The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Lecture cites South Indian influence on Sinhala festivals

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Sunday, May 18, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Lecture cites South Indian influence on Sinhala festivals

Special Correspondent

The lecture was organised by the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission

CHENNAI: The Sixth Vesak commemoration lecture was organised by the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Southern India here on Saturday.

Delivering the lecture on ‘Influence of South Indian Religious Practices on Buddhism in Sri Lanka’, Prof. Tissa Kariyawasam, former Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Sri Jayawardenepura, Sri Lanka, said there was homogeneity in culture at least until the beginning of the 11th century.

After drawing lines of demarcation, the early signs of friendship, at least among the royal families of India and Sri Lanka, could be dated back to the time of Asoka. Not only were the kingdoms in the far south but also Sri Lanka got mentioned in the second and thirteenth Edicts of Asoka, he said.

The influence of Hindu festivals, especially of the South Indian festivals, were clearly seen among the Sinhala and Buddhist festivals.

The perahara or the procession of the temple of the Tooth in Kandy was a clear example, he said.

P.M. Amza, Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Southern India, said Sri Lanka’s proud recorded history of over 2,500 years was richly integrated with that of India.

S. Muthiah, historian, said the Vesak is the holiest day for Buddhists.

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