Roots of Carnatic Music in Sri Lanka - Artistic interrelations between Sri Lanka and South India

Abstract

Each ethnic group living in a world of cultural design shapes their musical traditions according to their own heritage values. Music occupies a prominent place in the cultural fabric of every community. The Tamil speaking community in Sri Lanka is an organized society intertwined with art. The religious beliefs and worships of this community formed the artistic foundation. From this, many arts such as music, dance, koothu, drama, painting and sculpture began to appear and grow. As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Jaffna are the areas where the Tamil people live, but Jaffna, the northern part of Sri Lanka, is mostly populated by Tamils. Due to its geographical proximity to South India and the interaction between the two countries, the cultural heritage of South India was likely to spread to Jaffna and later to many parts of Sri Lanka.