Symposia & Conferences
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/2422
Browse
6 results
Search Results
Item The legacy of Assam. International Seminar on Assamese Culture & Heritage(International Seminar on Assamese Culture & Heritage, 2018) Widyarathne, S.Northeastern India is one of the most ethnically diverse regions of the world. The region shares its border with Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Assam is one of the eight states in the Northeast Region of India and serves as the gateway to the rest of the seven sister and one brother states (Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and Sikkim). Assam comprises three main geographical areas: The Brahmaputra Valley, the Barak and the Karbi Plateau. The historical account of Assam begins with the establishment of Pushyavarman's Varman dynasty in the 4th century in the Kamarupa Kingdom which marks the beginning of Ancient Assam. The Kingdom reached its traditional extent from the Karatoya in the west to Sadiya in the east. This and the two succeeding dynasties drew their lineage from the mythical Narakasura. The Kingdom reached its zenith under Bhaskara Varman in the 7th century. Bhaskaravarman died without leaving behind an issue and the control of the country. The fall of the kingdoms and rise of individual kingdoms in the 12th century marked the end of the Kamarupa Kingdom and the period of Ancient Assam. In the middle of the 13th century, Sandhya, a king of Kamarupa moved his capital to Kamatapur. The last of the Kamata kings, the Khens, were removed by Alauddin Hussain Shah in 1498. But Hussein Shah and subsequent rulers could not consolidate their rule in the Kamata Kingdom, mainly due to the revolt by the Bhuyan chieftains, a relic of the Kamarupa administration and other local groups. Soon after, in the beginning of the 16th century Vishwa Singha of the Koch tribe established the Koch Dynasty in the Kamata Kingdom. In the eastern part of the erstwhile Kamarupa Kingdom, the Kachari and the Chutiya Kingdoms arose, with some Bhuyan chiefs controlling the region just west of the Chutiya Kingdom. The founder of the Chutiya Kingdom Birpal formed his first capital in Swarnagiri in 1187. In the tract between the Kachari and the Chutiya Kingdoms, a Shan group led by Sukaphaa, established the Ahom Kingdom. As such, 16th century is crucial in the history of the medieval period because of the consolidation of the Ahoms in the east, the Koch in the west and the growth of Ekasarana Dharma of Srimanta Shankardev. The rivalry between the two kingdoms resulted in the former allying with the Mughals and the latter with the Ahoms. Most of the 17th century saw the Ahom-Mughal conflicts in which the Ahoms held the powerful Mughals at bay and epitomized in the Battle of Saraighat of 1671. After many ups and downs, it led to the downfall of Kamrup. In 1824, the First Anglo-Burmese War broke out. The British attacked the Burmese garrison in Assam and by 1825 the Burmese were expelled from Assam. Thereby, the British were able to conquest and consolidate their rule in Assam. After the British took control of the region, the name Assam was extended to the province that was then much larger than the Ahom Kingdom, though unclear of the origin of the name Assam among the competing theorists. Symbolism is an important part of Assamese Culture. Various elements are being used to represent beliefs, feelings, pride, identity etc. Tamul Pan, Xorai and Gamosa are the best symbolic elements in Assamese Culture. The jaapi is a traditional conical hat from Assam.It is worn as a status symbol by Assamese royalty and nobility. There are several important indigenous traditional festivals in Assam. Bihu is the chief indigenous festival and the most celebrated festival among all. Assam is synonymous with legacy of historical ruins, natural beauty, teeming wildlife, immaculate tea gardens and warmth which makes it the gateway to the northeastern states.Item Development of Syncretic Mystical Christianity in China - A resultant of its spread by the Silk Road:-A brief comparative overview of the pattern of evangelization, the cross- influences and the result(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Johns, J.The Silk Road which passed through Central Asia to the East- linked the West with regions like India and China, facilitating the trade of silk and other commodities like horses and tea, but as a by-product, exchange of ideas and culture too was also facilitated. As a result of various factors, Nestorian Christianity began to spread to the East, one of the routes taken was the Silk Road- thus helping Christianity to reach China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).This Christianity had already been influenced by Greek culture and Syriac culture, and on its way to China got influenced by Zoroastrian culture- the influences were part of the syncretic culture of the caravan Silk Road. At its destination, China- Christianity was met with Indian Culture, Buddhist Culture (Mystical- Vajrayana Buddhism) and Chinese Culture- the result here again was an amalgamation of all of these cultures leading to the development of syncretic Christianity and literature which has a clear Buddhist and Mystical touch to it. Through this paper the researcher will examine the various art-archaeological evidences like the Nestorian Stele at Xian and literature called the Jesus Sutras like “the Sutra on the Origin of Origins”, “Da Qin Hymn to the Transfiguration of the Great Holy One” etc. Along with previous research done in this area. An attempt has also been made to study the pattern of evangelization on the Silk Road, segregation of the influences by the land route and other routes, the result and further cross -influences that this Syncretic Mystical Christianity had on other areas.Item Antiquity, Continuity and Development of Civilization and Culture in Bharat & Sri Lanka(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2017) Sethi, B.L.The discovery of the Indus Civilization seems to have thrown a new light on the antiquity of Jainism. The time assigned by the scholars to this culture is 3000 B. C. on the archaeological evidence and on the evidence of the relations with the cultures of the other countries. The religion of the Indus culture seems to be quite different from the religion of the Aryans in the Vedic period. At Mohenjodaro and Harappa, iconism was apparent everywhere. But it is extremely doubtful whether images were generally worshipped in the ancient Vedic times. In the Rig-Veda and the other Vedas, worship of Agni, Sun, Varuna and various other deities can be seen. But they were worshipped in the abstract form as manifestations of a divine power. Many passages where the deities of the Rig-Veda are spoken of as possessed of bodily attributes are available. R. G. VIII 175 speaks of the limbs and sides of Indra and prays Indra to taste honey with his tongue. These images have been described by Marshal as the proto-type of Siva. But with due difference to the illustrious scholar, an argument can be hazarded that the word Siva meaning the auspicious occurs as an epithet of Rudra in the Rigveda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. It is only Rudra and not Siva who is praised in all hymns. He is represented in these hymns as a malevolent deity causing death and disease among men and the cattle. The physical description of Rudra is found in a number of hymns in great detail.Item “Animal Cruelty and the Public Opinion on using Elephants for Perahara”: Special Reference to Mahanuwara Dalada Perahara(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Herath, O.; Liyanage, D.Acts of violence or neglect perpetrated against animals are viewed as animal cruelty. Animal cruelty laws vary according to the state, and violations may constitute a crime or an offense, depending on the jurisdiction. In Sri Lanka, according to the Ordinance, it has been cited that the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance can be implemented if any person who shall (a)cruelly beat, ill-treat, over-drive, over-ride, abuse, or torture, or cause or procure to be cruelly beaten, ill-treated, over-driven, over-ridden, abused, or tortured, any animal; (b) by any act or omission cause unnecessary pain or suffering to any animal; or (c) convey or carry, or cause to be conveyed or carried, in any ship, boat, canoe, or in any vehicle, basket, box, or cage, or otherwise, any animal in such manner or position as to subject such animal to unnecessary pain or suffering. On the other hand, when considering the use of elephants in the perahara the question seems to arise as to whether elephants are subjected to cruelty. So our main objective was to understand the public opinion regarding the use of elephants in the perahera. This research has been done with special reference to the Mahanuwara Dalada Perahara. Both primary and secondary data including questionnaires were used for this research. Questionnaires were distributed among 100 people randomly who were watching Mahanuwara Dalada Perahara in 2015. In addition, books, web sites, online magazines were taken as secondary data. Since the collected date was quantitative, data analysis has been done quantitatively. According to the findings, the majority of the people like to use elephants for Perahera. They do not agree with the idea that elephants are subject to cruelty or inhumane treatment because of the Perahera and they believed that elephants must be continuously used in the Perahera.Item Symbolic Elephant Motif in Traditional Indian Textiles and Embroideries(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Kumar, V.The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. India had always been known as the land that portrayed cultural and traditional vibrancy through its conventional arts and crafts. Widely used as motif in Indian textiles, Elephant is a symbol of wisdom, fertility, prosperity, strength and royalty. Elephants are important in Indian mythology too. Lord Ganesha bears an elephant head, symbolizing great intellect and wisdom. As vahan of Indra, the Vedic deity, the elephant is associated with rain and fertility. It was depicted on the seals excavated from Indus valley sites and on the Hindu and Buddhist architecture. Elephants are also a symbol of royalty. In Asian cultures, the elephant is a symbol of good luck, happiness and longevity and have been interpreted in the motif as the result of religion, customs, natural surroundings and social beliefs of that particular area to which its creator belongs. A motif is the most basic unit or the smallest unit of pattern. The motifs in textile design may be classified as geometric, realistic or natural, stylized and abstract and are linked to natural, cultural, religious and socio-economic factors prevailing in any society. Though always speculative, the meaning of the motifs used in decoration of textiles may change with cultural context but the symbolic meaning of various motifs remains the same wherever they are applied, be it the famous Pipli applique work of Orissa, Madhubani paintings of Bihar, Patola Ikat weaves of Gujarat, Pochampalli weaves of Andhra Pradesh or the little known Manjoosha painting of Bihar.Item Culture in Translation: Shyam Selvadurei’s Funny Boy in Sinhala and French(Staff Development Center, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Jayawardena, H.S.M.M.Shyam Selvadurei is one of the better known writers in English of the Sri Lankan Diaspora. Funny Boy, his first novel was translated in to French by Frédéric Limare and Susan Fox-Limare in 1998. The Sinhala translation was published later in 2002, translated by Sugathapala de Silva. Selvadurei’s style of writing is heavily influenced by the variety of English spoken in Sri Lanka, his mother tongue Tamil, Sinhala and Sri Lankan culture which explains the necessity of the glossary included in the novel. The object of the present paper is to examine how these cultural elements are translated in to two different languages. Both translations were analyzed to identify strategies and techniques used by the translators. The French translators targeted an audience who are familiar neither with the Sri Lankan context nor its languages where as the Sinhala translator has translated a novel, though written in English is placed in a more familiar context. The translators have chosen different strategies in their respective translations. The French translators have attempted to make certain cultural elements explicit to its target audience, by including a glossary, footnotes, and strategies such as adaptation. Equivalence was a strategy used in both translations, especially in translating idiomatic expressions and proverbs. The Sinhala translator has not provided footnotes, glossary or explanations. Many terms were not translated but were given in English in the Sinhala translation. The translation reflects the bilingualism practiced by Sri Lankans. As a strategy, it also highlights the dominance of the English language and the Western culture in the Sri Lankan context. The French and the Sinhala translators ‘domesticate’ their work and however, their strategies vary depending on the chosen target audience and its linguistic context.