Classical Sinhala Literature

Among the countless narratives that illuminate Buddhist teachings, some enjoy far more retellings than others. 1 The story of an epidemic plague that struck the Licchavi kingdom's capital city of Vaishali (Sanskrit: Vaiśālī; Pali: Vesāli; Sinhala: Viśālā, Visālā, Visāla, Visal) is one that captured the imagination of many generations of Buddhists. 2 Its repeated retellings appear not only in canonical commentaries and other formal monastic compositions, but were transmitted through texts connected to ritual activities, composed by various classes of lay people. This article presents one such example from Sinhala literature of Sri Lanka, Licchavi Kathāva, or "The Licchavi Story," a full recounting of the narrative in verse, meant to be recited at the conclusion of a bali ritual to cure harmful astrological influences. I argue that this edition of the story reflects the sophistication of lay Buddhist literati in eighteenth-century Lanka, as the author crafts his own detailed version of the narrative that reflects his familiarity with a thirteenth-century Sinhala retelling. While some Lankan Buddhists and secular scholars presume bali ceremonies fall outside the bounds of acceptable Buddhist orthodoxy, Licchavi Kathāva conveys nuanced expressions of Buddhist thought within its ritual context. After introducing Licchavi Kathāva to explain its literary history and Buddhist lessons, I offer a full translation of this text.

This is a book length study of the first 100 years (1860-1960) of the short story in Sinhala (anglicized Sinhalese) literature, of the majority community in Sri Lanka (over 70%).  In contemporary times, the Sinhala short story had come to share  the elements of the western short story by the 1960’s, including its exclusively secular nature trimmings, the earliest  collection of this quality dating back to 1924. But  the study begins with the background of the Jàtaka, birth stories of the Buddha,  relating  to both structure and content. Moving over, the study goes on to explore the 19th c. renaissance of the language as well as reader interest, resulting initially as long narrative (novel, published in parts in newspapers) and then short narrative. Moving on to the 20th c., what we find is the western inspiration – Edgar Allen Poe, Guy de Maupassant and Anton Chekov.    The author’s Master’s Thesis at the Vidyalankara  University, done in 1964, it provides the reader a clear picture of the short story in the land. Written in the Sinhala medium, this is the  translation  by Swarna Sugunasiri, graduate of Peradeniya University and a Canadian  educational professional.

uOH;k hq .hg wh;a ixia lD; ldjH idys ;Hfha N+ IKd;a ul ffY,S h ixia lD; idys ;Hh flfrys is ÿ l< n,mEu wreK Ydka ; fmd;= ms áh m% d:ñl ft;s ydis l hq .h mYa pd;a ffjÈl hq .h mq rdK hq .h iy wdl% uK hq .fha ks udj;a iu`. uOH;k hq .fha wdrïNh is ÿ fõ fuu hq . myiq fjka m% fNa o fldg oela jQ kuq ;a l% s ;= jis ka y`ÿkd.ekS fï § ta lu;s l woyila ke;s neúka th jvd ixlS ¾K j mj;S ieneúka u th bka §h b;s ydih wOHkfha § yuq jk .eg¿jls th foa Ymd,ks l iudc idys ;Hh l,dj wd.u wd § wx.hka f.ka mjd úIo jk lreKls úoa j;a u; ls ys mhla fï hq .h iïnka Ofhka yuq jk w;r iq ¿fjka fyda ta ms <s n`o úuiS u wfma CIs ; m, idOkh flfrys w;HjYH h

Woman has been a subject of discussion, viewed from a number of perspectives as beauty, love, sexuality and a financial object from ancient times to the present as can be traced in a vast volume of literature in the world. According to the theories of Sanskrit literature as reflected in the works of poets and dramatists like Kalidasa, Sri Harshadeva, Bhasa &#39;Woman&#39; is something very compulsory for them as a subject for ornation. Such ornation should focus on the woman from heir to feet with an ornated language&#39;. According to the cross-cultural communication between India and Sri Lanka, many Sinhalese theatre directors have taken &#39;woman and the sexuality&#39; as a tool for the performances from the beginning to the present time. This fact naturally leads through the achievements of financial situation of the performances. Therefore theatre directors have focused on how the woman&#39;s beauty and gracefulness are important for a play. These attributes of women are integ...

The significance of this volume of twelve essays lies principally in its collective effort to reassess the importance of global connections in Sri Lanka's history up to 1850. Previous historical writing had sporadically dealt with this theme. For instance, in the area of ancient history the writings of Sri Lankan scholars such as Senerat Paranavithane, Senake Bandaranayake, and Sudarshan Seneviratne have placed Sri Lanka in the context of archaeological research in India. Historians of medieval Sri Lanka, notably Sirima Kiribamune, W. M. Sirisena, and S. Pathmanathan paid considerable attention to extra-local linkages. Writing on more recent Sri Lankan history, Jorge Flores, S. Arasaratnam, and John Holt (to name but a select few) have made significant contributions to our understanding on how the external world was perceived and received in Sri Lanka up to the mid-19 th Century. Furthermore, thanks to the scholarship of a new generation of scholars (including the editors of this volume), we now know much more on how Sri Lanka was part of the wider worlds of Sanskrit literature, Buddhist learning, Cola power, Islam, and of Western

Digital copies of this work may be made and distributed provided no charge is made and no alteration is made to the content. Reproduction in any other format with the exception of a single copy for private study requires the written permission of the author. All enquiries to

Digital copies of this work may be made and distributed provided no charge is made and no alteration is made to the content. Reproduction in any other format with the exception of a single copy for private study requires the written permission of the author. All enquiries to

Sri Lankan English literature has evolved considerably since independence, gaining the attention and contribution of many literary critics. Even though Sri Lankan English Literature has been explored in diverse ways, a sustained scholarly discussion on Sri Lankan English love poetry is still to be developed. It is in this context that the researchers examine the common characteristics of Sri Lankan English love poetry. In this regard, selected love poems of four poets, Patrick Fernando, Lakdasa Wikkramasinha, Vihanga Perera and Vivimarie VanderPoorten will be examined as they display a cross chronology. The main objective of this study is to make a comparison of the selected poems in order to identify their common characteristics in terms of the perspective and cultural milieu and diction. Moreover, the study also aims to investigate whether these poems reflect the respective sociocultural background. Previous research on Sri Lankan English literature has attempted to discern the re...

means message or communication, and "Kavya" means poetry or poem. Therefore, "Sandesa Kavya" can be translated as "Message Poem" or "Poetry of Communication" in English duties. Samdesa is a word which developed from the root "Dis" with Prefix "Sam" in Sanskrit language in account of " Samdisyateti Samdeshah". Sandesa Kavya is a type of classical Sanskrit poetry that was popular in medieval India. The word "Sandesa" means "message" or "messenger," and the poems are typically written in the form of a message or letter that is sent from one person to another.

This paper studies Naiṣadha in Our Language (Bhāṣānaiṣadhacampu), a 16 th-century Maṇipravāḷam retelling of the Nala and Damayantī tale from Kerala. It focuses on two main aspects of this text, both illustrated by different expressive modes: one 'high,' pulling towards the polished, dense literature of the Sanskrit style, and the other 'low,' pulling towards the performative, the local, and the colloquial. The first is exemplified by reading several verses where Damayantī is struggling to formulate an answer to Nala. Here, I discuss a heightened interest in the depiction of the individual, encapsulated in his or her relationship with and separation from other individuals. The second is illustrated by long prose sections describing men on their way to the wedding. Here, I discuss several allusions to Kerala's contemporary society and literature, and the expressive possibilities of Maṇipravāḷam prose. The association with Śrīharṣa's canonical Sanskrit Naiṣadhacaritam serves as a roadmap to some of the intriguing literary selections of this text.

Sugath Somaweera, a renowned lyricist, has been actively engaged in writing lyrics since the year 2000. Hailing from Nawagaththegama, a rural region in Sri Lanka, his creative journey coincided with a transformative period in the country's media, literature, and cultural spheres during the early 21st century. This article critically examines the literary merits and ideological implications of Sugath's lyrics within the context of this cultural evolution. It is noteworthy to consider Sugath's dual identity as both a traditional literary figure and an empiricist. His artistic endeavors draw heavily from his personal encounters and observations in the rural setting, thereby presenting a profound reflection of the collective consciousness embedded within Sinhalese folk traditions.

This paper aims to study the history and significance of Vibhishana in Sri Lanka, an important character in the Ramayana, one of the two most renowned classical epics originating from India that became popular in South and Southeast Asia. Although the protagonist of the Ramayana, Rama, along with his spouse Sita and ardent ally Hanuman, are venerated throughout Hindu and Buddhist South and Southeast Asia, a Vibhishana cult is only found in Sri Lanka. How this came about is the central question investigated in this paper. Towards this end, historical and cultural factors specific to Sri Lanka are interrogated to tease out the circumstances that have contributed to Vibhishana's divinity. Representations of Vibhishana in literature, art and temple worship are scrutinised to problematise Vibhishana's significance within the Buddhist religious cosmos and his continued relevance even during the recent emergence of the cult of Ravana, his mighty older brother in the Ramayana.

He has conducted extensive research into the Portuguese Empire in Asia, focusing his attention on diplomacy, imperial literature, and the politics of space. In Portuguese academic circles, he is mostly known as an expert on Sri Lanka, studying the European (mainly Portuguese and Dutch) presence and influence on local politics and diplomacy in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He recently coedited a volume on Sri Lankan studies (Sri Lanka at the Crossroads of History [ed. Z. Biedermann and A. Strathern], London, UCL Press, 2017), resulting from a series of seminars and workshops on the subject.

Poetry is enriched with different manifestations of water. The symbolic representation of water in the poetry of British Romantic era and the poetical works of the second wave of Colombo Age is investigated in this research. The study is conducted with reference to John Keats and H.M.Kudaligama. The objectives of this research are to identify the metaphoric manifestations of water while exploring the compatibility of both poets in this regard. The references to water in their poems were extracted from a qualitative investigation of secondary materials. Purity, ferocity, power and resilience of water in their poetic manifestations can be identified as a symbolic representation which respectively draws upon impermanence, transience, fluidity, changeability, non-stagnation, renewability and complexity of life. Thus, it can be argued that there is an allegorical perception of water in both poets despite the temporal and special distinction both poets.

This research which investigates the impact of Buddhist moral philosophy on Sinhala poetry was conducted under the analytical method. The impact of Buddhism on Sri Lankan culture is a pivotal factor. It is perceived in ancient and modern literature as well. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of Buddhist moral philosophy upon the aesthetic quality of poetry. Religious influence often tends to restrict poetic freedom and thus decreases the quality of a poetic work. Yet, it is different in terms of Sinhala literature. Instead of setting limitations, Buddhist moral philosophy has contributed to developing an artistic value. Wimalarathna Kumaragama, who belongs to the second wave of Sri Lankan Romantic poetry, was immensely influenced by Buddhist philosophy. Generally the poetry of this era attempts to protect religious ideologies and morality at large. Likewise, most of Kumaragama's poems are based on a Buddhist social background. His poetic works; 'Walas Dadayama', 'Ayyanayaka' and 'Herathhami' are such instances. Kumaragama has incorporated moral philosophy into his poetry in an artistic manner instead of a mere direct expression. There is a mature and literary-critical reading on immoral activities including killing, robbing, and telling lies. Thus, it was unraveled through this research paper that Kumaragama's poetry is impregnated with a sense of Buddhist moral philosophy.

The development of Sinhala literature and Buddhist culture in Sri Lanka between the tenth and sixteenth centuries CE reveals a complex negotiation of appropriating elements of Indic culture and distinguishing their Sinhala variants. Vernacular traditions of writing and worshipping emphasized the island’s differences from the mainland, despite (or perhaps because of) the invasions and cultural imports from South India. Examining the use of a literary vernacular, praise poetry, and messenger poetry in Sinhala, this article explores medieval Sri Lankan efforts to appropriate and ultimately rival the literary and religious cultures from the neighboring subcontinent.

Sinhala poetry composed between the 13th and 16th centuries in Sri Lanka shows how the attractive bodies of men and women contributed to the narrative construction of praiseworthy kings. Leading men combine martial power with beauty, and they are frequently identified by name and attributed with an agency that emerges out of the exemplary bodies they possess. Women, however, are more often presented as nameless, sensual figures that contribute to the power and majesty of kings. The male-female binary in such poetry employed gendered bodies for the sake of making Buddhist kings appear more like venerable bodhisattvas.

THE SPATIALLY BOUNDED FORM of the small island or constellation of small islands has often been a convenient receptacle for the idea of the polity, whether precolonial, colonial, or national. At the same time, the island space has generated a rich and contradictory discourse encompassing ideas of utopia, paradise, sexuality, degeneration, and disease. As Greg Dening magisterially writes of the Marquesas, "Crossing beaches is always dramatic. From land to sea and from sea to land is a long journey and either way the voyager is left a foreigner and an outsider." 1 Yet scholars have been taken captive by the structural ease and descriptive density with which islands have been made in history, so that an island or group of islands has seemed a natural unit of analysis. Dening's point that islands are essentially polyglot is critical. In creating island states and peoples, colonists and nationalists buried the creole and hybrid in a turn to the indigenous, endangered, and fragile. In other words, they searched after what was apparently found in the island and nowhere else.

Based on an analysis of the Culladhanuggaha Jātaka and its Sri Lankan theatrical adaptations (the Manamé Kōlama and Ediriweera Sarachchandra’s play Manamé Nātakaya), the paper explores the relationship between myth and art.  It uses Aleksei Fyodorovich Losev’s theory of myth as the framework for the analysis of the Culladhanuggaha Jātaka as myth and the changes that the story undergoes when it enters the realm of art.  The paper argues that while the transference of the story from myth to art strips the story of much of its mythical character, the story even in its new context remains tied to the notion of myth in an important manner.  The paper concludes with the argument that the theatrical pieces in question embody a broader consciousness defined by both the mythical consciousness and the poetic consciousness in the Losevian sense of the terms.