Browsing by Author "Swastika, R."

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The Great Epic Ramayana and its impact in Sri Lanka.
(International Conference on Sanskrit Studies, 2017 Department of Sanskrit, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Swastika, R.
The Ramayana is one of the great Indian epic written by Valmiki. In Sanskrit literature it is known as Adi-Kavya and the writer Adi-Kavi. This Ramayana contains the history of Rama and royal tradition in 24,000 verses and in seven Kandas. In these seven Kandasthe Sundara Kanda and Yuddha Kanda describes the incidents that took place in Srilanka. There is a special bond between India and Srilanka geographically, historically, culturally and spiritually- The Ramayanais one such link. It is learnt from Ramayana that Sita who was separated from Rama, was brought to Srilanka that the country was ruled by king Ravana. Ramayana links up India and Srilankawithin one spiritual compass, it also emphasizes the basic commonness of the two major cultures of Srilanka- Sinhala Buddhist culture and Tamil Hindu culture. The connection between Srilanka and Ramayana are depicted through the illustrations such as Hanumans search for Sita in Srilanka and the construction of Rama Bridge from Rameswaram by monkey forces. Further, evidence for this relationship can be noted from instance such as Asokavanam is located in Srilanka; the places Asokavanam, Sitaelliya, Ravana ella ; where Sita is believed to have lived; Hanuman worshiped; and Vibishana’s coronation. Ramayana is a great epic at the same time first literature in Sanskrit literary tradition. Influence of literature have impact on Srilankan literary tradition they are Arasakesari’sRaguvamsa in Tamil and Kumaradasa’sJanakiharana in Sanskrit. The Impact of Ramayana could also be seen in the personal names Srilankans have. Similarly, various literary traditions, uniqueness and spiritualities are continuously found in Srilankan history and connected to Ramayana as impact and as story tradition. This research is based on the original text of Ramayana and research is carried out through the descriptive and literary research methodology.
Influence of Skanda Purāṇa in Sri Lankan Hindu Tradition
(International Conference on Sanskrit and Eastern Studies, 2018 Department of Sanskrit and Eastern Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Swastika, R.
Purāṇas are a genre of Smriti literature in Sanskrit; it is called as fifth Veda. The Purāṇa means an event of the past; an ancient tale or legend; old traditional history. Mahā Purāṇas are eighteen, which were compiled by Veda Vyāsa. SkandaPurāṇa is the largest of the major eighteen Purāṇas. It consists of 88100 verses and is divided into seven parts. Skanda Purāṇa got its name from Skanda, the son of Lord Siva. The advent of Kumāra (Skanda) has been celebrated by poet Kalidāsa in Kumārasambava and paṇini’s Vyākaraṇa Sūtra speaks of his forms, the Saiva Agamas and Kumāra Tantra deal mainly with the ceremonial worship of Skanda. He plays a prominent role in South Indian Religion. His most popular Tamil name is Muruga. Kantha Purāṇa in Tamil of Kachiappasivachariar is a prolific work adopted from Sanskrit Skanda Purāṇa in 12th century. The cult of the Gods in Sri Lanka has been influenced by Hinduism of India throughout the centuries. The Muruga (Skanda) cult is one such thing. Kataragama is one of the identification places of Muruga, which has a pre-historical connection with the history of Kantha Purāṇa tradition. Kataragama is a place where people of all religion come together and pray for their common requests. Lord Skanda is mostly worshiped by Tamil Hindus referring him as the Tamil God. Tamil Kantha Purāṇam is holding a prestigious place particularly among the Tamils of Jaffna. The culture of Kanthapuranam called as “KanthapuranaKalasaram” in Tamil (Tradition of kantha Purana) is the culture of the people in the North. The Hindus in the North East and elsewhere in the country consider Lord Muruga or Kanthan as one of the primary deities of the Saivaitee Tamil. The historical famous Nallur temple, Selvasannathi, Mavittapuram are in the North, Mandoor is in the East and Kataragama is in the Southwest of Sri Lanka. Lord Skanda is considered as a war god as he killed the demon king Tārakasura. The war between Skanda and Tāraka is being performed in a dramatic way in the Hindu temples. This event with its moral significance of the expiration of sins is yearly celebrated by festivals and fasts in Tamil lands in the month of Pushya on such occasion the Tamil Kantha Purāṇa is read and expounded with solemnity. This research is described by Descriptive, Historical & Comparative research methodologies based on the main source in Sanskrit and secondary sources