TRIVALENT/ත්‍රිසංයුජ

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An anthropological study of ‘Rathikāma Bali Yāgaya (Bali ritual)’ in traditional folk medicine to treat infertility
(Journal of Archaeology, Tourism & Anthropology, 2020) Srishan, G.A.A.N.; Abhayasundere, P.N.; Jayasiri, A.A.J.; Wijayarathne, W.K.M.; Dissanayake, D.M.K.G.K.
Reproductive processes and the generation of posterity are important for the survival of organisms. As man became accustomed to civilized life, motherhood and fatherhood were considered noble and fortunate things. Accordingly, a married couple without children had to face various forms of social stigma. Because married people who do not have children are believed by people to be a symbol of unluck. Thus, infertility is recognized as a disease and there are various treatments for it. Traditional folk medicine in Sri Lanka also offers various treatments to cure infertility. Among them, the ‘Sabaragamuwa Rathikāma Bali ritual’ is performed for both men and women. The researchers aim to study this ‘Rathikāma Bali ritual’ for the curing of infertility in traditional folk medicine and the cultural value given to rituals in indigenous medicine. To achieve these objectives, a content analysis of qualitative data collected using secondary sources is performed here. To alleviate vaginal discharge and vaginitis related diseases in women, the Sabaragamuwa ‘Bali adura’ (Bali performer) conducts the Rathikāma Bali ritual. An idol is made using clay for this ritual. In this Rathikāma Bali statue, a woman with a naked upper body and with a ‘punkalasa’ (pot of prosperity) in her right hand and a ‘sewla’ (Cuckoo bird) in her left hand is moulded. When moulding the Bali statue, the woman’s figure is placed on the man's lap. After the introduction of the Bali statue to the patient (baliya pāwā deema), the ‘Namaskārā’ and ‘Vēēdimālāwa’ (poems and prose) are recited. In this way, all the rites are performed and the Rathikāma Bali ritual is performed till dawn. They believe that looking at the Bali statue and listening to poetry and drinking local medicine until the next morning will cure the condition.
Bamboo Crafts and Associated Knowledge System of The Karbi Tribe of Assam Plains, North- Eastern India: A Cultural Heritage
(Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, 2020) Das, Pritam; Bain, Worrel Kumar; Gogoi, Bitupan
Bamboo, one of the precious plant resources of the earth, plays a cardinal role in influencing civilised life patterns in Southern and Eastern Asian countries, where they are found in abundance. It has a long history in people's lives as cultural material. India is the second richest country in the generic bamboo resources after China. In India, bamboo is one of the most important forest species and has a wide distribution throughout the country and contributes to the rural economy. The North-Eastern region of India has a rich diversity of bamboo. It is integral to the life and culture of the ethnic communities of this region. In this area, the usage of bamboo made it an indispensable commodity for the rural people. The Karbi tribe of the Assam State of India has a rich cultural heritage of arts and crafts. They are masters in the skilful tradition of bamboo craft. Bamboo is an indispensable part of their livelihood mostly in food, shelter, household items, basketry, fishing gear, musical instrument, medicine, furniture and other various ethno-religious purposes. Various bamboo craft traditions of the community get the most creative expression through skill and the traditional knowledge of craftsmanship. This knowledge is essentially community-specific and restricted to the community and is accumulated through long interaction with the environment. Nowadays, this craft tradition is on the verge of extinction due to many reasons. Therefore, it is a timely requirement to document this craft tradition associated with the traditional knowledge system and wisdom. The present study has been designed in this context. During the study, standard anthropological methods have been applied. The present paper is based on the authors' empirical findings, and it probes into the cultural heritage of bamboo crafts of the Karbi community, which is governed by traditional knowledge and skills through empiricism. The paper also focuses on the importance and cultural significance of bamboo within the said community. The study also highlights this craft tradition's present scenario and provides recommendations to revive this heritage tradition.
Community Film Making and innovative direction of rural art (An ethnographic study on a Sri Lankan community film 'Walapane Satana')
(Journal of Archaeology, Tourism & Anthropology, 2020) Lokuliyana, Aruna; Ruwanpathirana, Ileka
'Community film' is an attractive new term that has been emerged over the past few years. Though Sri Lankans are familiar with 'Community radio', the phrase 'Community film' is still a novel idea. But, it has been recognized by the world that community filmmaking is a broad concept that can be understood and produced in different ways, such as participatory community filmmaking and non-participatory community filmmaking. This study focuses on 'participatory community filmmaking' and tries to understand how it works, why it is made, what the benefits are, and how we can use it as a tool to achieve something positive. Under the qualitative research approach, an ethnographic study was performed. Films have been classified under various criteria, and it helps to understand what type of film it is. Primary and secondary data were collected. Preliminary data was collected through participatory observation and interview methods. Since the film, 'Walapane Satana' was the only film found from Sri Lanka and easily fit into the criteria to call it a community film, it was used for the study. The research revealed a solid sociocultural background behind the making of this film. This particular community film has influenced the development of the place and individuals of this village in many ways. Almost all the villagers have participated in this film to attend and make, teach, learn, present, promote, judge, support, and span many artistic disciplines. Most importantly, some people have given up their lifelong bad habits to become a part of this film, and at the end of the film, they have entirely dumped those habits and have started effectively leading their lives. Furthermore, being a part of this film has added value to their lives, and it has empowered and educated them to become worthy citizens. These findings led the researcher to conclude the study with a strong opinion on community filmmaking as a powerful driver for social change.
Comparative Systematic Analysis of Milankovitch Cycles to Identify Variations of Glaciers and Interglacial Periods of Late Pleistocene in South Asia
(Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, 2020) Ravibhanu, Aravinda; Katupotha, Jinadasa; Aouititen, Majda
Variations in the first Euler angle known as Earth precession phenomenon which is described as a change in the Earth’s orbit; found to have strong impact on the climate of Earth. These observations of climate changes were connected with the behavior of the global ice sheets, including their advancing and retreating movements which have been recorded. In fact, Earth’s climate depends essentially on the cycle of glaciers' growth and reduction. The alternative glacial periods and the interglacial periods coincide with the variations in Earth’s orbit known as “Milankovitch cycles”, which affect the insolation, and the sunlight exposure of different regions of the world and thus ultimately the behavior of ice formation. This paper aims to document the variations of the Earth’s axis orientation and to discuss how these changes have affected to the sea-level fluctuation of the South Asian Region during late Pleistocene. Experiment methodology consists of compelling a standardized dataset of the sea-level index (Data SET 01-Radiocarbon Journal, Katupotha. J, Data SET 02- SEAMIS database and selected 35 number of carbon dating values recorded and published in the literature of the South Asian Region) and then compare it with the data of Milankovitch Cycles. The discussed results show that the sealevel variations occurred mainly between 12,500 ± 1,500 YBP to 11,000± 1,500 YBP, indicating that 25m ± 5m recorded to be the lower sea level documented than the current sea level found around the South Asian region. This has been resulted by a quick glacier transition that happened in the Late Pleistocene.
Cultural and Religious Tourism in Majuli With Special Reference to Auniati Sattra And Uttar Kamalabari Sattra
(Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, 2020) Goswami, Gitanjali; Mousumi, Sharma
The paper attempts to study the potential of cultural and religious tourism industry in Majuli as a whole and Auniati Sattra and Uttar Kamalabari Sattra of the island in particular. The scope of tourism in Majuli, be it eco-tourism or religious tourism and cultural tourism is tremendous with nature’s opulence in full display here. Majuli, renowned as one of the world’s largest freshwater river island is a conglomeration of Vaishnavite religion, natural beauty, art and craft, ethnic culture and traditions which needs to be explored and showcased to the world. The Sattras (Vaishnava monasteries) and their rich heritage and cultures have given Majuli the status and pride of being the “Cultural Capital of Assam”. Today people have shifted from the traditional ways of touring in the form of going to hill stations, historical places etc. to more adventurous and unexplored destinations. Adding to the other attractions of northeast India, Majuli stands out as a jewel in the crown with its total package of natural beauty, religious monasteries, eco-tourism etc. An attempt has been made to present the uniqueness of Majuli’s Sattras, its different congregational prayer services, a distinct dance form called Sattriya and an about to be an extinct art form mask making as a potential tool to put Majuli in the tourist map of India and the world.
Determinants of Job Satisfaction and Employee Performance in Classified Hotels
(Journal of Archaeology, Tourism & Anthropology, 2020) Ranatunga, R.A.D.D.N.
This study aims to identify the Relationship between Pay, Promotion, Supervision, Co-workers and Work itself of Job Satisfaction and Job Performance among Employees in Classified Hotels. Though the available literature does not provide sufficient empirical evidence to the respective study. Hence, the objective of this study was to find out Relationship between Pay, Promotion, Supervision, Co-workers and Work itself of Job Satisfaction and Job Performance among Employees in Classified Hotels. The study was chosen 150 non–executive employees as the sample and used the convenience sampling method. Moreover, the study used a structured questionnaire to collect the data. Internal consistencies of the questionnaire were measured using the reliability static Cronbach’s alpha. Frequencies, univariate analysis, Pearson’s correlation, T-test and multiple regression analysis as multivariate analysis were the analysis which used in the study. The results of the correlation coefficient were shown that pay, promotion, co-workers, supervision, work itself has a significant positive relationship with job performance and it emphasized that the factors pay and co-workers have a strong relationship with job performance. According to the multiple regression analysis, the model was strongly fitted to the data and 40.6% variance of job performance was explained by pay, promotion, co-workers, supervision and work itself of job satisfaction. Consequently, it can be recommended that future researchers should concern about the other factors which may also have a relationship with job performance. Lastly, it can be concluded that there is a significant positive relationship between selected factors of job satisfaction and job performance of employees in Classified Hotels. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended for management to advance and sustain job satisfaction in the hotel industry to deepen the job performance of employees.
Effect of Environmental and Socio-Cultural Impacts Caused by Tourism on Residents’ Lives Ancient City of Anuradhapura
(Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, 2020) Jayasinghe, J.A.P.M.
Tourism is one of the biggest and fastest-growing sectors in the global economy and has significant environmental, cultural, social, and economic effects, both positive and negative. Yet, relatively few studies have addressed the effect of tourism on residents' lives in Anuradhapura as a major touristic destination in Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura ancient city is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the first kingdom of Sri Lanka, well known for its ruins depicting early Sri Lankan civilization. The main objective of this study is to investigate whether the impact of tourism makes changes on residents’ lives in the ancient city of Anuradhapura. The survey design was quantitative and based on an empirical study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the residents of Anuradhapura Ancient city area. A sample of 120 respondents was selected to collect data from the residents. The data was analyzed using SPSS 21 statistical software. Descriptive statistics and Inferential statistics were applied to examine the effect of environmental and socio-cultural impacts caused by tourism on residents’ lives. According to the research findings, environmental pollution, social problems, and congestion & crowding out caused by tourism make significant environmental and sociocultural changes on residents’ lives in Anuradhapura ancient city area. The results showed that tourism creates significant environmental and socio-cultural changes in residents’ lives in Anuradhapura's ancient city area. Further, this study provides elements for long term benchmark monitoring and observation relating to the resources of the tourism sector.
The First Record of The Archeoastronomical Bind Rune Associated with Petroglyphs in Danigala Circular Rock, Sri Lanka
(Journal of Archaeology, Tourism & Anthropology, 2020) Sumanarathna, Aravinda Ravibhanu; Aouititen, Majda; Taylor, Bernie; Sameera, Geeth; Katupotha, Jinadasa; Bandara, Aruna
Danigala Rock is a unique geological site situated near Kandegama at Polonnaruwa district. The aerial view of the rock shows a semi-circular shape, which was affected by geological weathering. The northwest slope part of Danigala inselberg has interesting petroglyphs discovered in Chithra Lena (7°41'0.44"N | 81°12'45.66"E). These symbols are relatively new and, for the first time, discovered in Sri Lanka during an archaeoastronomical survey conducted by Eco Astronomy Sri Lanka in a corporation with Central Cultural Fund (Polonnaruwa-Alahana Parivena Project). These petroglyphs, now perceived and assessed as art, are mute science prints of ancient cultural vestiges of a bygone society. The predominant forms found are partially similar with few forms found in some sites in Sri Lanka, but with distinct differences in the engraving process. Notably, samples of the bind rune coding of Danigala petroglyphs are quite similar to bind rune’s symbols of Shamanic cultures. Besides, the engraving technique is remarkably similar to the technique used in the petroglyphs of Edakkal Caves in India. This paper is an attempt to document and analyze this bind rune coding in purpose to uncover the archaeo-astronomical meaning and the historical beliefs.
A Forensic Anthropological Analysis on The Consumption of Forensic Science Methods Utilized to Detect Homicides Along with Sharp Weapons (With Special Reference to Court Records)
(Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, 2020) Amarakoon, A.A.C.N.; Wijayarathna, W.K.N.; Nahallage, C.
Crime is a common phenomenon in an organized society. Among the crimes, we identify as homicide is the unlawful premeditated murder of a person. Today, the criminal and the crime are meticulous. As a result, finding the culprit has become a complex issue. Undisclosed information about a crime is revealed through a criminal investigation. The methods used to uncover criminal information in criminal investigations are called forensic tactics. Methods in forensic science are used to uncover murder crimes. This research focuses on homicide crimes with sharp weapons. Accordingly, how can forensic techniques be used to examine murders committed with sharp weapons and to uncover information such as the weapon used in the murder? how the murder was committed? and the person who committed the murder? can be mentioned as the problem(s) of the research. The Monaragala High Court is the study institute used to compile the case reports related to the study. This research is a detailed study based on secondary data. Out of these case reports, from 2008 to 2016, 13 investigated murder reports were applied to accomplish the objectives. Case studies were used as a data collecting tool to detect the records. The interview method was also used partly in collecting data relevant to this study. Although many methods such as DNA technology, pollen analysis, and microscopic testing are utilized to detect homicides at an advanced level around the world, research reveals that traditional methods are still used in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, it is important to use the latest technology in Sri Lanka to bring criminals to justice and eradicate them from the criminal community.
Glass Bead Making Technology in Ancient Sri Lanka
(Journal of Archaeology, Tourism & Anthropology, 2020) Buddikasiri, P.R.A.; Madhumali, A.K.R.
Bead making and trading of beads are some of the oldest industries in the world. Beads are small, colourful, symmetrical, and often quite beautiful. They are frequently standardized, inexpensive units that can be arranged in almost endless configurations. They can be seen not only in familiar forms of necklaces and bracelets but also on anklets, headbands, and headdresses. Beads are small, but important finds from Archaeological investigations. Especially, the discovery of beads creates enormous interest among the excavator, researchers and laymen. It provides excellent information to the understanding of various aspects of the human past. While a couple of studies surmise of bead production no study has been confined to study the bead making industry in Ancient Sri Lanka. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine if there was a glass bead making technology in Ancient Sri Lanka. It is hoped to study the glass bead making technology of the past based on the archaeological data uncovered through archaeological research conducted in Sri Lanka. This study focuses on the traditional analysis method. Mantai, Kantarodai, Tissamaharama,Kirinda, Abhayagiriya, Ridiyagama Giribawa and Ridiyagama is one of the leading areas in the study of glass beads design technology in Sri Lanka
Impact of water scarcity on Agriculture in Mi Oya River Basin
(Journal of Archaeology, Tourism & Anthropology, 2020) Madumali, G.V.H.M.; Manamperi, M.M.S.B.
There is a finite amount of fresh water on earth and only 3% of the total water in the world is freshwater while less than 1% is readily usable by humans. Water availability varies in time and space. One river basin may be suffering extended drought while neighbouring river basins may be experiencing devastating floods. Water scarcity can be defined as a lack of sufficient water or not having access to safe water supplies. When considering the situation in the Mi Oya river basin, clearly it can be identified water scarcity in this area as mentioned by the definition. Therefore, the purpose of the study is, identify the impacts of water scarcity on agriculture while introducing mitigation methods to the recognized impacts. Accordingly, research problems seek answers for the questions of what are the main fields of agriculture affected by water scarcity and to which extent it impacts agricultural activities in this area. The main objective of the study is to identify the impact of water scarcity on agriculture in the Mi Oya river basin. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used for data collection through questionnaires, structural and semi-structural interviews, and case studies. As well as a mixed method of descriptive and analytical have been applied for the data analysis and discussion. Accordingly, results proved that paddy cultivation as the main field affected due to water scarcity and at least one season or abandon because of the insufficient water in the area. Therefore, people have to use adaptive methods for water scarcity. Finally, can be concluded that it is very important to recognize these kinds of impacts as we are having an agricultural economy and because of water scarcity considered as a global crisis around the world.
Nature Tourism in India-Red Sander Plant Species of YSR District, Andhra Pradesh
(Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, 2020) Vellore, Ramabrahmam; Vudhayaraju, Varija
The Medical tourism studies report for the year 2015 indicates that more than 2,000,000 patients from abroad travelled to India. Ayurveda has attracted the attention of global population especially the developed countries since ages for the promotion of medical tourism encompassing modern medical sciences and the ancient Indian medical systems Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH). Foreign travellers were coming to India since centuries in search of knowledge. Medical tourism in India is a multibillion-dollar provider industry and attracting millions of foreigners and domestic to visit incredible heritage of country and enjoy the medicinal blessings of traditional Vedas and Upanishads. India is full of well trained, qualified and experienced professionals and doctors. India ‘s medical tourism sector is expected to experience an annual growth rate of 30%, making it Rs. 9,500-crore industry by 2015. Estimates of the value of medical tourism to India go as high as $2 billion a year by 2012. Currently, India is second only to Thailand in the number of medical tourists it has attracted since the early 1990s. Red sandalwood grown on the shale subsoil, at altitudes around 750 meters (2,460 ft), and in semi-arid climatic conditions gives a distinctive wavy grain margin. Lumber pieces with the wavy grain margin are graded as "A" grade. Red sandalwood with wavy grain margins sells at higher prices than the standard wood in market. Red sandalwood is used for treating digestive tract problems, fluid retention, and coughs and for “blood purification.” Red sandalwood might increase the loss of body water through the urine (diuretic effect). Red sanders are used for Cosmetic remedies face pack for dry skin. Many of the Indian hospitals have a holistic center in its premise with more ancient forms of treatments such as yoga and meditation programs, and herbal medicine, naturopathy, homoeopathy, and acupuncture departments.
New Perception to Proto History Burial Site in Andarawewa An Archaeological and Geochemical Prospection
(Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, 2020) Young, Sansfica M; Mendis, D. Thusitha; Ishiga, H.
The megalithic burial site at Galgamuwa Andarawewa is situated at Anamaduwa Secretariat Division in the North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is evident that 2500 years ago the proto history people had settled in this region. For burying of bodies, they have constructed different types of burials in several places in this region. Thus, to examine the geochemical prospection soil samples from the context (n=12), the glass bead samples from the furnace (n=3) and slag (n=2) were analyzed using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) for 22 major and trace elements. For the archaeological prospection, new findings of proto-history burials were found in the excavation carried out at Andarawewa and also many archaeological evidences were found through the field survey and excavations such as beads, inscriptions, pots and shard and chisels. The elemental values of the slag show that, Pb (470-483 mg/Kg) and Cu (855-1083 mg/Kg) are very much higher than Upper Continental Crustal Values. The white part contains higher Pb and Cu than the dark part of the slag. The concentrations of halides F, Br and I are almost similar in the white (glass) part and dark (slag) part. The Pb, Cu and as in the glass beads of the Andrawewa furnace shows that they range between 390-2920, 275-1411 and 12-127 mg/Kg respectively. However, the Fe and Ti concentrations are much lower than in the contexts though P2O5 is higher in the bead samples. The soil samples from the contexts of the area does not show high values for almost all the measured elements. Thus, indicating that the soils are local while the beads may have been prepared with sands brought from other areas. The carbon dating has dated that this burial belongs to the period from 500- 507 B.C.
Potentials of Underwater Cultural Heritage Towards Tourism in Galle, Sri Lanka: Perspectives of Tourism Service Providers and Maritime Archaeologists
(Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, 2020) Fernando, Rishini; Rathnayake, Suvimali
Travelling to visit places with Underwater Cultural Heritage is becoming a significant niche tourism type worldwide. Because of its remarkable position in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka has always been a hub for sea trade. This makes Sri Lanka possess an abundant of Underwater Cultural Heritage. There lies a great amount of underwater cultural artefacts beneath the sea near Galle as the city has served as a harbour for a long time. This study was conducted to identify the contribution of Underwater Cultural Heritage towards tourism in Galle. The objectives of the study were, to identify the role that Underwater Cultural Heritage plays in tourism in Galle, to identify the destination capabilities of Galle to fulfil those requirements and to understand the ways that Underwater Cultural Heritage can be benefitted from tourism. The qualitative approach was adopted in this study. Data were collected from tourism service providers around Galle, maritime archaeologists and museum officers through semistructured interviews. The collected data were analyzed using the content analysis method. Major findings of this research include the strengths of the Galle area in terms of underwater cultural heritage, the great interest of tourists towards underwater cultural heritage and current weaknesses in the management of these values in the field of tourism. It was revealed that both tourism and underwater heritage could be mutually benefitted because of each phenomena’s presence through an integrated approach.
Promoting Peace Through Tourism
(Journal of Archaeology, Tourism & Anthropology, 2020) Wijayawickrama, Erangi
This paper discusses the relationship between peace and tourism and the way how tourism leadsto peace. Tourism doesn’t have a direct link with peace. But in several ways, tourism open paths to way for peace. Tourism should be designed and conducted properly to proceed and to maintain peace in society. Tourism in itself is a complex phenomenon. There are many benefits of the tourism industry. Of them implementing peace can be identified as one benefit. Peace means the absence of violence. In society, we can identify the structural violence which happens due to a lack of economic, social, political imbalance in many ways. The main reason for the structural violence is poverty. By implementing the tourism industry in society, it can be used to eliminate poverty by increasing economic development. Then indirectly Tourism has made the path for peace. Tourism is an extremely complex phenomenon through which identities and worldviews are continuously being represented, consumed, reconfirmed, negotiated and modified. This article describes separately peace, tourism and the relationship between tourism and peace. Tourism means a trip or a visit to an unknown place or a new place from the home place. By that tourists will meet different cultural people, and will understand the diversity of cultures as well as will learn the importance of respecting the diversity. This phenomenon also helps to share love and harmony with culturally different people. It will be an initiating point to begin peace in the world.
Recently discovered Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic Sites of Jodhpur district, Rajasthan, Western India: A Report based on preliminary observations
(Journal of Archaeology, Tourism & Anthropology, 2020) Dibyopama, Astha
Intensive and extensive exploration of archaeological explorations were carried out in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan Western India, by Dibyopama (2010). As the result of these surveys, two Upper Paleolithic and four Mesolithic sites were discovered. This is a significant contribution to the overall Archaeology of the Jodhpur district. This paper presents a preliminary report on the Microliths found in the Jodhpur district of the Rajasthan. Sites are located near the dry channel in the dunes of the Thar Desert. Microlithic tools along with lithic debitage were recovered from few localities in late Pleistocene contexts and some along with historical pottery.
Reviewing the Paleo- Biological Remains of Rajagala Mahalena Cave in The Eastern Province of Sri Lanka
(Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, 2020) K.M, Alexander; G, Ranasinghe; M.D.I.K, Abeynayake; E.G.J, Suranga; S., Satish
The Rajagala is the dry lowland of the island, which lies at or below 900m asl, is confined to the north-central and southeastern parts of Sri Lanka. The zone comprises a plain rarely rising above c.40 m asl, but which contains isolated eroded remnants or monadnocks. The site of Rajagala is spread over 1025 acres consisting of more than 700 archaeological remains of prehistoric and historic periods. Preliminary investigations revealed that prehistoric human activity took place in the natural cave of the area before the third century BC. Accordingly, from 2016 to 2019, a selected cave called Maha Lena (ML) was excavated for further investigation. This cave was excavated jointly by Deccan College and the University of Sri Jayawardanepura. Excavations in 2018 and 2019 revealed a large number of prehistoric evidences. Among them are stone tools, bone tools, animal bones, and botanical remains. The main focus of this research paper is to analyze the biological remains found during the excavation of the ML Cave and to assess what the past environment was like through it. We have very limited knowledge of prehistoric research and information in the Eastern Province compared to the Low land Wet Zone of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the focus was on research questions on the subsistence of prehistoric humans living in the caves of the Eastern Province and how environmental conditions have changed concerning the wet zone. Faunal and botanical remains have been recorded from ML, denoting the prevalence of climatic conditions similar to those of the present.
Role of Information Technology in heritage tourism: UNESCO World Heritage sites of Sri Lanka
(Journal of Archaeology, Tourism & Anthropology, 2020) Abeysinghe, A.; Abeysinghe, A.
Heritage and Information Technology (IT) may seem inconsistent at first. But IT has a significant role in heritage tourism. IT provides effective resources by which heritage tourism has evolved as a modern tool without harming its cultural and heritage identity. IT applications in heritage tourism include many disciplines of computer science from workflow to archaeological discovery as well as to scientific preparation. As such, there are diverse areas of cooperation as well as interaction at different levels. The use of IT as a tool in heritage tourism has paved the way for a three-dimensional (3D) model with the use of input data such as photos and scans. At the same time, computer graphics have created accurate visual creations. Several applications of IT in heritage tourism such as 3-D Modelling, database management of records, online reservation systems, Content Management and marketing via websites and social media can be identified. In this age of Information Technology and with the fast access of information, tourists at present require fast and accurate information and they have a thirst for knowledge about the destinations they visit. Hence, it is the duty of stakeholders of heritage tourism to provide the necessary information for tourists without harming the historical and cultural nature as well as the value of the site while using modern technology and preserving heritage tourism for future generations. This paper will focus on the role of IT in heritage tourism in UNESCO World Heritage sites in Sri Lanka for enriching visitor experiences at World Heritage sites in Sri Lanka during the travel cycle. At present, the majority of tourists local as well as foreign accumulate information about World Heritage sites, make reservations as well as buy services available in relevant sites using search engines.
Roman Artistic Motifs Found on the Sculpture of Eastern Frontispiece of Abhayagiriya
(Journal of Archaeology, Tourism & Anthropology, 2020) Biyanwila, A.
Ancient art is neither compact nor concise. It inspires and is inspired incessantly. Ancient Sri Lankan Art does not escape this truth. The presence of Indian influences such as Andhra, Gandhara, Mathura, Amaravati in Sri Lankan art has been discussed extensively. This paper discusses the Roman artistic influences on sculpture found at Eastern Vahalkada/frontispiece/Aika or Frontispiece of Abhayagiriya, Anuradhapura. The Roman motifs of candelabrum, cupids and griffins found at Abhayagiriya which is also composed of Acanthus foliage reminds us of ancient Roman art. This paper will analyze the said motifs extensively and it will compare each of the above motifs with the original forms and iconography to show the intended inspiration from the Roman artistic tradition. The analysis of the artistic motifs would then prove a possibility of cultural exchange between Ancient Sri Lanka and Rome which have rarely been discussed. This presence could not be missed, when it is supported by the historical proof of the presence of trade and political links between Sri Lanka and Rome. Hence, this paper will be studying a single case that will study Roman influences in Ancient Sri Lankan art and it will suffice to show that no form of art is exclusive but open and inspirational.
Scientific Investigation of Ancient Sri Lankan Private Labor Room (Thimbiri Geya)
(Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, 2020) Rathnayake, U. S.; Suratissa, D.M.; Hashan, T.; Siriwardena, K.N.T.; Udugama, D.C.
Sri Lanka is a proud nation in the world for its ancient architectural and irrigational structures. Unlike today, the hospitals were not served for purpose of natural labor and delivery. Most of the houses have had a private labor room (Thimbiri Geya) for the purpose. However, the architectural plan of the labor room was different from the other bedrooms of the house. The room had provided the better quality of hygienic level and health conditions to the expecting mothers and the newborn babies. The room was sometimes used for other functions including the control of epidemic diseases, control of post childbirth psychosis and for healing wounds. It is interested to understand the scientific concepts behind this labor room and then, to learn and practice them if possible, for today’s world. Therefore, experiments were carried out using three sample labor rooms (3×4 square feet sized) under the same environmental conditions to scientifically investigate the ancient architecture. Unit A were constructed similar to the ancient labor room while unit B was constructed similar to the ancient labor room, but the walls were built by cement blocks and unit C was constructed according to the modern-day room with cement floors. These three rooms were monitored for atmospheric temperature, atmospheric humidity, dissolved oxygen (DO) of water samples of well water and pipe born water and microbial actions on some selected food (bread, meat and fish). It was found out that the room temperature and humidity levels of unit A were much lower to the other rooms and the three strata of floor in unit A could be reason for those. In addition, higher DO levels and lower microbial activities were recorded in unit A. The results suggest the usage of ancient system is a way forward approach in the path of sustainability in health care facilities in the modern world. However, it is also advised to have more experiments in a longer time span to reveal more interesting features of the ancient labor room (Thimbiri Geya) in Sri Lanka.