International Conference on Asian Elephants in Culture & Nature
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Item The Symbolic Meaning of the Elephant in Korean Culture(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Hee, L.K.Elephants have been the subject of various cultural depictions in popular culture, mythology and symbolism. Ever since the stone-age, they have been depicted in the arts in various forms, including pictures, sculptures, music, film and even architecture. In Buddhism, the elephant became a symbol of physical and mental strength as well as responsibility and steadfastness. Throughout the Tipiṭaka, the Buddha is often compared to elephants such as ‘elephant look’. In Asian culture elephants are admired for their high levels of intelligence and good memory. In Korea, elephants symbolize noble things such as wisdom, royal power, and longevity and are considered to bring good luck and prosperity. However, Korea is not habitat for elephants and elephants are still rarely seen except in the zoo. Therefore the main purpose of this paper is to examine how non-inhabitant elephants had symbolic meanings in Korea. The collected data was observed on historical bases. It is said that Buddhism was first introduced into Korea from China in A.D. 372. However, as “Garakguk-gi” of Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) says that an Indian princess named Heo Hwang-ok came from Ayodhya in India to meet King Suro (AD 33-189), the founder of Geumgwan Gaya. It reveals that Buddhism had already planted its roots deeply in Korean soil prior to the 2nd century. As clear-cut evidence, the elephant’s icon is painted with other Buddhist images on the hanging board in the royal tomb of King Suro. The proverb “It’s like the blind men who touched only one part of an elephant and claimed that what it was like” is additional proof. Religion of any form is a constant in every culture. In fact, Buddhism has played a very important role as the psychological force for the first unification of the Korean peninsula. In the past most Koreans were Buddhists because it was the state religion for over a thousand years. Even in the Joseon Dynasty when the state religion was Confucianism, most people believed in Buddhism. Like symbolic meanings of the elephant, Buddhist architecture and temples are also still admired and appreciated by Koreans beyond the religious dimension. Buddhism permeated the entirety of Korean culture including proverbs and everyday language.Item The Way the Elephant's Image is used in Local and Foreign Cinema (Based on Somarathna Disanayaka's Film "Bindu" and M.A Thirumugam's Film "Hathi Mere Sathi")(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Madusanka, N.M.A.N.; Wijayasinghe, U.L.D.A.M.Cinema can be considered as a medium of re-creation of motion. Not only the art but also the industry have inculcated in this medium of cinema. The film illuminates a certain kind of culture and it questions that culture at the same time. The elephant is known as the largest mammal living on the land who belongs to the species of Mammalian. Sri Lankan elephant can be identified as the most intelligent elephant among the other Asian elephants who owns one of the highest capacities in the development of brain. The cinema has taken elephant for its productions in order to showcase cinema's glory as well as its internal reading. The elephant has been used in several dimensions in cinema especially in political, social and humane aspects. The main objective of this research based on the two films of "Bindu and "Hathi Mere Sathi" is to study how the image of elephant has been built in local and foreign cinema. In that process the two films were selected according to the random sampling method. Then these films were analyzed with the methods of content analysis and interviews as the research methodology. The elephant's image is used in different dimensions in local and foreign cinema and it can be identified as social, political and humane dimensions. At the same time it can be identified that the directors of these films had faced so many difficulties in handling the elephant for their cinematic objective. So according to the conclusions gathered from this entire research it can be suggested that the elephant can be used creatively and effectively in cinema in order to find a solution for elephant and human conflicts.Item Representation of Elephant in Tribal Art and Culture of Central India(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Kumar, V.The Central India consists of plateaus and mountainous belt between Indo-gangtic plain to the north and roughly to the Krishna River to the south. Because of its central location, it is often called the ‘Heart of India’. The largest numbers of tribes are in the states of Odisha. Madhya Pradesh is the 2nd largest state of India. Each of these tribes has its own identity and culture which varies greatly from each other. The tribes have their distinct socio-economic, cultural, political and religious institutions which are part and parcel of cultural heritage of India. They have immensely contributed towards the history and culture of India. In the present paper, the tribal residing in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, south-eastern Rajasthan, northern Maharashtra, northern Telengana, northern Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, southern Utter Pradesh and south-western West Bengal are considered tribes of central India. The important tribes inhabiting in this zone are the Agaria, the Asur, the Baiga, the Bhils, the Bhuinya, the Bhumij, the Birhor, the Bondo, the Borida, the Gadava, the Ho, the Juang, the Kamar, the Katkari, the Kharia, the Kharia, the Kol, the Gonds, the Kondh, the Koraku, the Lodha, the Munda, the Muria, the Oraon, the Pardhan, the Santal / Santhal, the Savara etc. Elephants have been the subject of various cultural depictions in mythology, symbolism and popular culture of these tribal communities. They are both revered in religion and respected for their prowess in war. Ever since the Stone Age, when elephants were represented by ancient petroglyphs and cave art, they have been depicted in various forms of art, including pictures, sculptures and even architecture. Mahashweta Devi has shown that both Shiva and Kali have tribal origins as do Krishna and Ganesh. In the 8th century, the tribal forest goddess or harvest goddess was absorbed and adapted as Siva's wife. Ganesh owes its origins to a powerful tribe of elephant trainers whose incorporation into Hindu society was achieved through the deification of their elephant totem. In the present paper an attempt has been made to find out the representation of elephant motif in art of tribal communities of Gond, Baiga and others. An attempt has also been made to find out various legends, folktales and stories associated with their depiction in tribal art.