Libraries in Sri Lanka: Their Origin and History from Ancient Times to the Present Time

In Sri Lanka elephants are endangered and ivory carving, as an art, is dead. Sri Lanka was once famous for the number and quality of its elephants, whose tusks were carved and exported since ancient times. Although Sri Lanka became, successively, a pivotal outpost for the Portuguese, Dutch and English, details about the Ceylonese ivory trade appear in trade documents only rarely. And yet, if information is not to be found there, does that mean ivory trade did not occur? Trade documents, after all, do not tell the whole story. Smugglers, illegal traders, big game hunters and plantation owners all played a part in the disappearance of elephants and its corollary, the ivory trade. When archival evidence is viewed in combination with physical evidence and the anecdotes of visitors and residents, it becomes evident that ivory remained an integral part of trade and crafts in Ceylon well into the last century.

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SPIRITUALITY, ANCIENT TIMES AND PIONEER SKILL: PIONEER AWARENESS CREATION ON A FAMOUS RELIGIOUS SITE IN SRI LANKA

10.37547/iscrc-intconf07-01 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

R.P. Ranjan Madugalle ◽

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Work Force ◽

Ancient Times ◽

Types Of Information ◽

Religious Site ◽

Military Work

The pursuit of this paper1 is coordinated to talk about the "compelling" part of pioneer information in the desultory developments of one of the famous journey locales, Sri Pada in Sri Lanka. What I investigate here is the manner by which distinctive legitimate talks arise about Sri Pada from the diverse pilgrim skill, Portuguese 1505-1687 , Dutch 1687-1896 and British 1896-1948 . As we currently know, legitimate talk on the 'colonized' was to a great extent created through the specialists of the provincial governments, military work force, Christian preachers, philologists and chairmen. In such manner, Sri Pada was not outstanding. I'm mindful that these types of information creation change with changes in the acts of expansionism. In this regard, I examine what gets recognized and checked by pilgrim approved information as 'Adam's Peak'.

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Cross-Cultural Influences on the Language of the Sri Lankan Malays

African and Asian Studies ◽

10.1163/156921009x458091 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 222-238 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya

Keyword(s):

Seventeenth Century ◽

Sri Lanka ◽

Cultural Influences ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Sri Lankan ◽

Territorial Expansion ◽

Cultural Contact ◽

Ancient Times ◽

Multicultural Setting

Abstract Although Sri Lanka has had links with the Malays from ancient times, the Sri Lankan Malays trace their ancestry only from the mid-seventeenth century. Taking into account the process of global commercial interactions and territorial expansion, this paper demonstrates the effects of cross-cultural contact in the language of the Sri Lanka Malays illustrated through typological alterations and lexical changes in a multilingual and multicultural setting.

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Accounting in ancient Sri Lanka: some evidence of the accounting and auditing practices of Buddhist monasteries during 815—1017 AD

Accounting History ◽

10.1177/1032373208098554 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 14 (1-2) ◽

pp. 101-120 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Gregory A. Liyanarachchi

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Religious Institution ◽

Record Keeping ◽

Ancient Times ◽

Peculiar Nature

This article identifies evidence of the accounting and auditing practices that prevailed in ancient Sri Lanka (from 815 to 1017 AD) and discusses motives for using such practices by a religious institution. The archival method is used to collect data. The main sources of data collected are detailed translations of rock inscriptions, which have been carried out by various personnel. Archival evidence shows that the Buddhist monasteries were required to keep accounting records and to annually read these records aloud publicly. Considering the peculiar nature of the Buddhist monastery, this study concludes that accounting was relied upon to maintain the reputation of a monastery and that of its members, and to maintain goodwill among Buddhist monks, rulers, and people. The prevalence of accounting and auditing practices in ancient Sri Lanka adds further support to the theory that the origin of record keeping and accounting practices dates back to ancient times.

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Abstract #604: Detection of Cardiovascular Risk Factors by Anthropometric Measures in Adults Living in an Urban Setting in Sri Lanka

Endocrine Practice ◽

10.1016/s1530-891x(20)42668-0 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 21 ◽

pp. 114-115

Author(s):

Kavinga Gunawardane ◽

Noel Somasundaram ◽

Neil Thalagala ◽

Pubudu Chulasiri ◽

Sudath Fernando

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Sri Lanka ◽

Cardiovascular Risk Factors ◽

Urban Setting ◽

Anthropometric Measures

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Prevalence of Suicidal Ideation in Sri Lanka

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 30-35 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sudath Samaraweera ◽

Athula Sumathipala ◽

Sisira Siribaddana ◽

S. Sivayogan ◽

Dinesh Bhugra

Keyword(s):

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Sri Lanka ◽

General Population ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

National Average ◽

The West ◽

Suicide Methods ◽

Suicide Rates ◽

Completed Suicide ◽

The World

Background: Suicidal ideation can often lead to suicide attempts and completed suicide. Studies have shown that Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world but so far no studies have looked at prevalence of suicidal ideation in a general population in Sri Lanka. Aims: We wanted to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation by randomly selecting six Divisional Secretariats (Dss) out of 17 in one district. This district is known to have higher than national average rates of suicide. Methods: 808 participants were interviewed using Sinhala versions of GHQ-30 and Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation. Of these, 387 (48%) were males, and 421 (52%) were female. Results: On Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation, 29 individuals (4%) had active suicidal ideation and 23 (3%) had passive suicidal ideation. The active suicidal ideators were young, physically ill and had higher levels of helplessness and hopelessness. Conclusions: The prevalence of suicidal ideation in Sri Lanka is lower than reported from the West and yet suicide rates are higher. Further work must explore cultural and religious factors.

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Suicide on the Indian Subcontinent

Crisis ◽

10.1027//0227-5910.23.3.104 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 104-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Murad M. Khan

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Mental Health Professionals ◽

Indian Subcontinent ◽

Interpersonal Relationship ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Elderly Subjects ◽

Important Public Health Problem ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Formidable Challenge ◽

Causative Factors

Summary: The Indian subcontinent comprises eight countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan, and the Maldives) and a collective population of more than 1.3 billion people. 10% of the world's suicides (more than 100,000 people) take place in just three of these countries, viz. India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. There is very little information on suicides from the other four countries. Some differences from suicides in Western countries include the high use of organophosphate insecticides, larger numbers of married women, fewer elderly subjects, and interpersonal relationship problems and life events as important causative factors. There is need for more and better information regarding suicide in the countries of the Indian subcontinent. In particular, studies must address culture-specific risk factors associated with suicide in these countries. The prevention of this important public health problem in an area of the world with myriad socio-economic problems, meager resources, and stigmatization of mental illness poses a formidable challenge to mental health professionals, policy makers, and governments of these countries.

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