Guest Column

Historical Context and Religious Co-existence According to Professor Ellawala in Social History of Early Ceylon, the conditions of pre-Buddhist Ceylon mirrored those of contemporary India. He suggests that due to this proximity, the people of Ceylon likely adopted forms of worship such as Saivism, which existed alongside Brahmanism [1]. With the subsequent spread of Buddhism to the villages, Buddhist viharas were often established near earlier Hindu shrines, symbolizing a long-standing traditio

The temporal evolution of Hindu iconography was the result of changes in the philosophical understanding on the nature of existence and the ability to express these insights through suitable artistic media. In addition to being a source of artistic inspiration these changes also trigger reflection and introspection amongst religious seekers. The journey from the abstract and amorphic Shivalinga through the early anthropomorphic ‘Pasupathi’ of the Indus Valley civilisation and the further exubera

Editor’s Note The Battle of Elephant Pass has long been remembered through differing — and often opposing — narratives. Many Tamils are familiar with the version told from the LTTE’s perspective. The account that follows offers another vantage point: that of a surgeon who was on duty at Palaly during the siege and witnessed its human cost firsthand. It is presented as a personal historical recollection. Documenting multiple perspectives is essential to understanding the full complexity of Sri

By M.R. Narayan Swamy Switzerland’s sudden decision to indefinitely postpone a meeting of select Sri Lankan Tamil political parties scheduled for February 19 must be welcomed, as the gathering would likely have provided oxygen to a self-serving and divisive agenda rather than contributing anything positive to Sri Lanka. The Swiss Embassy is understood to have invited the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), whose main constituent is the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC); the Ilankai Tami