Abstract:
After the eleventh century during the medieval era of Sri Lanka, under the
influence of Hindu Brahminical culture Sinhala Kings, the autocracy and the
Superior Buddhist Monks of the city learned the Sanskrit Language and literature
with a zealous enthusiasm never before apparent. The Poetry composed by these
erudite poets were influenced considerably by Sanskrit court poetry, and the
subject matter is woven around the elaborated descriptions about glamorous life of
the king, Ladies of the harem and the sophisticated aspects of city life. The much
distinguished Sinhala classical poem of this period Kavsilumina was composed by
the king [Parakumba the Second] who mastered Sanskrit, Pali and Sinhala. In his
secular life as king he gave the first place to Brahminical scholars who had a deep
knowledge of court life and ceremonies, and diverse fields of Sanskrit
epistemology such astrology and medicine. Although Kavsilumina followed the
classical Sanskrit literary models in terms of the laws of poetry [kavisamaya], the
structure [the accepted form of Mahakavya], the ideas, the imagery, and the
exaggeration, glimpses of originality is apparent. Thus it is logical to state that in
spite of his vast knowledge of Sanskrit literature the author of the kavsilumina has
maintained his independence to a certain extent by not solely opting to embellish
the poems with literary ornaments and paraphernalia borrowed from Sanskrit
literature. Nor did he strictly adhere to the laws of the poetry and were daring
ruptures from the shackles of the Sanskrit literary tradition. It is envisaged in this
study to examine the creative independence of the author of Kavsilumina by
comparing and contrasting it with the inspirational Sanskrit poetry.
