Centre for Heritage Studies University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka

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The Alluring and Immemorial Practice of the Art of Khol in Barpeta Satra
(International Seminar on Assamese Culture & Heritage, 2018) Das, M.K.
BarpetaSatra, established in 1583 AD by MahapurushMadhav Dev, is a prominent place of worship for the Vaiashnavites of Assam. A vast auditorium Rangiyal Griha was also built in the vicinity of the Satra at the time of its inception. In this Rangiyal Griha religious and mythological dramas, devotional songs and related musical instruments have been rehearsed and performed relentlessly for the last 434 years. In the later periods, some portions of these art forms were made part of the daily prayers. To ensure continuity as well as regularity and standard, certain clans residing in places adjacent to the Satra were entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out the task of exercising and preservation of original forms. These clans are still bearing the said responsibilities. Out of the above mentioned art forms, Khol is a Satriya percussion leather instrument and it plays an essential role in the whole business, as, it is indispensable in Borgeet (devotional song), Satriya Classical dance, and Bhaona (Satriya drama). As the knowledge and instructions of playing on Khol is being handed over orally, from generation to generation, there is very little written information and scholarly exploration. Modern documentation has also not been done in this regard. In the recent years, the present researcher has made extensive attempts to describe and record the notations of this performing art, so as to establish its heritage, riches, uniqueness and also to help preserve it for future learners who need to have the proper guidance about the pure form. In this present paper, attempts will be made to present before you a brief description of the performance of this instrument, though similar to some other Indian percussion instruments, can claim its uniqueness.
An analysis of the influence of site interpretation in tourist satisfaction: with special reference to heritage sites in Sri Lanka
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Gunasekara, Indrachapa
Tourist satisfaction is identified as one of the major factor in tourism industry when delivering service to a specific market. Tourist satisfaction is influenced by different components. Information is an essential factor in tourism in order to meet the tourist satisfaction. Site interpretation plays a vital role in tourist information. The present study is focused on analyzing the influence of site interpretation on tourist satisfaction towards heritage sites. The specific objectives of the study were, 1) to identify the details that expected by tourists from heritage site interpretation and 2) to identify tools and techniques use for site interpretation and to identify the tourist perception on site interpretation in Sri Lankan heritage sites. This qualitative research has used primary and secondary data for the analysis and convenient sampling technique was used to gather primary data. Data was gathered from three heritage sites with equal samples. A semi structured questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. Significance of the present study is to identify the influence of site interpretation in tourist satisfaction and to provide suggestions to establish a productive tourist interpretation facility at heritage sites. Moreover, by identifying tourist expectation through interpretation, there is an ability to introduce more customer based interpretation systems in Sri Lankan heritage sites.
Analyzing the “Soft Power” of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Kapoor, Sindhu
Jammu is fortunate to be the important seat of shaktism in India, with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi attracting not less than 70 -80 lakh pilgrims from around the globe. Mata Vaishno Devi’s shrine is located in a cave of the Trikuta Hills of the Jammu region and is one of the foremost places of pilgrimage in India. It is situated 61 kilometres to the north of Jammu and is a prime destination in terms of pilgrimage Tourism in the country. As such, it has contributed overwhelmingly to the growth and development of the entire area in particular and of nation in general. The present paper is a humble endeavour to highlight the holy shrine as the leading mixed Heritage site, which has immense intrinsic “Soft Power” to spread the message of “VOCTORY OF GOOD OVER EVIL”, Prosperity, Divinity and above all – DEVI as a life Bestower and final Killer. The objective of this study is to make a holistic assessment of the social as well as economic impact of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine and its pilgrimage as the binding force, keeping in view the annual increase of 10-12% pilgrims at a daily average of 18,000 to 20,000 per day.
Ancient and modern Indian soft power politics as message of peace in heritage generation and management
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Singh, Bijay Beer; Sen, Chander; Ven. Sumedh Thero
Historical evidences emphasized Indian culture is full of soft power on the path of Dhamma i.e. extensively used by Ashokan era (273–236 BC) and his followers. Ashoka's Dhamma was not simply a collection of high-sounding phrases. He consciously tried to adopt it as a matter of state policy; he declared that "all men and my children" and "whatever exertion I make, I strive only to discharge debt that I owe to all living creatures." It was totally new and inspiring ideal of kingship. In the Arthashastra, the king owed nothing to anyone. Ashoka expounded his policy of Dhamma through his edicts. By engraving his views about Dhamma on these edicts, Ashoka tried to directly communicate with his subjects. These inscriptions were written in different years of his life. The inscriptions can be divided into two categories. A small group of inscriptions reveal that the king was a follower of Buddhism and were addresses to the Buddhist church—the samgha. These inscriptions are declarations of Ashoka's relationship with the Buddhist order. In the inscriptions (edicts) of Ashoka Raja found throughout the area of ancient India it has been stated that Buddhism also spread westward to areas of Macedonia and Greece. The inscriptions of Ashoka Raja were made in stone, on metal and on the pillars. Thus use of medical facilities, education and language learning, food festivals, cinema and other art forms, diasporas, support for electoral procedures – and religion, a key component of soft power. India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who is credited with having laid the foundations of India’s foreign policy, was acutely conscious of this, especially in relation to Asia. Yoga, Ayurveda, the Indian Diaspora and religion have come to acquire an important place in this regard. Likewise, the Modi government has used Hinduism and Buddhism effectively to promote the national interest in the Indo-Pacific region.
Ancient Buddhist route: Pataliputra to Nepal
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Ara, Prof. Badara
Even though Ancient Bihar is not the birthplace of Buddha, it is closely associated with the rise and development of Buddhism. It was the training ground of Gautama Buddha after he became a wondering ascetic, and it was here in Bodh Gaya that he attained supreme spiritual knowledge. His missionary activity was largely carried in Bihar. Rajgriha, and Vaisali were his favorite places of residence or monsoon resorts. It was in Bihar again that first three great council of Buddhist were held at Rajgriha, Vaishali and Patliputra respectively which fixed the Buddhist canon and gave a definite shape to that religion. It was an attempt to study the ancient Buddhist route from Pataliputra to Nepal. Numerous Missionary and Monumental work were done to propagate dharma. The pillar at Rummindei is of unique interest since it has revealed to the modern world the spot hallowed by the birth of the Buddha. Pillar at different places like Rampurva, Lauriya Nandangarh (Ashokan Pillar and Stupa) and Lauriya Areraj and different Stupa possibly marked the course of the ancient Buddhist route.
Ancient ethics and practices as a soft power on environmental conservation in Sri Lanka
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Damayanthi, M.K. Nadeeka; Star, Cassandra
Sri Lanka is one of the high biodiversity hotspots in the world. Despite the fact that country covering only 0.013 percent of the world’s land surface, it has the highest species density for flowering plants, and animals in the Asian region. However, this rich biodiverse environment has been threatened by human activities over the decades. These environmental damages adversely impact on climate and weather, human health and life, agriculture, food security, economy and sustainable development in the country. Therefore, it is important to find a suitable method to protect the environment and biodiversity. This paper examines how ancient ethics and practices can be used as soft power to protect the environment in the contemporary world. The researcher used books and articles related to ancient practices on environment, agriculture and society to gather data. Data analysing as done using descriptive method. The findings reveal that some ethics and practices in variga sabha, chena cultivation, and agricultural practices like ‘kurulu paluwa’ (belt in paddy lands adjacent forest, cultivated for birds to feed on) and eco-friendly crop protection methods like kem contributed to protect environment in the country. Moreover, practices related to cascade tank system like protect mukalana (catchment forest), gas gommana (large tree belt located in upper inundation area) and perahana (water filter consist of shrubs and grasses) helped to protect environment. This paper argues that some of the ancient agricultural, irrigation and social practices were beneficial for environmental protection and sustainable development and it could be used as soft power to resolve several current environmental problems. This could be achieved by integrating ancient ethics and practices into present environmental policy and practices while disseminating knowledge about ancient practices among the citizens of Sri Lanka.
Ancient local governance practices as soft-power on contemporary governing issues in Sri Lanka
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Damayanthi, M. K. Nadeeka M. K. Nadeeka
Contemporary Sri Lanka has been facing many severe and complex issues in governing process. High level of bribery, corruption and nepotism practices in public sector (bribery and corruption index was between 52-97 among 175 countries from 2002-2018), increase of crime rate (recorded number of grave crimes were 60,870 in 2008 and 36,355 in 2018), high budget deficit (equal to 5.3% of the Gross Domestic Products in 2018), human right violation, media suppression, abuse of power and public resources by politicians and bureaucrats are some of the governing issues in contemporary Sri Lanka. In additin, some groups have been requesting proper power-sharing mechanism since the British period. The country has adopted several practices to mitigate the governing issues over the years, but many of them are failed. This background provides a room for finding suitable implications to resolve the governing issues in the country. Therefore, the researcher examines what and how ancient governing practices used to resolve the present governing issues in Sri Lanka. The study is conducted based on a literature review and qualitative approach. Local governance practices from 377 BC (King Pandukabhaya) to 1236 AD (Polonnaruwa Kingdom) provide many clues to mitigate several governing issues. As described in Hopitigamuwa slab inscription (935 AD-938AD) committee system for implementing responsibilities of the local government, transfering the power to local governments on day-to-day activities like agriculture, irrigation, general administration, maintenance and protection of public resources, banking services, land administration, make decisions on fine and tax rate, maintaining law and order and judicial services are some of them. Planned cities including land for waste disposal which practiced by king Pandukabhaya, a collective decision (traders, government officers and villagers/village leaders) on fine and tax rate, collective responsibility of preventing crime in the villages are some other practices used in ancient Sri Lanka which could be used as soft power in current governing process.
An archaeological investigation of Bairat (Jaipur, Rajasthan): A new perspective
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Chakradhari, Sudarshan; Kumar, Manoj; Mishra, Ashesh
Bairat, which is also known as Viratpura, the capital of Virata, king of the Matsya country, during the Mahabharata period. Five Pandavas and their spouse Draupadi passed in concealment the 13th year of their exile. M. Renaud identified Bairat with Po-le-ye-to-lo of the Chinese pilgrim Hieun-Tsang. But lastly, the excavator of the site Rai Bahadaur Daya Ram Sahani had not been agreed with this statement. A unique Buddhist temple or Chaitya was constructed here during Mauryan Empire by Ashoka. A Rock edit has also been recovered from here during Ashokan period presently it is in Kolkata museum, called Bhabru-Vairat rock edict, Bhabru being the name of a village at some distance to the west of Bairat, mentioned with: - (i)The Magadha king Priyadarsin, having saluted the Samgha hopes they are both well and comfortable. (ii) It is known to you sir, how great is my reverence and faith in the Buddha, the Dhama (and) the Samgha, etc. The script for this edict is in Bramhi. The geographical importance of this region was very important, from here every part of Malwa plateau is easily accessible. From Bairat one can pass through the Jaipur area to reach Tonk, Bundi and the ancient city of Madhyamika or Nagari between Chitor and Kota. From the Kota area, Mandsor in Madhya Pradesh is also easily accessible. The tie-up of Bairat is with the Delhi sector, and through Bairat one can take a direct route to Malwa. Presently Bairat is situated at a distance of approximately 80 km from Jaipur, on Delhi-Jaipur national highway. From archaeological perspective, the ancient remains of Bairat were visited by Cunnigham in the year 1864-65 and by his assistant Mr. Carllyle in 1871-72. In the year 1909-10, Dr. D. R. Bhandarkar visited the remains of Bairat. They have left vivid accounts concerning what they saw at Bairat, which stands amid a valley and surrounded by ranges of hills. The site Bairat was excavated in 1935 by Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahani and it was re-examined in 1962-63 by N. R. Banerjee (North- Western Circle of the Survey) for re-assistance of the proper cultural sequence of the site. The excavation revealed a succession of four periods ranging in date from the late phase of painted grey through northern black polished ware to the medieval age. (IAR-1962-63) Period I- Painted grey ware and its associates merged imperceptibly into the next with an overlap, Period II- Northern Black Polished ware along with its associated miscellany of finds, Period II- Ceramic belongs to the historical period, Period IV- Glazed ware of the medieval period.
As a soft power skill how personal image is build up on cultural heritage in Sri Lankan male modelling industry
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Jinadasa, Manoj; Priyankara, Roshan
Modelling is a fashion for establishing one’s body and psychological personality in a live set- up of audience reception. It is identified that how young mens’ costume and art designing are configured by the use of traditional cultural values and norms, eventhough global male modelling is widely constructed through western male modelling. Accordingly, this paper explores as a soft power skill how personal image is built up on cultural heritage in Sri Lankan male modelling industry. Sri Lankan male modelling is constructed by the Sri Lankan traditional cultural costumes and body figures. On qualitative textual analysis of the conveniently selected visual pictures and videos of ramp male modelling, this study finds that most of the mens’ body is constructed by Sri Lankan traditional cultural costumes and attires. These include cultural artifacts such as national dresses, Kandyan Muladuma, Sarong, historical king’s dresses, traditional religiously made gods, Kandyan Wes dancers and other local dressings. This has featured as a cultural dresses representing on their cultural heritage. Also, men’s body has been established as an aesthetic and erotic from of configuration in order to attract the pageant audience, but male modelling is created based on the western oriented nude or/and swim wearing. Young men show a growing interest to develop their male masculinities on male modelling, so that they form their local bodily presentation on beauty and body masculinities, although these fashions are dominated by western creative industries’ cultural icons and images. In addition to cultural clothing, in creating young men’s body beauties and formation, these people used to follow physical exercises in gymnasium workout schedules. Finally, this concludes that male modelling is developed as a cultural resource of making young people more stylistic and fashionable for developing their male masculinities into a cultural soft power.
Asoka: The pioneer of heritage in public diplomacy as soft power through the Dhammayattas
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Singh, Priyasen
Buddhism holds its roots in the heart of the Indian subcontinent. Lord Buddha, born in Lumbini travelled extensively throughout modern day Bihar, UP and Nepal; his meditations and preaching forming the pillars around which the Buddhist thought and lifestyle emerged. The Buddhist philosophy explicates the mysteries of the universe and life through the teachings of Buddha, relying on sensory perceptions and avoiding assumptive thought. The two major schools in the world today, the Mahayana and Theravada, derive from the various sub-sects under Mahāsāmghika and the Sthaviravāda, the branches that Buddhism split into during the reign of King Ashok. Buddhism spread rapidly during this era, traversing across Central Asia towards Europe on one end and across the Himalayas into Southeast Asia on the other. Hence, while a lot of the ‘practiced heritage’ today lies in South and Southeast Asia, parts of India still carry the heritage forward. In India, pilgrimage sites are spread all across the country, from Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to Tamil Nadu and from the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra to the easternmost tip of Arunachal Pradesh. When retracing Buddha’s actual footsteps, since a large part of North India is a major USP, a lot of later development in Buddhist philosophy, art and architecture also took place on Indian shores. Thus, it must be noted that apart from these major destinations, there are numerous other excavations and discoveries that reveal the vast extent of Buddhist heritage in the country. Asoka was a great king who had contributed numerable sizeable noble virtues by spreading the Buddhism among human beings in his territory to set up the morality for making lasting peaceable and harmonious society in the Buddhist way. If we investigate historical evidences on the discovering Asoka’s rock edicts, certainly we can locate the magnitude works of his contributions in spreading the nonviolence, love, truth and tolerance. It is certainly significant all over the world. King Asoka was born in 304 B.C. at Pataliputta and was once a prince of the Mauryan dynasty. In this study, the predominant purpose is to describe the contributions towards Buddhism that he dedicated after conversion into Buddhism. Conclusively, the focus will be on “Asoka: the Pioneer of Heritage in Public Diplomacy as Soft Power through the Dhammayatras”
B.P. de Silva: The legacy of Asia’s finest jewelers
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Dissanayake, D. M. K. G. K.; Windsor, R. D.; Wijayarathna, W. K. M.
B.P. de Silva is a heritage classic family of Sri Lanka. Balage Porolis de Silva, a Sinhalese Buddhist of Magalle on the South Coast of Sri Lanka, founded the company. In 1872, he landed in Singapore and rented a shop for twenty dollars for a month in High Street, and started a business of selling jewelry, carvings, and lacquerware. According to the information collected through a survey of literature and according to the pre-interviews of later generations, when Mr. Silva started his business, he had only two showcases, three tables, and three cupboards. Eventually, he became famous among European and Chinese customers for his honesty and integrity. Because of guaranteed authenticity, he got many chances to serve under several Royal patronages included King Chulalongkorn of Siam, Sultan Ibrahim of Johore, the Duke of Connaught, King Edward VII and Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Therefore, no doubt B.P. de Silva has become a legacy as one of Asia's finest jewelers. In 1930, after B.P. de Silva passed away, the business down to his daughters through their husbands and a group of trusted managers. Under the consultancy of the 5th generation, shareholders, and dedication of the staff members, the business grew more widely and become a renowned purveyor of luxury goods known as B.P. De Silva Holdings in Singapore and De Silva in Malaysia. Today, the classic techniques and craft have combined with the latest technology to create pieces. Ten Percent of the company group’s profits were deposited into a fund that used to benefit people at all levels. Therefore, the government should invite companies like this to join their hands with the motherland and it will help to attract more and more foreign exchange businesses to the country, which has a growing local presence.
Be ‘Grounded’ to soar high: Role of built heritage in soft power; A case of India
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Asthana, Ananya
India’s rich cultural heritage plays a substantial part in its soft power quotient which has become an important tool in international diplomacy. Heritage promotes inter-cultural dialogue between countries and creates opportunities for sustainable tourism. As architecture is referred to as the ‘Mother of all Arts’, it reflects the state of affairs of other intangible and abstract philosophies of other art forms and culture in a tangible form. Architecture has always been a context driven force, mirroring the social, political, economic and technological aspects of a place. Vernacular or traditional architecture is an indigenous style to build structures that are representative of the history, culture and socio economic context of the region and its people, giving it a strong and distinctive character. Globalization and fast paced technological advancements have had a massive impact on all spheres of life, including culture and architecture. Its impact on the built environment has also been extensive, especially in the past couple of decades when this pace of change has been the most dramatic. The false and superficial notion of ‘modernity’ and our blind race to somehow achieve it has given rise to an indistinguishable style of architecture across cities and nations, causing loss of soul, identity and authenticity. The current paper attempts to analyze the concept of soft power and its relationship with the built heritage in the context of India. There is a need to critically analyze this development against our cultural heritage and traditional knowledge system to regulate its impact as a soft power.
Bodhgaya: A case study in the development of Buddhist heritage site
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Morde, Aparajita
Bodhgaya is a place of Buddha's enlightenment that assumes an important place in Buddhist cosmology. It is a leading tourist place for Buddhist devotees who throng the center daily to pay respect to the holy tree. The site had fallen into oblivion after the 13th CE and was subsequently rediscovered in the 19th CE as a result of the growing antiquarian interest. The formation of the Archaeological Survey of India and the establishment of Indological studies as a discipline gave a further impetus to the study of Bodhgaya. In the post-independence period, the rediscovery of India’s past was synonymous with the activity of nation-building. It was in this and the subsequent periods that the policymakers took a keen interest in the development of religious sites to boost tourism. Bodhgaya is a site that received immense attraction from not only the center but also from the international community. Buddhism has actively been an important part of India’s soft power. India has taken considerable efforts within the realm of Buddhist diplomacy. Since, then the place has received subsequent patronage from governments which have contributed immensely towards the development, reconstruction of the site to put it back on the religious map of the world. The site is a testimony of the changing course of history as it has been an object of interest for each subsequent wave of visitors across medieval and modern India. The paper conducts a brief study of the site of Bodhgaya and the drastic transformation in the landscape of the site. The key players bringing about this transformation are the state, the international agencies and the tourism sector have considerably altered the religious landscape of this place. Giving rise to a rich vocabulary of architectural and visual data which in turn has reshaped the religious understanding of the place. Thus, the place has been a center of much national and international attention. The paper through the study of the singular site of Bodhgaya tries to touch upon the role that the state, the international communities have in the development of a site.
Branding and marketing heritage in tourism: A survey based on the Temple of the Tooth Relic
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Rajanayake, R. M. C. P. K.; Karunathilake, M.M. B. P. K.; Rupasinghe, C. S.; Hewawasam, S. S.
Historical and cultural heritage sites are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Sri Lanka which contributes to the highest percentage of national income. However, this income is mainly accreted through direct exploitation of the money of tourists, rather through promotion of the historical and cultural value of these sites. This survey is based on the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy. The objective of this survey is to identify the means of exploitation that is happening due to malfunctioning of the management systems of this heritage site, to examine the available strategies that can be adopted to reduce the direct exploitation and substitute the direct exploitation through the promotion of historical and cultural values to accomplish strategic and subtle augmentation of income. The primary data for this survey was on the average expenses of a tourist when visiting Temple of the Tooth Relic (including the entrance fee, fees for the bag counter, for museum, flowers and souvenirs etc.) was collected through a non-participant observation. Then the primary data were analyzed using the factor analysis method. When the primary data was analyzed it was identified that this site lacks a clear marketing strategy. The management system is primarily running on money-minded intentions rather than on promoting historical and cultural heritage value of the Temple of the Tooth Relic which instigates negative impressions in the tourists. Therefore, through this survey it has arrived at the recommendation that the historical and cultural value of this place should be properly ‘branded’ first, marketing the historical, cultural, archaeological and religious values with a careful marketing strategy and operational planning.
Buddhist heritage and cultural diplomacy: A Buddhist path to cultural diplomacy
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Singh, Arvind Kumar
Shri Narendra Modi declared, at the “Samvad” conference in 2015, that India was “taking the lead in promoting the Buddhist heritage across Asia.” While India has a minimal Buddhist population, with only 0.7% of its people declaring themselves Buddhists in the 2001 census, it is in a unique position to utilize Buddhist diplomacy. India is, after all, is the place where Buddhism originated, and it holds many of the most important Buddhist sites, including, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath Kusinara, Rajagaha, and Nalanda and many more. There is no doubt that Buddhism is one of the most intriguing philosophical products that originated in India 2660 years ago, though this profound Indic philosophical tradition has never been viewed as a religion in the theistic sense or in the context of being a faith. Yet, it has remained a powerful integrated philosophical whole, encompassing all facets of both spiritual and material culture that have guided humanity for centuries. Sir Edwin Arnold, in his book The Light of Asia (1879), recorded that Buddhism has influenced millions for over 26 centuries and the spatial dimension of its dominions extended “from Nepal and Ceylon over the whole Eastern Peninsula to China, Japan, Tibet, Central Asia, Siberia, and even Swedish Lapland.” For all these centuries, Buddhism remained as the solid foundation for societal and cultural transformation in Asia. It still remains a key anchor for Asian identity and a phenomenon of unprecedented Pan-Asian importance, especially in terms of spiritual connectivity among nations with enduring impact. Buddhism has already gained prominence in India’s diplomacy for fostering deeper engagement with ASEAN countries as part of the ‘Look East’ and now “Act East” policy. In fact, Buddhism is also becoming a brand symbol of rising India. The country is sitting atop a millennia-old tourist mine. Numerous Buddhist sites in India, directly linked to the spiritual destinies of millions in Asia, could form a part of Buddha-Industry, which, in turn, could transform the lives of millions, providing lucrative career options to a large youth component. The proposed paper will deal with the cultural Buddhist heritage of India and its role in promoting Soft Power through cultural diplomacy to have tie ups and close relationship with Buddhist nations across the world along with highlighting its Buddhist heritage.
Buddhist heritage diplomacy and India’s soft power strategy
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Chauhan, Rakhee
This paper explores the teachings of Buddhism as heritage diplomacy in the context of India. Soft power and culture have become important tools of diplomacy for States as hard power. From the time of Jawaharlal Nehru’s Panchsheel principles, India has been guided by the ideals of peaceful co-existence. Thus, Buddhism has long been a natural component of India’s soft power. India’s ancient links with Buddhism, its ancient philosophical and religious tradition in the form of Yoga, its popular culture etc can be vigorously used as a part of heritage diplomacy programme to gain acceptability in the international arena. This present study intends to discuss one particular aspect of Indian soft power prognosis: the leveraging of India’s historical associations with the Buddhist faith in diplomacy. Indian Prime Minister Modi has made it a point to make Buddhism a regular feature of his diplomatic visits. In speeches made on official international platforms such as to ASEAN or UN or platforms in any other country, PM Modi has made a conscious effort to emphasise and share Buddhist heritage. The Pan-Asian presence of the religion and an image of a most peaceful religion makes it ideal for soft power diplomacy. India’s soft power, as spread through its comprehensive cultural and civilization heritage, validates the values of secularism, tolerance and inclusiveness. Thus, it is more important than ever before in today’s troubled world.
Buddhist heritage of Eastern India: A gateway to soft power diplomacy
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Paswan, Chandrashekhar
Buddhism is one of the world's great religions and has deeply influenced the character and evolution of Asian civilization over the past 2,600 years. India has some deeply revered Buddhist sites closely linked to every phase of the life of Lord Buddha. Places from where he began his journey to seek enlightenment, place where he got the enlightenment and how the journey evolved to spread the lessons to the entire world. Faith took over the world, filled people with dignity and encouraged them to engage themselves in the right conduct in daily life. India's leverage over Southeast Asia on account of its Buddhist heritage and the prospect of establishing this influence as a steady soft power has been recognized. Cultural diplomacy is not new to India. Its modern nationalism has been shaped by the rich self-discovery of its cultural heritage as well as global reach. The first cultural diplomacy was started during the Mauryan period (3rd Century BCE) when the Great King Ashoka, dispatched nine mission to not only n India but abroad as well and had close diplomatic relationship with European countries also. To enhance its outreach through diplomatic relationships, even in modern times, India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru understood the importance of cultural diplomacy and set up the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in 1950 to project India's civilizational heritage. Religion made its way to diplomacy, and since then, several diplomatic initiatives have been categorized by experts under the heading of faith or religion-based diplomacy. This diplomacy is embedded in religion, texts, Buddhist sites, practices and traditions. The proposed paper entitled “Buddhist Heritage of Eastern India: A Gateway to Soft Power Diplomacy” will be focussed on the exploring of the significance of vast Buddhist heritage of Eastern India and its importance in projecting the same as India's soft power response to a diplomatic relationship with Buddhist countries of the world. Eastern India is a vast geographical area that includes Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the modern Indian States of Bihar, Jharkhand, etc.
Building a data warehousing system to increase sustainability of the archeological tourism sector
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Ranasinghe, R.A.N.N.; Withanachchi, Chandana
The Archeological tourism has developed throughout the world as an important segment of tourism industry. The importance of development in archeological heritage tourism is to boost the standard of living by attracting tourists to the destination and disseminated heritage knowledge to them. In this situation, the decision makers in the archeology and tourism sector face real challenges. Long-term sustainability requires the balance of three dimensions of sustainability principles as economic, environmental and socio-cultural aspects of tourism and archeological development.Therefore, this research paper proposes to build a data warehouse (DW) & information system with focusing above three dimensions to meet their inquiries and expectations for the decision making and sustainability development in this sector. The proposed system is a collection of technologies to enhance fast decision making. The data was collected from country internal tourism & archeological websites, organizations, and related any institutes. It is designed to support data warehouse techniques such as OLAP (On Line Analytical Processing) and ETL (Extraction, Transformation and Loading). These processes include operations for data integration, cleaning and unification data transferring from data sources into data warehouse. Most archeologists, tourism specialists, decision-makers and researchers can engage with the proposed data warehouse to develop the process of sustainability in continuously by providing patterns, predictions and trends of information to analyze the tourists’ favorability for archeological valuable areas. For the archeological excavation, the big data set needs to collect and analyze the important sections of archeological tourism. This industry needs to analyze statistical indicators about visitors (Foreign & Locally) for the development of this particular sector to gain sustainability for the country. Therefore, the proposed data warehouse is most important for developing country such as Sri Lanka.
Calligraphy under the Deccan sultanates
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Rajput, A. A. U.
Muslims entertained a very high regard for the Holy Qur’an. They paid special attention not only to its recitation but were meticulously careful about its script. They lavished as much care as they could to everything that pertained to the Holy Qur’an, its binding, its cover and above all the writing of its text. Illuminated copies of the Qur’an were greatly valued not only by kings but also by nobles and by those who could acquire them. This gave a great impetus to the development of calligraphy. Some of the kings and emperors considered it a religious duty. Among them, the name of “Aurangzeb” is outstanding. “Bahmani Sultan Mahmud Shah” was also a fine calligraphist and the inscription below the parapet of Sherza Darwaza at Bidar bears testimony to his attainment. The art of calligraphy must have reached the Deccan long before the Khilji invasion. At present, it is difficult to determine the exact date but the Muslim contacts with the Deccan are definitely much earlier than their political advent. The early Muslim travelers have described many Muslim settlements all along the Western and Eastern coasts and there were quite a few such settlements in the interior as well. Further evidence of this is gradually coming to light, and treasure troves of Abbasid and even Umayyad Caliphs have been reported along with ten gold coins of the Umayyads which have been reported from Madurai. Twenty nine gold coins of the Umayyads have been reported from South Arcot, and two Umayyad and thirteen Abbasid coins are reported from Ganjam district. Sixty seven full coins and nine broken coins of the Abbasids have been reported from Malabar district. All these coins bear the names of Caliphs and are mostly in Kufic script of ornamental type. Unfortunately, other specimens of calligraphy contemporary with these coins have not been discovered so far. Hence, an attempt is made in this research paper to elaborate the calligraphic styles under the Deccan Sultanates.
Chess and other board games as South Asian soft power: A 4000-year old tradition
(Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Raghavan, Raamesh Gowri; Kamath, Dnyaneshwari; Dalal, Kurush F.
“It may or may not be true what they say about the devil having all the best tunes, but there can be no doubt that the people of Asia have all the best games. What's more, they seem to have had them longer than anyone else, and undoubtedly invented a great many of them.” – this statement by David Parlett captures in its elegance the soft power that games have held over civilizations since antiquity. Games are among the most powerful memes ever – they cross barriers of class and caste, geography and history, language and religion without friction. In this paper, we look at games and the narratives built around them as instruments of both ‘bridging’ and ‘bonding’. As has been shown amply by sports such as cricket, games serve as bonds uniting a nation or culture, overcoming differences. They also serve as bridges between cultures, as international tournaments have illustrated. We will use the example of chess to illustrate the projection of soft power, intentional or otherwise. The earliest incident of diplomacy-by-chess by illustrated in the 6th c. Persian manuscript Wizarisn-i-Chatrang. It narrates, with some demonstrable historicity, of a chess game gifted to the Sassanian ruler Khusrau I by the Maukhari ruler Devasharvavarman (Dewisarm), the accompanying challenge, and the final counter-challenge, in which an improvised game of Backgammon was sent back. Chess has since been a byword for diplomatic maneuvers ever since, with words like 'checkmate’, ‘stalemate’ and more entering the public lexicon. The game’s addictive power is also reflected in the number of religious prohibitions against it. But the soft power of games has also been expressed through trade networks, travelling with merchants overseas and deserts. In this paper we will trace a few geographical networks. We will conclude with an example of a South Asian game becoming the lightning rod of the Cold War – the (in)famous chess match between Bobby Fischer (USA) and Boris Spassky (USSR) in 1972 which would come to be described as the Match of the Century, played in Reykjavik, as far removed from its homeland Kannauj, as could be possible.