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Social Class In Sri Lanka
Social class in Sri Lanka is often described as casteless, though caste is still found on the island in both a symbolic and a practical sense. Caste is also used in an analogous sense to refer to the new social class divisions that have appeared in recent decades. The combination of ethnic nationalist movements that saw caste as an island-wide dividing tool, strong emphasis on providing access to education and healthcare regardless of background, and historic lack of discrimination among the colonial civil service played a factor in eradicating the caste system in most sectors of the island's society. Although the Buddhist culture actively fought against all forms of class discrimination, many Buddhist organizations used caste as a method to extract surplus from temple property. History Lanka Caste system Buddhism rejects casteism as a fundamental principle of its worldview, and this had an effect on reducing the severity of the caste system on the island. Notably, the highes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism (), or equalitarianism, is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds from the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all humans are equal in fundamental worth or moral status. Egalitarianism is the doctrine that all citizens of a state should be accorded exactly equal rights. Egalitarian doctrines have motivated many modern social movements and ideas, including the Enlightenment, feminism, civil rights, and international human rights. The term ''egalitarianism'' has two distinct definitions in modern English, either as a political doctrine that all people should be treated as equals and have the same political, economic, social and civil rights, or as a social philosophy advocating the removal of economic inequalities among people, economic egalitarianism, or the decentralization of power. Sources define egalitarianism as equality reflecting the natur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deva People
The Deva are a mythical people of Sri Lanka according to the Sanskrit epics. According to the Mahavamsa and Ramayana they lived among the Naga, Yakkha and Raskha. They ousted their arch enemies the Raskha from Sri Lanka, with the help of Lord Vishnu. They were then subsequently conquered by King Ravana of the Raskha. After the Yakkhas had left to live in the mountains and remote dense forests, they met Gautama Buddha who converted them to Buddhism.W. L. Wijayawansa . (2009). Curbing the tribesmen . Available: http://www.dailynews.lk/2009/12/31/fea25.asp . Last accessed 17 March 2010.John M. Senaveratna (1997). The Story of the Sinhalese. Colombo: Asian Educational Services. According to the Mahavamsa, Gautama Buddha met the Deva at Mahiyangana. Buddha gave Sumana Saman (A leader of the Deva) a few hairs from his head, which were placed in a golden urn and enshrined in a sapphire stupa. A buddhist monk called Sarabhu is then said to have deposited Buddha's ashes in this Stupa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jaggery
Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in colour. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibres. Jaggery is very similar to muscovado, an important sweetener in Portuguese, British and French cuisine. The Kenyan Sukari ngutu/nguru has no fibre; it is dark and is made from sugar cane and also sometimes extracted from palm tree. Etymology Jaggery comes from Portuguese terms , , derived from Malayalam (), Kannada (), Hindi () from Sanskrit () or also in Hindi, (gur). It is a doublet of sugar. Origins and production Jaggery is made of the products of sugarcane and the toddy palm tree. The suga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wahumpura
Dewa people were one of the four main tribes (Dewa, Yaksha, Naga, Raksha) of ancient Sri Lanka who founded the coalition of Sinhalese nationality. Sinhalese people (Sinhala: සිංහල ජනතාව, romanized: Sinhala Janathāva) are an Asura ethnic group of the island of Sri Lanka. They were historically known as Hela people (Sinhala: හෙළ), Ceylonese islanders, and Sinhalese islanders. They constitute about 75% of the Sri Lankan population and number greater than 16.2 million. The Sinhalese identity is based on language, cultural heritage and nationality. The Sinhalese people speak Sinhala, an insular Indo-Aryan language, and are predominantly Theravada Buddhists, although a minority of Sinhalese follow branches of Christianity and other religions. Etymology Dewa (/ˈdeɪvə/; Sinhala: දේව, Deva) tribe of Sinhalese in Sri Lanka is the only ancient Sinhalese tribe which still could be recognized in the island where Sinhalese nationality was founded. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kingdom Of Kandy
The Kingdom of Kandy was a monarchy on the island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Initially a client kingdom of the Kingdom of Kotte, Kandy gradually established itself as an independent force during the tumultuous 16th and 17th centuries, allying at various times with the Jaffna Kingdom, the Madurai Nayak dynasty of South India, Sitawaka Kingdom, and the Dutch colonizers to ensure its survival. From the 1590s, it was the sole independent native polity on the island of Sri Lanka and through a combination of hit-and-run tactics and diplomacy kept European colonial forces at bay, before finally falling under British colonial rule in 1818. The kingdom was absorbed into the British Empire as a protectorate following the Kandyan Convention of 1815, and definitively lost its autonomy following the Uva Rebellion of 1817. Name Over the years, the Kingdom of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Central Highlands Of Sri Lanka
Central Highlands of Sri Lanka is a recognised world Heritage Site in Sri Lanka. The site comprises the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest. These are rain forests, where the elevation reaches above sea level. The region harbors a variety of mammal species including the bear monkey, ''Trachypithecus vetulus monticola'', (a subspecies of purple-faced langur) and the Horton Plains slender loris, ''Loris tardigradus nycticeboides'', (a subspecies of red slender loris). This is the first Sri Lankan World Heritage site to be designated in 22 years, since the Sinharaja Forest Reserve was enlisted in 1988. Originally submitted for inscription as a mixed cultural and natural site, the Committee recognized only the natural values of the site. On 31 July 2010, the World Heritage Committee holding its 34th session in Brasília inscribed Central Highlands of Sri Lanka and Papahānaumokuākea of Hawaii as new World Heritage S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salagama
Salagama (also known as ''Saliya'' and ''Salagama Brahakmana Vanshaya'') is a Sinhalese caste found mostly in the southern coastal areas of Sri Lanka. The community was traditionally associated with the cultivation and management of cinnamon and were formerly also involved as weavers and soldiers. Etymology The Salagamas were also known as ''Saliya,'' also spelled ''Chaliya''. The name is presumably derived from Chale of Kerala. History Origins The Salagamas trace their roots back to the Coromandel Coast and Malabar Coast of South India, and settled in the southern coastal areas of Sri Lanka. Their ancestors were a weaving community who were known as ''Saliya'' also known as ''Devanga'' Chettiar of South India. Some Salagamas also have the ''vasagama'' or surname "Nambudirige" meaning "of the Nambudiri", which Prof. Gananath Obeyesekere deems as a spurious attempt by the caste to elevate their status to that of the Nambudiri Brahmins of Kerala (Due to caste competition with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karava
Karava () is a Sinhalese speaking ethnic group of Sri Lanka, whose ancestors from ancient times migrated from the Coromandel coast, claiming lineage to the Kaurava royalty of the old Kingdom of Kuru in Northern India. The Tamil equivalent is Karaiyar. Both groups are also known as the Kurukula (Kuru clan). The last mass migration to Sri Lanka happened in the 15th century from Tamil Nadu to fight against the Mukkuvar confederation as mentioned in the Mukkara Hatana. They have also given great importance to trade and commerce. The elite families are involved in entrepreneurial activities including the development of plantation agriculture such as coconut, tea and rubber. Etymology The origins of the term ''Karava'' are still debated. The name might be a modified version of the Tamil ''Karaiyar'', where "Karava" has the same root word ''kara'' or ''karai'' meaning "coast" or "shore" in Tamil. The name "Karava" has also been proposed to be a corruption of the Sanskrit name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Durava
Durave or Durava or Durawa are a southern coastal Sinhalese caste in Sri Lanka. Their traditional occupation is toddy tapping. They trace their ancestry to medieval period migrants from South India. The term Durave arise from Tamil word Duraivan (துறைவன்) means person belongs to port region. The caste of Duraivan still exist in the district of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu where they indulge in fishing, toddy taping and trade. Current status They were converted to Catholic religion soon after arrival of Portuguese colonials in 1505 ACE. Using this opportunity they have upgraded themselves in relation to the dominant Govigama caste. They along with other southern Sinhalese castes such as Karave and Salagama have played an important role in the historically left political and right parties. They are mostly Theravada Buddhists today and were instrumental in the revival of Buddhism during the British colonial period. The un-Buddhistic practice of caste discrimination ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
