and partook of the meals, by the way-side.

Pilgrims

When the pilgrims returned home, unscathed, the neighbours celebrated their safe completion of the holy journey, with a banquet described as Mevvava (The feast of the safe return).

Travelling on foot, to visit shrines or to see friends and relations, was routine. The state had set up resting cells by the side of the road, at convenient points.

In the present days of ultra-fast travel, these resting places “ambalamas” can still be seen in various stages of decay or preservation, though they are largely unfunctional in the context of modern tourism.

Cultural traits

Travel- tourism - assumed a significant cultural value in Sri Lanka’s lifestyle over long period of centuries.

A folk usage says - avidda paya dahas vatee. (The travelled foot is worth thousands). The important status assigned to travel, is vividly seen in Sri Lanka’s New Year rituals.

According to entrenched custom, an individual should start his travel back to his work place after the New Year holiday, at a moment, prescribed as auspicious. The traditional directive indicates that one should step out “right foot first”.

The human values upheld by the traditional cultural traits, associated with tourism, can be vividly observed when you witness the pilgrimage to the Holy Peak of Samantha Kuta. Popularly known as Sri Pada - The Peak of the Holy Foot Print, entails an arduous climb. Buddhists, Hindus, Islamists consider this peak sacred.

In terms of the age-old custom, those who climb the sacred mountain exchange a sacred blessing Karunawai “May there be compassion and kindness”. The act of travelling is characterised as karunakaranava operating compassion. Those who climb upward, bless those pilgrims who descend from the Peak, after worshipping the sacred foot print. They in turn bless those who are going up.

It is essential to observe here, that the humans became distinct from four-footed animals, when they learnt to walk on two feet. Walking that way set them apart from the beasts who travelled on four feet.

This way travel is the foremost human characteristic.Sri Lankan culture is distinguished by its ritualistic atitude towards travellers.

Mahawamsa - the Great Chronicle of our annals records, how King Dutugemunu who reigned from 101 BC to 77 BC, directed his officials to look after the travellers to the capital City, who came over to participate in the ceremony of Foundation - Laying for the Great Stupa.

This is how Mahawamsa describes this procedure: “The king placed at the four gates of the city many barbers and servants for the bath and for cutting the hair. Clothes likewise and fragrant flowers and sweet foods the king placed for his people’s good.”

No modern State can provide such provisions for the tourists to their countries. And, what is highly significant is, that, all these were provided at State expense.

Hospitality

The hospitality, that is emphatically stressed by Sri Lankan culture, is present undiminished even in our day, though its manifestations may not be as lavish and fabulous as in the days of ancient Sri Lankan Kings. Sri Lanka’s scenic vistas, can surprise the traveller to the Island, by their glory and unexpected allure. You may travel along a country road, lined with luscious green stretched of paddy fields. Suddenly you may come upon a little green island in the midst of these fields, like a lyric poem, composed by nature.

You can shift from the misty blue hills of the central regions, within a few hours, to the shining sands of the sea-shore that is lapped by lacey ripples, in the shadow of tall palms, that wave in the breezes lazily.

Our fabled land along with the other regions of SAARC, should be ready to meet the profuse groups of tourists from our Asian Nations - predominantly from China.

Observers have noted a reverse Marco Polo syndrome, emerging in affluent China. Boston Consulting Group estimates, that there are one million millionaire households in China.

There are an estimated 54 million outbound trips from China - a number that has quadrupled in the past 10 years. By the end of the decade the figure could easily reach 100 million.

Potential

Sri Lanka’s tourist culture, has the potentiality to attune itself to this massive travel growth in our day.

We in Sri Lanka, possess those exotic sights and sounds to entice even the seasoned globe-trotters. This is because our Travel Culture, I can say, mustering all the modesty possible, possesses the potential to surprise and thrill, travellers to our land.

The eco-sage Red Indian Chief Seattle lamented the vanishing of the gifts of Nature:

“......where is the thicket? Gone. Where is the eagle? Gone”. We in Sri Lanka have a rich culture, in which such an eco-lament is not at all called for.

In our tourist culture, we have still those nooks and corners, that have not been blotted out by the sweep of artificialities.

We still say Karunavai Karunavai! May Blessing and compassion prevail. This can very well be the gentle slogan of Sri Lanka’s tourism.