The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/18713

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 79

Epic Bridges and Legendary Cities: Theorizing the Production of Public Space in the Peninsular South
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Santiago, A.
The building of cities and the construction of bridges is a response to an ontological challenge. The challenge emerges from Space being the inevitable habitus of the social. This social imperative brings with it the possibility of a radical contemporaneity of existence. This possibility is charged with the political when responded to with the desire for history. The desire for history we find is in fact symptomatic of an ontological anxiety. And thus it is that urban spaces are inscribed with a desire for history. This paper will examine the multiple implications and imperatives this desire enlists through the analysis of urban spaces from the south of the Indian peninsula. The paper employ the spatial text of Mahisuru, the city of Mysore in Karnataka and its birth in the legend of Mahisasura and Chamundeshwari; it shall further analyze the Ramsethu bridge debate brought into the public sphere by Indian right wing Hindus in recent years. These two texts have been produced by processes that are deployed in the production of spaces and debates in the public sphere. The possibility of a radical contemporaneity of existence presents challenges that are articulated in such urban projects as the building of bridges and the production of cities. Through the analysis of these texts the paper attempts to examine the processes by which the social possibility is ambushed through the political. This paper claims that the social potential to perform a radical contemporaneity of existence is diminished by the historical turn. It will demonstrate how such a strategic turn was employed by right wing Hinduism, which sought to create a public debate over the Ramsethu Bridge to be built between India and Sri Lanka. The analysis of these urban/modern projects of building bridges and constructing cities will reveal that the historicization of legends and epics invests in an ethical and political positioning as regards the strategic uses of the dimension of Time.
Lost on the pilgrim routes.
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Dissanayake, D.
Pilgrimages developed with devotees traveling to visit sacred spaces and sacred objects and symbols. Among the followers of Buddha and Dhamma, there was no reason, and no necessity to go on pilgrimages or worship any objects or symbols. One of the main reasons for the decline of Buddha and Dhamma has been because of the adaptation of pilgrimages. Such pilgrimages developed very fast with the development of transport facilities and travel routes, and were very detrimental to the people following Buddha and Dhamma, as they were tempted to deviate from the true path shown by the Buddha and to seek the easier, more comfortable path leading to religious spaces, which in turn made them seek pleasure and prosperity in this life and the next, with no reason to strive to escape from samsara. Most sacred spaces have become just tourist spaces where the state, religious institutions and tourist organizations vie for financial benefits. Providing transport for pilgrimages has become a worldwide business. It is almost impossible to draw a line between pilgrims and tourists. Ashoka’s Dharma Yatra was not a pilgrimage to visit sacred spaces, Buddhist or otherwise. For a true follower of Buddha and Dhamma, the only way he could benefit from a visit to a Buddhist sacred space is by contemplating on the Buddha’s teaching and trying to find his own escape into Nirvana. Travel to Lumbini is very easy now, by flying direct to Kathmandu. Only 30% of the visitors to Lumbini are Buddhist, while 51% are Hindu. In January 2013, 72.16% of them spent less than 30 minutes and only 5.5% spent over one hour. This was the theme of Balangoda Ananda Maitreya thero's 'A Strange Story' written in 1930.
The Clues on the Silk Road in the Pali Cannon, the Commentaries and the Chronicles
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Kumara, V; Ven.Nanda, S.
The importance of the Pali Canonical and Commentarial literatures cannot be narrowed to the religious teachings only. It, indeed, incorporates the essential information that gives light on the other subjects such as culture, history, politics, etc. The issue herein is that all the scholars draw their much attention on the Vedic and the Brahmanic texts written in Sanskrit only. Yet, it should be noted that the evidences found in the Pali literature shed lights to develop the innovative research works in the humanities. The history of the Silk Road extended to both the land and sea could be re-read by referring the relevant Pali sources. In particular, the history of the land map can be revised through the information related to the trading system and the stories of the merchants come to light with the Canon. The Mahā Niddesa, the Mahā Parinibbanāsutta, the Commentary of the Udāna, the Commentary of the Petavattu, the Buddhavaṃsa and its commentary, the Milinda Pañha and the Commentary on the Dhammapada are dealing with vital evidences regarding the trading culture. Except the above sources, a few chronicles such as the Chakesa Dhātuvaṃsa, the Sāsanavaṃsa and the Nalāṭa Dhātuvaṃsa are also giving considerable facts. This paper aims to inquire what contribution could be made by the Pali sources to review the Indic history, particularly, the Silk Road. I herein would refer three sorts of literary layers related to the Pali literature only. The key method in this research will be the analytical method and in relevant arguments, the comparative method also would be applied.
The Role of the Ox As a Local Mode of Traditional Transport (An Investigation through folksongs)
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Perera, A.L.N.P.
One of the milestones and landmarks of human evolution is the domestication of animals. The significant feature of this process which began some 1500 years ago was that the ox which was tamed and domesticated has been of much use and utility to man and it has been subjected to respect, honor and grace by him as well. At the beginning, the ox has been used for dairy purposes or for milk, and as the beast of the burden or as a hard working laborer for agricultural activities and agrarian purposes. With the beginning of the transport, following the invention of the wheel, the importance, use and the utility of the ox as a closest friend of man increased. Therefore a set of attitudes on the ox was formed in different societies and accordingly the ox enjoyed an important social status in different communities. Accordingly, in the Sri Lankan cultural context too, the ox commanded a social recognition, respect and status. Sinhala literature, folklore and other forms serve as good sources in this respect to understand the close relationship between man and the ox. Although there is evidence to prove that there has been oxen in Sri Lanka since the pre-historic age, scholars point out that the tribal people who lived a semi-shepherd type of life in the Iron or Mesolithic age would have reared the ox for diary purposes. The ox which was domesticated and came into close contact with man purely for diary purposes, became an important component for all agrarian purposes with the arrival of Aryans. Since the 4thcentury, there has been historical evidence to prove that animal husbandry was in existence in Sri Lanka. By the 16th century, although the ox has been a close friend of man and reared for dairy products, but after the 16th century with the arrival of the Europeans, the connection and relationship between man and the ox was lost due to the habit of flesh-eating and setting up of abattoirs and the place which the ox had as a mode of transport was also lost with the advent of new machinery. Folksongs which help to understand and identify cultural traits and heritage and to experience the depth of humanity are a carrier of the traditional and conventional wisdom of one generation to another. It is also a reflection of the social life of a community that belongs to a particular social group. The Sinhala folklore reflects the type of food, clothes, houses traditions, habits, values, beliefs, social norms and mores and other cultural features. The research problem here is the investigation of how in folklore, the ox as a local traditional transport mode is used and appreciated. To achieve this goal, the research methodology used here is the study of written and unwritten or oral folklore and books written on folklore by scholars. According to the investigation, the most popular mode of transport of the Sri Lankan tradesmen in the past was a fleet of carts with bullocks tied to its york. Caravans were mostly and frequently used in the event of difficult journeys on the rough roads. Groups of bullocks were used in caravans. The popular method of carrying luggage was that they were hung on either side of the belts tied round the body of the bullocks and small bells to jingle were also hung round the bullock's neck in order to drive away the beasts and to relieve the bullocks. A cart with a single bullock and a cart with two bullocks as well were used which were named as bara bagaya and bakki cart (Buggy cart) respectively which became a very popular mode of transport. This research intends to find out and reflects the utility, variety and diversity of the use of the ox.
A content audit of Transport related government websites in Sri Lanka
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) De Silva, A.P.U.
Today there is a new trend to develop websites for government institutes to distribute information to the general public. Besides, the concept of e-government and e- governance have become popular at present. But many cases, the websites have a lot of weaknesses. The aim of the content audit is to perform a qualitative analysis of the content of a website and to find out its relative strengths and weakness. The main objective of the study was to find out whether the government websites provide historical information to the public throughout their websites. On the other hand, weaknesses of the website were identified. In this study, both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were applied. Mainly this is a survey research. By using desk research and website evaluation tools, primary data were collected. WAVE, Google Page Speed and Hubspot Marketing Grader used as evaluation tools for the study. There are 72 ministries under Sri Lankan government and four transport related ministries were used for evaluation. After analyzing the data and evaluating websites, it was realized that most of the transport related government websites have given less priority to publish historical information regarding those institutes. As well as there is a high demand for online services on government websites. But a very few government websites provided online services for the users. Evaluation tools are given low marks for sampled websites. In order to overcome this situation, some major moves are suggested to upgrade the rank of government websites which are, introducing a basic format for a website, following WCAG and proprietary accessibility guidelines, establishing formal web accessibility laws and guidelines, upgrading online services, recruiting a centralized post called web manager for all government institutes.
Transport systems in the ancient society revealed through the Sri Lankan paintings
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Nishanthi, M.
It is possible to understand how old society was, by studying paintings. The main purpose of this phenomenon is to study the transport methods used to travel in ancient society. Prehistoric paintings and paintings found in old Vihara Aramas are used for this purpose. Paintings can be used for the study of such places such as Kathaluwa, Thelwatte, Paramakanda, Hindagala, Dambawa, Dowa, Kottimulla, Walalgoda, Sooriyagoda, Hanguranketha, Dambulla and Kelaniya. From the prehistoric times man has used various means for his transportation. Often, ordinary people have traveled on foot and they had to face various hardships. Evidence of paintings shows depicts how prehistoric man had begun to travel on animals. In the later years, elite society had begun to travel on horses and elephants. In addition, people like kings, ministers, and elites had used “palanquins" to travel. Evidence also suggest that horse carriages and cattle were also used for transportation. Prehistoric paintings mark the beginning of transportation in Srilanka, and the paintings in the ancient Vihara Aramas depict the society at that time. The artist when portraying some of the scenes of Jathaka stories and Lord Buddha also revealed the transport systems used in the society at that time. Thus, from the beginning, ordinary people had used uncomfortable travel methods and elites had used a very comfortable transport system.
Conservation and preservation of locomotive heritage in Sri Lanka
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Abeysinghe, A.
Travel and tourism is a large income generator in Sri Lanka. As such, train travel plays a significant role in promoting tourism, rendering tourists local and overseas an exceptional travelling experience as well as a multi-faceted cultural exchange. In Sri Lanka the railways network covers the scenic hill country with exceptional views of verdant hills, pristine beaches and secluded countryside. The railway network in Sri Lanka was constructed on the legendary route in the 19th century. The Viceroy Special which is a vintage steam train built to resemble trains of yesteryear is a locomotive heritage rendering travelers a unique experience of train travel, especially the hill country train ride which is considered as one of the best journeys in the world. But there are many challenges facing the conservation and preservation of locomotive heritage. As the constant movement of the railway engines and carriages will wear out original parts and will have to be replaced leading to destruction of valuable historical and technological nature of the locomotives, there should be better solutions to conserve them. Thus, there should be proper pragmatic solutions to conserve such locomotive heritages without altering the ancient outlook of the engines and carriages or else the ancient nature of such locomotives will be destroyed. In this paper, I will be looking at pragmatic solutions to conserve and preserve locomotive heritage in Sri Lanka considered a valuable heritage of the past.
Travel routes in the interior of the Island: based on Davy’s An account of the Interior of Ceylon and of its Inhabitants with Travels in that Land (1821)
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Rathnabahu, R.M.N.
John Davy born on 24 May 1790 in Penzance, United Kingdom was not only a Physician of the armed forces of the British Ceylon during the 19th century but also an excellent scholar and traveler at the time. His excursions in the interior of Ceylon are well elaborated and interesting to read. It provides a vivid description related to the socio-cultural history as well as exclusive landscapes in the Island. Based on Davy’s “An account of the Interior of Ceylon and of its Inhabitants with Travels in that Land (1821)”, present study will trace the transportation modes at the time as well as create a cartographic image with RGIS 102 software to indicate the travel routes in the interior of the Island at the respective time.
A Survey of Mughal Caravanserais in Eastern Punjab (India)
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Johar, S.; Chopra, K.
In the Mughal period, there was a large flow of people and goods along the Agra- Lahore Highway. To support the transit along the Mughal route, there were few infrastructure built up along the roadways like kos-minars, bridges, caravanserai, boali and tanks. These caravanserais served as places for short term accommodation, rest and security for the caravans including travelers, traders and pack animals. These walled, arcaded buildings played an important point of interaction, exchange and worship along networks of travel. We know from Jahangir’s memoirs that on his accession to the throne, he ordered the caravanserai at regular intervals along the major roads of his reign. As the Agra- Lahore Highway was an important route and it passed through present Haryana and Punjab (East &West). It is not surprising to find some of the fine specimens of these caravanserais in this region of the Mughal period. Although these serais are not as splendid buildings as that of Fatehpur Sikri or Taj mahal, still its study is significant to understand the regional differences in the Mughal architecture. This research paper focuses on Mughal caravanserais from eastern Punjab (India) along the Badshahi Sadak from Agra to Lahore. Ruins of some interesting serais are still traceable in parts of ancient Mughal road of Eastern Punjab. The paper examines how these caravanserais were structured and will study some interesting aspects of Mughal caravanserais of the above mentioned part of the route.
Tour itinerary and old travelogue
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Ahmed, M.
A tourist road that includes visits to a variety of historical sites, places of cultural interest, or innate attractions an itinerary undertaken for literary, cultural, educational, health, or sports purposes. Tour itinerary may be worked out by tourist agencies and organizations or by the tourists themselves. Travel writing is quite a popular genre. Generally People search for the help of the travelogues to get known about a distinct place before deciding to visit it. Travel writing usually provides detailed information about the scenery verdant and attractions of a place, in this way people get tempted to go to that site in their vacations. Secondly the real travelogue can be considered as a source to know the historical importance, cultural information, environmental acquaintance, develop and undeveloped state of affairs of a particular place region and a country. Thus, the writers who are interested and want to be involved in travel writing skill have to follow some particular rules and regulation and appropriate classification to make their travelogues more captivating and appealing to the readers. There are some very interesting old travelogue written by the eminent traveler like Ibn- Battuta, Nasir Khusrau and etc. There is not an iota of doubt that the people of Asian region salute to Ibn Battuta's work who was prominent medieval traveler. Most of the countries are following in the footsteps of this famous 14th century Muslim traveler, exploring the places he went and the people he encountered. it is apparent that in 14th century A.D there were no aeroplanes, buses, cars, helicopter, motors, railways, but the people of high scholarship and doctrine had ignored all the hardship of the route whether it is the route of high mountains, forests, or the route of terrifying sea and they travelled persistently in search of lore and knowledge To help we all to discover more about this world. In this article I will discuss about the pilgrims route cultural social and historical significance of travelogue.
Evaluations of Motor Transport law in Sri Lanka
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Kottahachchi, K.C.
Transport was an important aspect of the day today life of the ancient Sri Lankans. Since ancient times different transport facilities were used and available for the king, higher officers and the general public too. The first car to enter Sri Lanka was an 811p single Cylinder Rover automobile brought by Edgar Money in 1902 but during that time the roads were barely built.The Sri Lankan government of the 1960s decided to impose a ban on all imports in an attempt to fix the deficit of foreign exchange, which meant the importation of vehicles into the country had to stop. This was the main aim of the Veteran Car Club of Ceylon, which began in 1958 and moved on to becoming the Veteran Car Owners Club in 1987. The appreciation for older vehicles became a part of the Sri Lankan culture at that time and the oldest car in the VCOC was the Morgan Super Sport A 25 date back in 1913.In late 1970s the Sri Lankan government reversed its trade policies and imports were allowed back into the country and this included vehicles. The main reason for that was the relationship between Sri Lanka and Japan and one of the key Japanese brands that was imported then still dominates the roads today, namely, the Toyota. After the reversal of Anti Trade Law, Sri Lanka reopened its automotive trade relationship with India and started importing from TATA motors. The production of the tuk tuk by David Peiris in the late 1970s was an important contributor of the Sri Lankan automotive industry. In 1951 Sri Lanka was introduced The Motor Traffic Act no 14 for the enforcement of traffic laws and preventing violations.
Tale of the Colombo-Kandy Road (A1) construction: beside travelling and transportation
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Samaratunga, I.
The subjected road of this study is called Colombo-Kandy A1, which was an alternative to the early Colombo-Kandy route which passes through Hanwella, Ruwanwella and Balana. After defeating the Uva-Wellassa uprising in 1818; the Governor of the Ceylon Lieutenant General Sir Edward Barns determined to construct a road (Colombo-Kandy A1) from the capital city of the country to the newly conquered up country.The objective of this research was to explore the impact of Colombo-Kandy A1 road in the formation of Socio-economic condition of Sri Lanka from 1820 to 1840. The study revolved around major contributors of the construction process and subsequent uses of the road as an instrument for socio-economic upward mobility. The research problem was “what were the impacts of the road construction to the socio-economy of the country other than its obvious functionality of travelling and transportation”. Predominantly, data was collected using maps, autobiographies, biographies and travelers’ diaries written in the 19th Century. Further, books and papers published on the British Colonial period of Sri Lanka have been referred. It was identified that under the visionary guidance of the Governor of the Ceylon, four other personals namely, Lieutenant General John Fraser (1790-1862), Don Solomon Dias Bandaranayaike (1774-1859), Thomas Skinner (1804-1877) and Captain Dowson (?-1829) led the road construction. It is observed that these officers contributed for the construction through their different capabilities, eventually the local leader could establish as one of most influential political families of the country. In 1830s the first ever road constructed by the British in the Ceylon became an instrument of socio-economic upliftment for other social classes in the low country. There were six bridges along the newly constructed Colombo-Kandy road. Toll rents and Tavern income at those locations became a source of prosperity for the rising class. In Conclusion, A1 road not only connected two geo-locations; but also confronted communities and provided opportunities for socio-economic upward mobility.
Trans-cultural discourse on colonial transportation viewed through German Travel records on Sri Lanka
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Paranavitana, N.
The involvement of cultural and political constructions embedded in the travel records has enabled critical awareness of the implication of travel and travel writings in colonial powers structures and it has given a new life for serious object of academic study. The expansion of colonialism fuelled by the improvements seen on transportation, travel writing had become a considerably popular and a successful genre. Increasing popularity and interest in scientific, geographical and anthropological research has also given a weight on travelogues serving as accounts of first-hand individual experience with potential instructions for travellers, administrators, religious expansion and scientific discoveries. As for Sri Lankan colonial heritage, until recent decades, colonial travel writings, especially that of the travel records of the authors of non-colonial powers writing on Sri Lanka had received relatively little or no attention. In post-colonial Germanic Studies, it has long been assumed that little need be said about colonialism and the Enlightenment, as Germany did not have colonies until the late nineteenth century, hence the German Enlightenment and colonialism appears derivative of and peripheral to what counts as the European tradition or any records founded in East-India Companies. This study hence focuses on the travel records of Germans in Dutch Sri Lanka, Herport (1669), von de Behr (1668), Schweitzer (1682), Fryke (1692) Wintergerst (1712) as recorded by R. Raven-Hart as well as the travel record of Wilhelm Geiger (1890) of the colonial Sri Lanka. Initially, until recently the personal records especially on the mobility of Sri Lankan then infrastructure as viewed by Germans is terra incognita or an unknown territory of information. This study will seek a new dimension for the heritage studies of Sri Lanka by revealing the transportation and road culture and the intercultural contacts positioning on the implications of the act of travel of an individual, national and spatial concept of identity prevailed along the crossroads and rivers throughout Sri Lanka revealing the stereotypes and the essence of an informative transcultural discourse written from the perspective of self-awareness and critique of the German perception of the colonial setup of Sri Lanka.
Mobility and Migration of Indians to Sri Lanka
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Dwivedi, R.K.
The paper presents the evolution of cultures from the footprints to highways through the ages between India and Sri Lanka. It focuses on the theoretical aspects of mobility of people, ideas and culture through the land, and covers movements of the Indians to Sri Lanka in the pre-modern period. It identifies four phases of Indo-Sri Lankan cultural exchanges.Sri Lanka appears in the full view of the history of India through the prism of the Ram Katha dating back to about 6th-5th century B.C. in The Ramayana but the nucleus of the story goes back to a hoary antiquity not computable in historical time frame. Later, the relations find firm and crystallised historical perspectives during the times of Ashoka (3rd century B.C.) when his children visited Sri Lanka to propagate Dhamma. This is the first recorded encounter between India and Sri Lanka. This legendary historical mission had accelerated the process of migration and mobilisation of people along with ideas and culture in all its aspects on a wider scale.This movement was further accentuated by the visits of the Chinese pilgrims in a wider frame (c 4th-7th centuries). The movement of ideas now became three directional from China, India and Sri Lanka. Cultural and missionary exchanges became vigorous, diversified and meaningful. Further encounters between India and Sri Lanka became more politically pronounced during the Pallava- Chola periods of history in addition to economic and cultural relations. A strong political formation took shape in India and Sri Lanka. The political adventures of the Cholas were multi- dimensional incorporating trade, goods, and naval expeditions through Sri Lanka to South- East Asia. The upshots of the Cholas military expeditions to Sri Lanka were of far reaching economic and commercial consequences. This movement culminated in vigorous cultural and political formation from India, Sri Lanka and South- East Asia. The proposed paper analyses interaction between India and Sri Lanka which led to deep and sustained assimilation of ideas, cultures and people at multifarious levels viz. art forms, literature, establishment of monasteries and monuments in a synthesised manner. The sea lanes of the Indian Ocean in and around Sri Lanka scripted altogether a new phase of exchange of ideas and routes which is present in Sri Lankan history. Evidences of theoretical models i.e. flag follows missionaries, flag follows trade and flag follows sword as envisaged by Colin Renfrew are noticeable in different periods of time.
‘Wheel’ – The Basis of Movement In the Context of Indian Culture, Thought and Art
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Yegnaswamy, J.
Wheel is defined as a tangible circular object revolves on an axis, and while fixed beneath a vehicle enables it to move over the land. The earliest wheel in history is the potter’s wheel (c. 500 BCE), and when its horizontal position was changed to vertical it became the very basis of the movement. The physical wheel emerged in every culture on the globe, universally marked as a vital part mainly of the land vehicles. In India, particularly in Hindu belief wheel is interpreted also in mythical, metaphysical and artistic contexts. In this regard, several unwritten saga and written accounts on wheel are popular in both local and in the classical realms. Termed as ‘chakra’ in Sanskrit, the wheel is mentioned in multifaceted contexts. For example, the earliest Indian scripture Rig Veda mentioned ‘Thy two wheels’ (Rig-veda X, 85, 12.16) pointing at life; in Upanishads wheel is associated with the cosmos; in metaphysical milieu it is referred to the time (kalachakra), virtues (dharmachakra) etc.; further to this, it is mentioned as a divine weapon (sudarshanachakra) and power (shakti) of the Supremes (in Ramayana, Mahabharata); also in multiple numbers it adored the divine vehicles (ratha) as mentioned in various Hindu scriptures (Puranas); Besides this, as a desired subject to ancient Indian sculptors, the wheel is seen in sculptural form in various Hindu temples. Added to this, one of the most celebrated aspects of the wheel is the ‘Ashoka Chakra’ which with an extreme admiration adorns the Indian National Flag forever. Thus, this paper will present the ‘wheel’ in Indian context as not only an indispensable body of a physical vehicle, but also an insightful concept in Indian culture, thought and art as well. The selected visual examples included will be from the historical sites in India.
Chumadutangi (Load Bearing Stone) and Pedestrian Transportation in Kerala, India
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Sasidharan, A.G.
Chumadutangi (Load Bearing Stone) is a bulky stone bench like structure used for supporting the weight of head loads while transporting from one place to another. They were constructed for the comfort of the pedestrian load bearers who carry heavy loads for longer distances. These are unique structures erected in Kerala where the landscape is undulated in most of the places and where vehicle transportation was difficult. These structures are widely seen in the hinterlands of Kerala. Many of the chumadutangi bear inscriptions mentioning the sponsor’s name, place name and other details. Chumadutangi are often associated with other amenities like vazhiyambalam (wayside shelters), tottikkal (stone troughs) and kinar (well). These are significant evidences in tracing the trade routes and understanding the role of hinterlands in supplying various goods to the markets and other larger trade centres in Kerala and vice versa. This paper discusses about the distribution pattern and regional variations of chumadutangi in Kerala and their role in movement of goods during the medieval period.
Socio-cultural Impact of advent of Metro on Street Scenario of Bengaluru
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Kumar, V.
Guttierrez remarks, the socio-cultural transformation is a great happening and a reality that is necessary and inevitable part of urban transformation. This happening only varies in degrees depending on the pace of change. Change is an unchangeable phenomenon of society. Webster Dictionary explains, “socio-cultural - relating to, or involving a combination of social and cultural factors”. Sociologists define sociology as a scientific study of human society and social behavior. Sociologists view of culture includes religion, art, philosophy, literature, music, dance, etc. which brings satisfaction and pleasure to many. It is the expression of final aspects of life. The current modern Indian culture is a cultural assimilation due to migration to cities and is a mix of evolved ancient cultures brought through village immigrants and profound influence of the west through multinational exposure, which has been well talked about by sociologists like MSA Rao and MN Srinivas. One of the means of infrastructure development or progress of a city is through transport systems. The means adopted to ease out the traffic congestion in a city is by making transportation people and environment friendly which is Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS). This study would encompass Socio-cultural aspects and urban transformation with respect to city dynamics, retail evolution and changing lifestyle in suburbs of Bengaluru with the advent of metro. The objective of this study is to study the Social transformation due to socio-psychological change of the space and socio-cultural life due to urban physical development. A reference study taken is of Delhi metro and its impact, which changed the suburb of Dwaraka. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods has been used to undertake this exploratory research. Observations and interviews have also been conducted apart from surveys done to understand user, shopkeepers and people in vicinity of metro stations.
Preservation of Railways Heritage in Pakistan
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Haider, S.M.; Batool, S.
The history of Pakistan Railways is rooted in the North Western Railways established in 1884, following amalgamation of the Punjab, Scinde and the Delhi Railways dating back to 1850s. The railways landscape in the country, comprising a large variety of buildings and yards and related paraphernalia, more spectacular at the railway stations, can be traced back to the Raj times. The signaling system comprising poles, sign posts with semaphore signals lit by kerosene lamps; the guard posts; the telegraphic wires; the standard sign boards; and pedestrian bridges, still evoke the image of 19th century railways. The closure of hundreds of miles of railway lines, often rural branch lines, and the abolition of steam locomotives in favour of diesel power has been the only change in this landscape since 1880s. In a situation, where a century old railway system is fully functional, no one cares about its vintage and heritage aspects. However, need for preservation of vintage buildings, objects and documents was registered with gradual technological change on the network. In early 2000, attempts by Pakistan Railways to preserve and display aspects of country’s railway history led to designating a functional, suburban railway station as country’s first Railways Heritage Museum. While maintaining its functionality, the railway station is a full-fledged railway museum for its architectural character, related artifacts, and industrial machinery and equipment. The Heritage Museum has experienced increasing popularity and represents settings for understanding and experiencing of industrial heritage and its authenticity. The paper explores the significance of country’s railway heritage and discusses the efforts for its conservation andits historical importance and architectural value. It documents the process of establishing Pakistan’s first railway heritage museum. It details the ways in which objects which were deemed to represent Pakistan’s railway heritage were identified, designated as important and subsequently displayed or stored by the Pakistan Railways.
Brick made arched bridges, culverts, tunnels along the Railways in 19th century Sri Lanka
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Manatunga, S.B.
In ancient times European Countries usually added arch shapes for their religious buildings palaces, and forts. In the first half of the 19th Century, Britain was using the arch to make roadways buildup bridges, tunnels, culverts, over toppings continuing the previous tradition. From them, one of a leading methodology to make such buildings was brick masonry. After introducing railway traffic in 1820s, they followed road way techniques in making their buildings such as tunnels, bridges, culverts etc. According to the motherland, the pioneer engineers and contractors who are from Britain made brick arch buildings to the railways in their crown colony of Ceylon. In Sri Lanka the earliest brick arched railway monuments have been built along the Colombo- Kandy Railway which is the first and thence in Kandy- Matale Line. These are belong to 1865-66, and 1879-80 years. Most of them are small culverts and short tunnels on the roadway over toppings. When transporting heavy loaded carriages, wagons and high power engines running along the tracks and long trains, some problems arose regarding the strength of brick related structures. As a result brick structures were replaced with concrete, iron and solid stone structures. The influence from widening as to two tracks some of them were either joined to new structures or demolished. In present, there are very small number of brick made railway monuments, but in still service at main heavy traffic roadways in the Country. These important historic events of 19th century are still not being discussed in archaeological studies. In this study will effectuate and insists on protection of architectural heritage which was fixed in 19th century to the main stream of brick monuments come from past.
Tracing the Tracks: Road, Road Culture, and Romance in the Sangam Tamilnadu
(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Vijailakshmi, U.R.
Microhistory in a sense, captures the life of ordinary people during extraordinary circumstances or during macro-historical events. The purpose of this paper is to bring out the life style of the Sangam Tamils through the study of road culture. Tracing the roads and alleyways of a period would tell us a different story, the story of commoners who travelled by it, the purpose of their travel, their experiences en route, their expectation on the people they met during the journey, their disappointments, happiness, and the social values of the contemporary period. Sangam period stretched from 3rd Century B.C to 3rd Century A.D. Contemporaneous to this period were the rule of the Mauryas and later the Satavahanas in Deccan. The mercenary soldiers of Tamilnadu traversed through these roads to participate in the wars happening in north. The merchant groups crisscrossed the Western Ghats to reach western seashore to participate in trade. Many Sangam literary works have captured the life of these travelers: Young men who passed through tribal communities invariably were attracted towards the girls they met on the way. Forgetting the purpose of their journey they would agonizingly wait near the alleyways to have a glimpse of the girl they had fallen in love with. If lucky, they got into a clandestine relationship and continued with the journey at the end of it. It was then the turn of the girl to wait for the man she had fallen for. Sometimes, in all naivety, the girls would elope with their lovers looking for a better life in faraway cities. It was then the turn of the mother to experience the searing pain at the loss of the daughter. Roads which connected the cities with tribal areas were a mute witness to these ecstasies and agonies.