Symposia & Conferences
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Item The land transportation depicted in Mahāvaṃsa and Dīpavaṃsa from 6th B.C.E to the 3rd C.E(The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, 2017) Gunawardhana, N.According to the written records like the Mahāvaṃsa and the Dīpavaṃsa history of Sri Lanka may have begun from the arrival of the prince Vijaya circa 6th B.C.E. Although the history begins from the 6th century B.C.E., the literary sources were not recorded till the 4th century C.E. The first Chronicle, the Dīpavaṃsa was written between the 4th and 5th C.E., while the Mahāvaṃsa was written a century later in the 5th or 6th C.E. The authors of these Chronicles belonging to the Mahā Vihāra of the orthodox tendency and they have exaggerate the works of some kings who have been sympathetic towards the Mahā Vihāra while those like Mahāsēna who were ardent supporter of the Mahāyāna were criticized. It is also necessary to bear in mind that most of the accounts of these authors are subjected to usual exaggerations. The authors of these Chronicles of the 4th and the 5th centuries impose their values and partial judgments over the events that have taken place in the 6th century B.C.E. The Mahāvaṃsa and the Dīpavaṃsa shed light on the land transportation in ancient Sri Lanka from the 6th B.C.E. The Immigration of Aryan, prove the fact that the land roads were connected with the ports like Mahātittha, Gōkaṇṇa, Jambukōlapattana etc. All these land routes are connected with ancient capital city of Anurādhapura. This paper proposes to discuss the significance of all the transportation methods as well. These accumulated data are analyzed to evaluate the above mentioned topic.Item The Elephants in Brahmi Inscriptions and Mahavamsa(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Gunawardana, N.S.It is undoubtedly accepted that the elephant is an animal that has economic, historic and religious value. The elephant played a significant role in Buddhist tradition. The dream of queen Mahamāya, the story of Nālagiri is famous among the Buddhist community. The objective of this research is to identify the importance of the elephant during the kingdom of Anuradhapura. The elephant trainers were referred to as the “Ati acariya”. The Nāvalārkuḷam inscription in the Ampāra district mentions a cave, donated by a chief of the elephant trainer and the Kaduruväva inscription in the Kurunǟgala district indicates the presence of a superintendent of the elephant. Two elephants called Mahāpadumaya and Kunjaraya have been used by the king to demarcate the boundaries of Mahā Vihāra. An elephant has been used to deposit the relic at the Thuparamaya by Dēvanampiyatissa. In the later period elephants have been used for many activities. King Parakkramabahu I traded elephants with Burma. He used many rules and regulations regarding the trade of elephants. There was a massive demand for pearls extracted from the elephant’s tusk. The kings used to travel on elephants. The elephant is considered an auspicious object. Most of the kings who ruled the kingdom of Anuradhapura had a mangala hasti raja. King Duttagamini had an elephant called Kandula. King Elara and king Kashapa too had mangala hasti rajas. It is said that the elephant is intelligent enough to be selected for kingship. In some occasions subjects have given the opportunity to the mangala hasti to select the king. The elephant has been used to decorate the ceremonies. This paper proposes to discuss the significance of the elephant during the kingdom of Anuradhapura.