Burning Lamp - A Study Based on Sri Lankan Tamil Inscriptions

Abstract

Burning lamp is a cultural tradition of particular importance in the Life style of Tamil. Even in modern times, Burning Lamp is an intertwined phenomenon with the practices and beliefs of the Tamils. These practices and beliefs are often seen as a matter of religion. This can also be identified by the messages conveyed by the Sri Lankan Tamil inscriptions. From the 9th century A.D. to the 19th century A.D., the information relating to burning lamp in a large number of Tamil inscriptions found in different parts of Sri Lanka can be identified. Looking at the inscriptions, it can be seen that donations were given from the king and also ordinary people. In some of the inscriptions, money, gold, land, cows, buffaloes and goats were donated and arrangements were made by merchants, merchant’s guilds and temple’ people to Burning lamp. In this way, the main objective of this research is to identify the traditional messages of burning lamp through the Tamil inscription found in Sri Lanka and to analyze them. Also, another aim of this research is to investigate the way in which the tradition of burning lamps is linked to the lifestyle of Tamils. In order to complete the objectives of this research, the estampage of Tamil inscriptions found in Sri Lanka and the books and articles published so far based on those inscriptions have been used in this research. Also, the archeological evidences such as akal viḷakku, Terracotta lamps, which have been revealed through archeological studies, reveal the antiquity of this tradition. Through this, one can see the importance of the tradition of burning lamp from the ancient period to the present day.