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Message: <blockquote data-quote="netlife007" data-source="post: 19624616" data-attributes="member: 79514">Sri Lanka – Buddhism and ElephantsBuddhism and elephants is synonymous with Sri Lanka. No animal has been associated with the Sinhala Buddhist traditions and religious festivals than the elephant. The association goes thousands of years back. Elephants were part of the Kings palace. Elephants were part of Buddhist culture, ceremonies, religious pageants/processions, transport, construction, sports and even warfare. Elephants were even used to build gigantic tank bunds. Ancient Sinhala manuscripts even classified elephants by their physical appearance. So much so that the penalty for killing elephants was death. Today, temples are a sanctuary for unwanted cats and dogs. No temple gates close for these animals who are fed and kept. In Polonnaruwa’s famous temple Somawathiya a visitor comes daily to worship the Buddha statue. That visitor is none other than a wild elephant whose daily ritual is to walk into the temple, bend on his knees and worship Buddha and silently return to the wild. Elephants were also exported to Kalinga in 200BC from the Port of Mantota (present Mannar). The Great Chronicle, the Mahawamsa records Kandula the elephant on which King Dutugamunu (200BC) defeated Dravida King Elara who was also on an elephant. King Kassapa of Sigiriya was also riding an elephant to defeat his brother Muggallana. King Rajasingha 1 in 1586 led a 2200 army of elephants against the Portuguese.The elephant trainers were the Kuruwe people from Kegalle who also trained the mahoots while the special unit to deal with elephants under the King of Kandy was headed by a Gajanayake Nilame.  Elephants were given protection by royal decree making it an offence to capture, kill or maim any elephants without the King’s authority. Offenders were punished with death. </blockquote>

Verification: Dawasata paya keeyak thibeda?

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