International Conference on Asian Elephants in Culture & Nature
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Item Symbolism of Elephants in Buddhism and Hinduism(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Aslam, N.; Bukhari, M.F.Elephants have been utilized in different cultural and religious depictions since the Stone Age. They are depicted on petroglyphs and inside caves and also represented through different methods of art and craft as well as sculptures, architecture, ivory crafts and ivory paintings. In different mythologies the elephant is a sacred animal. In Hinduism and Buddhism, the elephant has been a strong special power that has spiritual significance. In Hindu mythology, one acts as the custom vehicle of Lord Indra who is considered as the God of heaven and additionally Ganesha was offered his head by the elephant when he was once beheaded by his own angry father. Hence the elephant has the honour and respect and is therefore celebrated and worshipped by the Hindus of India. In Buddhism many symbols represent the Buddha, and in Buddhist iconography a white elephant is an albino elephant. The white color is a sign of purity and holiness in Buddhism. The elephant is commonly known for its power and wisdom, and white elephants also have the all these characteristics. Queen Maya the mother of Buddha also claimed that in a dream a white elephant flew in the air and inserted his trunk in her right side resulting in the birth of Buddha. The symbols of Buddhism means “Om Mani Padme Hum”. The lotus flower, dharma wheel, stupa and white elephant are common symbols which represent the presence of Buddha.Item A Short Study on the Occurrence and Usage of the Word ‘Elephant’ in the Buddhist Canon(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Wijayawimala Thero, SuriyawewaThe word elephant implies that it is the biggest animal in the forest. Among the many aspects of the elephant its brain is considered one of the most significant. This research is not going to elucidate on the significant characteristics of mammalian elephants but is concerned with the specific occurrence and usage of word elephants with reference to the Buddhist canon. More often than not, Buddhist teaching can be defined as consisting of figurative stories. When individual Dhamma was being preached, similes were taken from the surrounding by the Buddha. Accordingly, when studying the Buddhist norm one aspect that can be effectively identified are animal allegories. In such a context, the occurrence and usage of the elephant can usually be seen with prominent interpretations throughout the Pāli canon. For example, when paying attention to the Majjima Nikaya, it contains two suttas by names of simile of the small elephant’s foot discourse (Chullahatthipadopama sutta) and simile of the great elephant’s foot discourse (Mahahatthi Padopama sutta). When considering these facts, the word elephant can be identified in the outstanding structure of the Pāli canon. Therefore this is an analytical study on the significance of the occurrence and usage of the word elephant in the Pali canon.Item Ethical Issues Pertaining to Tamed Elephants in Sri Lanka: A Philosophical Study(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) de Zoysa, H.N.The entwined history of humans and elephants is fascinating but often sad. People have used elephants as beasts of burden and war machines, slaughtered them for their ivory, exterminated them as threats to people and ecosystems, turned them into objects of entertainment at circuses, employed them as both curiosities and conservation ambassadors in zoos and deified and honored them in religious rites. The main objective of this paper is to identify the ethical issues pertaining to tamed elephants in Sri Lanka. The sub objectives are to find out how humans use elephants as tools and entertainment and examine the ethics of training and legal protection actions needed. Research methodology used in the study was largely based on qualitative approach which analyses the relevant documentary sources from books, journals and web sites relating to this area. A descriptive research design with survey method was applied in this study. The findings reveal that there are issues related to the tamed elephants in Sri Lanka. They can be identified as management practices, poaching for ivory, logging elephants, using occasions and capture of elephants for captivity. Animals also have their rights. There are accepted codes of practice for the keeping of tamed elephants, which include the ‘Five Freedoms’ a captive elephant must enjoy. They are the freedom from Malnutrition, Terminal physical discomfort, Injury and disease, Fear and stress and the freedom to express normal patterns and behavior. So it is important to take some actions to protect the ethics related to the tamed elephants to safeguard the future of these valuable animals.Item Moral Communications through Proverbs Related to Elephants and Tuskers(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Liyanage, D.Concerning folklore, there are main characteristics that could be studied in different manners. “Listening Skill” is one of the main characteristics of folklore. Proverbs are able to finely manifest “Man Mind” and “Man Consciousness”. On the other hand, the proverbs which occur in the folklore are a manifestation of creative communication of villagers in the old days. Proverbs related to elephants and tuskers direct people towards morals by creating emotions in them related to taste, humor and sarcasm. This is significant of proverbs. “Communication” is the action of well reception of a message. The receiver can thoroughly grab the message if the medium is well created. Hence, due to the inclusion of the following factors, proverbs could be known as an interesting medium of communication. The main objective of this research is to study how the morals are communicated by the proverbs related to elephants and tuskers. Apart from that the sub-objectives include studying on elephants and tuskers, and on proverbs and morals. The main method of this research is content analysis. It is done by the aid of 15 proverbs related to elephants and tuskers. Research problem of this research is how to communicate morals through proverbs related to elephants and tuskers. Conclusion of this research is tactful mind, patience, courage, to do good and refrain from doing wrong and to make good decisions are some of the morals profoundly communicated through proverbs related to elephants and tuskers.Item The Ethics of Elephant Tourism with a View to Increasing the Welfare of the Elephants and People of Sri Lanka(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Barborich, A.L.Elephant tourism in general presents many ethical challenges related to animal rights and / or the duty of humans to animals. These ethical dilemmas are further complicated by the endangered status of many elephant species and the economically alluring trade in elephant tourism. Sri Lanka is uniquely placed to benefit from its elephants and elephant tourism may benefit from the long association between elephants and man in Sri Lankan culture. This cultural affinity, even reverence for elephants, can be helpful in designing measures to create ethical elephant tourism in Sri Lanka. However, the realities of Sri Lanka being a developing country, increased Human Elephant Conflict (HEC), Sri Lanka’s underfunded wildlife conservation resources and unregulated land development mean that the ethical considerations of elephant tourism are often neglected. This paper attempts to determine what an ideal elephant management programme would consist of in Sri Lanka and where the current situation falls short of this ideal. This evaluation must necessarily consider the welfare of both wild and domesticated elephants and the impact of any newly proposed measures on the people and institutions who are involved in managing both types of elephants. Elephant tourism operates at the nexus of ethics, economics and Sri Lankan culture. For this reason any approach to elephant management and conservation must be holistic in order to determine the best and most pragmatic approach to the creation of ethical elephant tourism in Sri Lanka.Item A Study on the Relationship between Maduwanwela Walauwa and Panamure Kraal: In Art Historical Aspect(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Embuldeniya, P.The main objective of this research paper is to explicate the relationship between Maduwanwela Walauwa and Panamure Kraal in art historical aspect, with special reference to mosaics and stone carvings. The methodology used to collect data for this research paper consists of field research method and library survey method. Maduwanwela Walauwa is highly significant from archaeological, historical and art historical aspects. Maduwanwela Walauwa is located at Maduwanwela village in Kolonna divisional secretariat which belongs to Ratnapura district in Sabaragamuwa province. This Walauwa has extended history from the reign of King Vimaladharmasooriya II who reigned in Kandyan period (1700 AD). Similarly, the Panamure Kraal has a ranged historical background from the period of 1880’s. There were several elephants and tuskers at the Panamure Kraal, and it is a famous Kraal in Sri Lanka. According to history, Panamure Kraal is directly related to Maduwanwela Walauwa. Mosaics at chanting hall and the front of the doors, and stone carvings at front of the doors of this Walauwa highly emphasize the figures of elephants and tuskers, which are limited art historical sources in Sri Lanka. Those mosaics and stone carvings represent the relationship between Maduwanwela Walauwa and Panamure Kraal. According to the main objective, historical background of Maduwanwela Walauwa and Panamure Kraal, introduction to mosaic art and stone carvings, and present situation of art historical evidences at Maduwanwela Walauwa are also described through this research paper.Item Imperialism and the Elephant in Burma: An Analytical Perception of George Orwell's ‘Shooting the Elephant’(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Dasture, P.; Aniruddha, J.S.Burma had been under British occupation through 1824 to 1948, the British rule brought social, economic, cultural and administrative changes; during which it was also administered as a province of India. Moulmein, the capital of British Burma, is the setting of George Orwell’s famous 1936 memoir ‘Shooting the Elephant’. Orwell, born in India and brought up in Britain, held the post of Assistant Superintendent in the British Indian Imperial Police in Burma. Moulmein was full of elephants employed to haul logs in the timber firms; ordinary tamed elephants, for centuries had been part of Burmese life. The essay describes the experience and anguish of the English narrator, possibly Orwell himself, called upon to shoot an aggressive elephant while working as a police officer in Burma. The story is looked upon as an allegory for British imperialism. Orwell’s other publications, like this one too, generally reflected the mood of the times and relied heavily on contemporary happenings. Through the analysis of the essay in question, this paper intends to bring to the fore the importance of the elephants in Burmese society, with the imperial spectre looming large over the political horizon. Where the elephant represents a symbol of the oppression of the Burmese society, its death is a parallel of how the British Empire struggled to suppress the natives.Item Depictions of Elephants in Ancient Indian Manuscripts(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) More, T.D.Knowledge about the elephant is provided in several Indian manuscripts and treatises since ancient times. The role played by elephants in war made their management very essential for the kings and a lot of literature on various aspects such as elephant capturing, training and husbandry came into existence. Notable amongst these are the Hastyayurveda by Palakapya, the Hastividyarnava by Sukumar Barkaith, the Matanga Lila by Nilkantha, the Kautilya’s Arthashastra, the Brihat Samhita by Varahamihira, the Manasollasa by Someshwara, the Gaja Sastram and Gajalaksana Chikitsa by Vyasa (Vaisampayan), the Gajayurveda by Bhattakrishnadasa, Feelnama and Kursinamah by Sayyid Ahmed al – Kabir, the Hati Puthi, and the Lava-Kushar Yuddha of Haribara Bipra etc. All these texts are rich sources of information on the elephants, sometimes supplemented by illustrations and paintings. These ancient sources deal with the status of distribution of elephants, their behavior, ecology, diet, genealogy, anatomy and physiology, growth and development, psychology, conflicts with people, diseases and their treatments, medicines and surgery, capturing, keeping, taming, management, care and training of elephants in royal captivity, and deployment in war. One can get knowledge about the changes in elephant habitat from comparisons of texts from different historical time periods. Much of the ancient knowledge about elephants is centered around the need to maintain them in captivity, and train and organize them in large numbers in the battlefields. Such aspects are covered in depth in the above cited ancient Indian manuscript texts. The paper gives brief summaries of these texts.Item Elephants in Indian Rock Art: An Appraisal for Relative Chronology(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Banerjee, R.Time markers like elephants, promptly help to identify the nature of the panel and hence the make-up of that particular rock-shelter. It is clear from previous studies (Varma, 2012, Tewari, 1990, Robinson et al., 2008) that animals like elephants provide early historic chronology when thematic dating and other associated paintings from the same panel are taken into consideration. Most of the times elephants in Central Indian rock art are associated with battle scenes, depicting metal weapons. Robinson et al. (2008), used the scheme of superimposition to trace the relative chronology of a painted panel from the rock art sites of Birappa and Hiregudda hill, in South-Central India, identifying time markers like elephant in the region which dates back to c. 300 BC (Allchin and Allchin, 1994 – 1995:323). In Central Indian rock art corpus elephants and horses are quite common and might serve as time markers for relative chronology aided by superimposition analysis. This implies that not only styles and subject matters continued throughout the evolutionary scheme of rock art production and consumption, but also actual methods of execution did continue from Epi-Palaeolithic period to Historic period. In this paper we aim to elucidate the importance of elephants as a time marker in the Indian context, where we could see numerous depictions of elephants. The relative chronology of specific rock paintings and collage could be ascertained by the presence and absence of elephants and superimposition of other elements.Item Significance, Symbolism and Representation of Elephants in Gandhara Buddhist Art(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Anwar, N.Elephant being the symbol of stature, prosperity, wisdom and dominance is the most represented animal in the antiquity of South Asia. Since the dawn of Bronze Age, the depictions of elephants remained the choice of artists on priority basis. Similarly, the sculpting of elephants also remained a focal point during the Buddhist occupation of the historic Gandhara, the ancient name of present day north-western parts of Pakistan, the holy land of Buddhism. Around the end of the first century BC, it gave birth to a Sculpting Art devoted to the faith of the Buddha. The art was not a natural continuation of the Ancient Indian Arts but exhibits clear evidence of Hellenistic influence, though, it is significant to elaborate that the purpose of this art was the propagation of Buddhism through the images carved revolving around the Buddha’s life stories and other associated legends. So far, the case of elephant depictions is concerned, preliminary, the birth of the Buddha drawn by an elephant to miracles and up to representation in architecture, elephant continued to be the most celebrated animal in the Gandharan panels. The present research is an attempt on one side towards the significance and symbolism of elephant depicted in various postures where, on other side to eliminate on zonal workshops based on stylistic ground. Since the basic problem with the Gandharan sculptures is the absence of provenances, especially, those recovered in the early nineteenth century, the stylistic study is always adopted for affixing them to their probable zones. Similarly, the paper will also make an effort to reconstruct the glorious faunal past of that zone.