මේ කෙටි සටහන තබන්නට සිතුනේ වර්තමානයේ සිදු වන ‘බස මැරීම’ පිළිබඳ ව උපන් සංවේගයෙන් යුතුවය. මම බස සම්බන්ධයෙන් විද්වතෙක් නොවෙමි. නමුත් සිංහලයෙක්මි. එසේම ලේඛකයෙකි. එනිසා මවු බස සුරැකීම කෙරෙහි මාගේ අවධානය නිතැතින් යොමු වන්නේය. සිංහල බස විකෘති කිරීම, වැනසීම පිළිබඳව මා තුළ සංවේගයක් හට ගැනීම වැළක්විය නොහැක. සිංහල බස, එනම් සිංහල අපේ මවු බස, ලෝකයේ … Continue reading බස රැකීමද බස මැරීමද? →

Meeting Ganapati at Mihintale I walk through the ruins, as the path beckons me… I was standing in front of the ruined stupa which is known as one of the earliest Buddhist monuments of Sri Lanka, situated in Mihintale. Only the ruined brick dome of the stupa is visible as the upper part has been … Continue reading The forgotten tale of the elephant-headed god of the Sinhalese. →

Sri Lanka’s history and culture is interwoven with fascinating age-old myths and legends. Though Buddhism enjoys its states as the state religion of the country since the 3rd century BCE, pre-Buddhist beliefs and rituals of the islanders never faded away. In fact, these beliefs blended well with Buddhism and resulted in a beautifully unique intangible … Continue reading Upulvan; The god who is in colour like the blue lotus →

Reconnecting with our roots The month of April or Bak, is a time of celebration for the Sinhalese. The April festival is known as the Sinhalese New Year.  This festival season is more about a harvest festival and a set of age old rituals of paying gratitude towards Mother Nature and the gods of harvest. … Continue reading The Sinhala New Year; A festival of gratitude and harmony →

“In a child’s eyes, a mother is a goddess. She can be glorious or terrible, benevolent or filled with wrath, but she commands love either way. I am convinced that this is the greatest power in the universe.” ― N.K. Jemisin, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms A woman’s love and care is unconditional, and her sacrifices … Continue reading Celebrating Womanhood throughout the centuries →

Rituals performed at Kataragama Esala perahera  The annual perahera is held in honor of the god residing in the shrine at Kataragama. This commences in July and lasts for two weeks and culminates on the Nikini poya day. The entire perahera procession is an intriguing fusion of cultures, religions and legends. Also it is a … Continue reading Kataragama Esala Perahera, Venerating the God of War →

As the month of July approaches, Sri Lanka prepares to express devotion for their chief ‘war god’ who resides in a jungle-shrine in the semi-arid jungles in the southern plain of the island. This is one of the major Esala peraheras held in Sri Lanka.  The Kataragama Esala perahera is the perfect example of the … Continue reading God of War, Venerated at Kataragama. →

The month of September sets the Sabaragamuwa region in a festive mood. The air is filled with color, traditional music and dance and religious harmony. It is the time of the devala perahera that is held in honor of Sumana Saman devi or Maha Sumana, the patron god of the Sumana kuta or the Sripada … Continue reading Saman devi and perahera rituals dedicated to him →

Part 11 The cultural and religious processions associated with devalas and temples in Sri Lanka are called as ‘Perahera’ in local languages. They are held in honor of the relevant god or spirit. Devotees believe that such processions will make the spirits happy and will fulfill their wishes on time. In Sanskrit it is ‘Pari-gruha’ … Continue reading Origins of Local Deities; A historical study on devalas and peraheras of Sri Lanka →

Part 1 Devala perahera are among one of the most significant and colorful cultural pageants held in Sri Lanka. Their origins can be traced back to the pre-Buddhist times of the island. The fear humans had towards nature and its enormous powers compelled them to personalize various characteristics of nature and create deities for each … Continue reading Origins of Local Deities; A historical study on devalas and peraheras of Sri Lanka →

As everything else in the world, ‘waste’ too has a history of its own.  What is ‘waste’? Waste is a direct result or outcome of human activities. Waste comes as solid, liquid, domestic, industrial and commercial form. The National Environmental Act 1993 defines waste as, ‘any matter prescribed to be waste and any matter whether … Continue reading Waste Management Then How urban waste was managed in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Era →

A stupa to commemorate a warrior king  Dakknia stupa or Dakunu dagaba is located in Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura, the longest surviving capital of the Sinhalese is one of the greatest cities of the ancient world. Location – Dakkina stupa is one of the earliest Buddhist stupas, located in the southern part … Continue reading DAKKINA STUPA, ANURADHAPURA →