"
by Ariyadasa Ratnasinghe
Even today the elephant
has a prominent place in Buddhism unlike other animals. It is the only animal
possessed of grace to carry the sacred reliquary containing the 'Danta-dhatu'
(Tooth-relic) of the Buddha, in the annual Esala Perahera in Kandy. All Buddhist
..."
by Ariyadasa Ratnasinghe
Even today the elephant
has a prominent place in Buddhism unlike other animals. It is the only animal
possessed of grace to carry the sacred reliquary containing the 'Danta-dhatu'
(Tooth-relic) of the Buddha, in the annual Esala Perahera in Kandy. All Buddhist
temples follow the same procedure in choosing an elephant to carry the relics in
procession, as no major Buddhist procession is complete without at least a
single elephant, ornately caparisoned to walk majestically through the streets. ‘The torn boughs
trailing o'er the tusks aslant,
The saplings reeling on the path he trod;
Declare his might: our lord the elephant, Chief of the ways of God’.
(Rudyard Kipling 1865-1936)
The life and habitat of the elephant are
provocative of wonder and demand our reverence, since both its evolution and
influence upon mankind have always been found to be most fascinating,
bewitching, enchanting, charming and delightful. The interesting roles it has played in
myths, legends, religion, history, folklore and war, notwithstanding its recent
prominence in politics; its association with man and the services rendered to
him from remote antiquity; the symbolic splendour of its colossal body, let
alone flesh, to be balanced on bones; its place in circuses and menageries, in
wildlife sanctuaries and zoological gardens and, above all, its graceful and
majestic appearance have been well attested, expressed and documented in various
works of art and literature down the ages. The elephant belongs to the animal order
Proboscidea (possessed of a trunk) and to the sub-order of ungulates (hoofed
digitigrade mammals). The two species of elephants now extinct are the mammoth
(Elephas premiginius) and the mastodon (Elephas odontos). The two existing
species are the Asiatic elephant (Elephas maximus) and the African elephant (Elephas
africanus)...
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69(69/0) 
by Ariyadasa Ratnasinghe
Mahasona- Famous demon of Sri Lanka
'Angampora': A Fighting Art associated with Sinhala Kings
Hindu Gods & Worship (Puja) in Sri Lanka
UFOs Over Sri Lanka
GANESH- The elephant-headed god (God Pillaiyar or Ganadeviyo)
Kadupul & Nagavalli Gifts from the Celestial Nagas
