Category Archives: Indian religions

January 25, 2021 · 2:11 pm

The 43 Group in Ceylon: Their Story

Rohan de Soysa,  copy of a PowerPoint Presentation made to the National Trust of Sri Lanka on September 29, 2016 by Rohan de Soysa transcribed into text format …. with coloured underlining [as distinct from that in black] being emphasis imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

The Origins: The `43 Group was the first modern art movement in Sri Lanka. It arose because a group of artists felt that the art being practiced and taught at the time was too academic and rigid; nor did it attempt to follow new developments in European art since the early 20th Century. They therefore decided to form a group more open to these new developments but with a distinct Ceylonese stamp and flavour.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under architects & architecture, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, charitable outreach, cultural transmission, democratic measures, economic processes, education, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, paintings, patriotism, performance, photography, politIcal discourse, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, teaching profession, the imaginary and the real, unusual people, world events & processes

January 1, 2021 · 9:24 am

Charting Anagarika Dharmapala’s Many Pursuits

Nandasiri Jasentuliyana, reviewing  Bhadrajee S. Hewage’s book “A NAME FOR EVERY CHAPTER: Anagarika Dharmapala and Ceylonese Buddhist Revivalism”

‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ – Socrates.

Rarely has so much been written both in the West and in the East about the work of a ‘revivalist,’ that one would conclude there is nothing left to be revealed of the man or his work. That is until you read Bhadrajee Hewage’s “Anagarika Dharmapala and Ceylonese Buddhist Revivalism.”

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, British imperialism, Buddhism, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, disparagement, economic processes, education, fundamentalism, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, life stories, literary achievements, nationalism, patriotism, pilgrimages, politIcal discourse, religiosity, religious nationalism, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, teaching profession, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes

December 23, 2020 · 3:46 pm

A Refreshing New Study of the Anagarika Dharmapala’s Endeavours

Nandi Jasentuliyana, former Deputy Director-General, the United Nations. reviewing Bhadrajee Hewage’s new book,  viz., A Name for Every Chapter: Anagarika Dharmapala and Ceylonese Buddhist Revivalism,  in the Sunday Times, 20 December 2020 where the title is different.

The unexamined life is not worth living.’ – Socrates.

Rarely has so much been written both in the West and in the East about the work of a ‘revivalist,’ that one would conclude there is nothing left to be revealed of the man or his work. That is until you read Bhadrajee Hewage’s “Anagarika Dharmapala and Ceylonese Buddhist Revivalism.”

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under authoritarian regimes, British colonialism, Buddhism, chauvinism, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, disparagement, education, education policy, ethnicity, fundamentalism, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, life stories, literary achievements, politIcal discourse, power politics, religiosity, religious nationalism, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, vengeance, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes, zealotry

December 23, 2020 · 2:44 pm

Dhammika Thera’s History of Bodh Gaya

S. Dhammika

The town of Bodh Gaya in the north Indian state of Bihar is the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment and the most sacred place in the Buddhist world. For over 2000 years pilgrims have made their way to Bodh Gaya from every corner of Asia, often leaving records of their visit in inscriptions, memoirs, travelogues and even graffiti. Using these and other sources the book chronicles the place’s long and fascinating history. It recounts the magnificent ceremonies that once took place there, the saints and scholars associated with it and the various legends that grew up around it. Including previously overlooked information it also challenges the popular belief that Bodh Gaya was destroyed at the end on the 12th century and was forgotten and unvisited by Buddhist pilgrims for the next 700 years. This book should prove to be of interest to Indologists and social historians as well as to Buddhists.

Catalogue No.  BP630s  Language:  English
Publisher:  Buddhist Publication Society………

e-mail: bps@bps.lk.……….Tel:  .94 81 2237283 …. Fax: +94 81 2223679

Type: Book  Category:
ISBN:  978-955-24-0433-7  (2018)  (Paperback)
Pages:  146   Size: 145 x 226 mm

Price: $4.00     Rs. 225

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under art & allure bewitching, Buddhism, charitable outreach, cultural transmission, education, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, life stories, meditations, pilgrimages, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes

November 16, 2020 · 10:24 am

Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur: A Eleventh Century Marvel

Courtesy of Cyril Ernst in California and Buddy Reid in Melbourne who brought this marvellous architectural feat to Thuppahi’s attention

For DETAILS watch this Video:

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under architects & architecture, art & allure bewitching, Indian religions, landscape wondrous, performance, pilgrimages, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes

November 8, 2020 · 8:46 am

Tamil Tiger ‘Martyrs’: Regenerating Divine Potency?

This article from my pen was probably drafted in 2004. It appeared in Studies in Conflict  & Terrorism vol. 28 in 2005 after the usual refereeing process. Some of the details and arguments have, in fact, been obliterated within my fading memory. For this reason, it was a refreshing READ for me and brought up specific details that are pertinent to any debate surrounding the motivations that induce self-immolation, jihadist killings of a suicidal nature, et cetera… The Bibilography will also aid present investigations though, of course, other writings have appeared since then on Islamic jihadists and other martyrdom operations…. Michael Roberts, 8 November 2020 … The photographs are fresh additions … and so too the highlighting within the text.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, ancient civilisations, art & allure bewitching, authoritarian regimes, communal relations, cultural transmission, energy resources, female empowerment, heritage, historical interpretation, immolation, Indian religions, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, martyrdom, patriotism, politIcal discourse, prabhakaran, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, suicide bombing, Tamil Tiger fighters, the imaginary and the real, unusual people, vengeance, war reportage, world events & processes

November 3, 2020 · 1:02 am

The Muslim Commitment to Allah: Desultory Thoughts

An Invitation. Your Thoughts from Michael Roberts  …. sent to SELECT PALS on 31 October 2020

I just caught parts of  THE HARD TALK grilling of a French lady politician [by Stephen Sackur]. One problem with journalism is its wholly presentist focus//limits. In my view the recent jihadist attacks in France cannot be comprehended without looking at the motivations and goals of, say

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, ancient civilisations, cultural transmission, disparagement, fundamentalism, heritage, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian religions, Islamic fundamentalism, jihad, landscape wondrous, life stories, martyrdom, nationalism, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, propaganda, security, self-reflexivity, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, unusual people, vengeance, violence of language, world events & processes, zealotry

August 30, 2020 · 7:46 pm

French Nude contaminates Sacred Bridge in India

ONE: BBC News Item …. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53965747

A French woman has been arrested in India for making a video of herself naked on a sacred bridge in the northern city of Rishikesh. The video, shot on the Lakshman Jhula bridge, was posted on social media. The woman faces charges under India’s internet law, and could be sentenced to up to three years in prison if found guilty, AFP news agency reports.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, commoditification, cultural transmission, heritage, Indian religions, legal issues, life stories, performance, religiosity, self-reflexivity, slanted reportage, travelogue, Uncategorized, unusual people, wild life, world events & processes

August 7, 2020 · 5:15 am

Ravana Fables penetrate Sri Lanka’s Historical Terrain

PK Balachandran

When the media reported that the Sri Lankan Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has issued a newspaper advertisement in Sinhala urging people to share documents, books, and research material on Ravana, the legendary king of Lanka, it was not a surprise for students of Sri Lankan nationalism. Far from being a villain (as portrayed in Valmiki’s Ramayana), Ravana has been celebrated by the majority Sinhalese in Sri Lanka as a cultured and creative icon and a defender of the island against a foreign invader.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, chauvinism, cultural transmission, education, elephant tales, fundamentalism, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, Indian traditions, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, slanted reportage, Sri Lankan scoiety, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, world events & processes

June 28, 2020 · 1:44 pm

A Voyage into the National Archives via Experienced Hands Speaking on You Tube

ABSORB THIS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz6zMy9Hf1U&t=924s​

ජාතික ලේඛනාගාරයේ විකාශය හා වටිනාකම 22 June 2020

වර්ෂ 2017 දෙසැම්බර් මස ජාතික ලේඛනාගාරයේ වාචික ඉතිහාසය සුරැකීමේ වැඩසටහන යටතේ, පර්යේෂකයන් සහ ජාතික ලේඛනාරක්ෂක දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ විශ්‍රාමික නිලධාරීන් පිරිසකගේ අත්දැකීම්, පටිගත කරන ලදී. ඒ ඇසුරින් ජාතික ලේඛනාගාරයේ විකාශය සහ එහි වැදගත්කම, ලන්දේසි, බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය සහ නිදහසින් පසු කාල වකවානුවල රාජ්‍ය ලේඛන සහ වෙනත් ලේඛන එකතූන් එනම්, පුවත්පත් එකතූව හා ශ්‍රව්‍ය දෘශ්‍ය ලේඛන, අධිලේඛන පරිශීලනය කළ යුතු ආකාරය, අනාගතයේ දී නව තාක්ෂණය තුළින් ලේඛනාගාරය වෙනස් විය යුතු ආකාරය පිළිබඳ ඔබට ඉතා වැදගත් අදහස් ඇතුළත් සංක්ෂිප්ත වාර්තා වැඩසටහනක් ඉදිරිපත් කරන ලදී….. VIZ  = The Development and Worth of the Department of National Archives

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, ancient civilisations, British imperialism, Buddhism, caste issues, commoditification, communal relations, constitutional amendments, cultural transmission, education, evolution of languages(s), heritage, historical interpretation, immigration, Indian Ocean politics, Indian religions, insurrections, island economy, Kandyan kingdom, land policies, language policies, life stories, literary achievements, modernity & modernization, nationalism, power politics, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes