Page No: 57
Q. 1. What are Stupas? What kinds of Stupas are erected for worshipping?
Ans:-
Stupas are places of Buddhist worship. They were raised either by
pilgrims or great personages. They contain Buddha’s corporeal relics
like his teeth, hair or bones. The kinds of Stupas are: Sharirik,
Vaibhashik, Uddeshik and Votive.
Q. 2. Which Indian king introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka according to author? Who carried his message across?
Ans:-
King Ashoka, a staunch follower of Buddhism, introduced the cult in Sri
Lanka. His son Mahindra, a Buddhist monk and his daughter Sanghamitra
carried Buddha’s message to that country.
Q. 3. Name the term used fo9r learned Buddhist monks.
Ans:- ‘Theras’ is the term used for learned Buddhist monks.
Q. 4. What relic did the first Chetiya house?
Ans:- The first Buddhist Chetiya ‘ Thuparama Dagaba’ built in Sri Lanka housed Buddha’s collar bone.
Q. 5. Name the tree whose leaf was sent as a gesture of goodwill to Sri Lanka.
Ans:-
The branch of the Bodhi Tree beneath which Buddha did his penance was
sent to Sri Lanka by Ashoka as a gesture of his goodwill.
Q. 6. Where was the Tooth Relic hidden by Hemamala?
Ans:-
Hemamala, daughter of king Guhashiva was said to have donned the garb
of an ascetic and kept the tooth relic hidden in her coiffure.
Q. 7. Under which king’s reign was the ‘left-eye tooth’ brought to Sri Lanka? Also mention the year.
Ans:- The left-eye tooth of Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka during the reign of king Siri Megha Vanna in 371 A.D.
Q. 8. Who is credited with recording the festival of the Tooth Relic in his writings?
Ans:- It was the famous Chinese traveler Fa Hien who recorded the festival of the tooth relic in his writings.
Q. 9. Describe in your own words what happens after the Tooth Relic is displayed.
Ans:-
After the tooth relic was displayed offerings were made to it in Ab
hayagiri Vihara. Rituals such as burning incense and lightening lamps
were observed by the pilgrims and monks for 90 days after which it was
taken back to its original place.
Writing Style:
Relic, Thevas, Chetiya, Bodhi, Patra, Palladium, ascetic, Vihara,
Padmaraga, Monk, Laic, caparisoned, Jataka, Missionary.
Page No: 59
Literary Concept: Theme: 1
Buddhism is a cult native to India. But it was not limited to India.
Its message and the cult relics were carried to as far as Sri Lanka by
king Asoka’s son Mahindra and daughter Sanghamitra. This happened as far
back as 350 century B.C. Mahindra and his band of monks ‘Theras’
greatly influenced King Devanampriya Tissa and his courtiers and
converted them to Buddhism. Buddha’s relics like his collar bone, his
Patra and his eye-tooth were preserved there in Stupas and buildings
raised on them. There stupas which later turned into special places of
pilgrimage strengthened the cultured link between India and Sri Lanka. A
large number of Indian Buddhist monks visit Sri Lanka even today. The
Bhodi tree transplanted in Sri Lanka during the Asoka’s time had been a
great pilgrim attraction till today
Theme 2
The
left eye tooth brought to Sri Lanka in 371 A.D .is highly venerated by
Buddhist this relic is preserved in a Vihara just by the king’s palace
to give of honor. The Vihara is made brilliant with precious germs. A
great Padmaraga was fixed on pole above the Vihara to make the relic a
big draw. It is displayed at an annual festival with it is moved out to
Abhaya Vihara for public gaze. If its arrival is celebrated for 90 days
with colorful rituals.
Buddhist
Monks are deeply religions. They observe all rituals meticulously. They
freely mingle with the common people during festivals and processions
they love festivals connected with Buddhist rallies. They consider the
tooth relic to be auspicious and savior of their land.
Theme 3
According
to Fa Hien, ten days before the festival, the king grandly caparisoned a
large elephant on which he mounted a man dressed in royal robes to go
round the town, beating a large drum and describing the life and the
virtues of Buddha followed by an announcement to public. Buddha’s tooth
would be brought out and taken to Abhayagire-Vihara for worship. Monks
or laics grandly adorn the lanes by-ways and provide abundant store of
flowers and incense to be used and offerings to the Relic. They also
burned incense, lighted lamps and performed all the prescribed services,
day and night without ceasing for ninety days.
Theme 4
Generally
a friendly relation has existed between India and Sri Lanka. However,
the Sri Lankan civil war and inefficiency of the Indian government in
intervening during the civil war marred this amicable relation. Both the
nations have maintained diplomatic ties since Sri Lanka’s independence
in 1948. A healthy bilateral relation was established by the then Prime
Minister of India- Indira Gandhi and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka-
Sirimavo Bandaranaike. An agreement signed on 29th July, 1987 between
the then Prime minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi and the then President of
Sri Lanka, J.R. Jayewardene to address three controversial issues:
people of Indian origin in Sri Lanka, strategic interests, rights of
Tamil minority in Sri Lanka. The Rajiv-Jayewardene Accord, as the
agreement is popularly known, led to some unfortunate events. With the
signing of the agreement India got engaged in a war with a separatist
organization of Sri Lanka called, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. A
special peace keeping force called the IPKF was employed to curb the
LTTE. Around 1200 Indian soldiers gave their life fighting. Further,
India felt insulted when Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa,
demanded for the withdrawal of the IPKF even before the completion of
the mission. India’s sentiments received the hardest blow when Rajiv
Gandhi was killed by the LTTE. The killing was masterminded by LTTE
chief, V. Prabakaran. The incident led to withdrawal of support that
Tamil Militants enjoyed in Tamil Nadu. India acted less actively in
issues related to Sri Lanka’s Tamil Militants. However, the LTTE was
finally crushed by the Sri Lanka with India’s support in 2009.
A
free trade agreement was signed between both the nations in 2000. Since
then the two neighbours have witnessed positive growth rate in trade.
Further, both the nations being members of organizations like South Asia
Co-operative Environment Programme, SAARC, South Asian Economic Union
and BIMSTEC are making effort to strengthen commercial and cultural
ties.
India has willingly cooperated with Sri Lanka for the latter’s development in areas of education, health, etc.
Page No: 62
Q.1Sinhalese
reception to Buddhism had always been cordial. The reason is that
Sinhalese and Buddhism have a common origin. The Sinhalese came to Sri
Lanka from North India to settle there. Similarly Buddhism also came
from North India. Before the advent of Buddhism, the aborigines of Sri
Lanka had no religion worth the name – what all they had was a form of
spirit worship. Buddhism being an enlightened religion found a favorable
response not only from settlers but also from the aboriginals.
The Sinhalese, though Hindus originally, soon imbibed Buddhist ideals
and followed them sincerely. The Sri Lankan kings raised rich Viharas
and Stupas on Buddhist relics and made over rich land endowments to
support them. Sri Lankan Buddhism had an independent growth. It adopted
Theravada as no one else did. Huge congregations and conferences were
held by kings and monks to resolve religions differences in an amicable
way. It was during the reign of Raja Simha – I a Saivite king. There
were conflicts between Buddhism and Sai Vism, but the later kings soon
resolved the differences.
The Sri Lankan kings took several steps to consolidate Buddhism. They
raised magnificent Stupas on Buddha’s relics and organized huge
functions involving people to inculcate the Buddhist principles.
Q.2
Fa Hien uses a direct quotation to give a vivid account of the tooth
festival. The quotation asks monks and the laymen to keep the roads
smooth and clean and decorate the lanes with flowers. This mode of
narration is quite appropriate as Fa Hien himself was a direct witness
to the announcement. A direct account is always more authentic than an
indirect one to increasing the significance of any event.
The announcement: Listen on the 10th
day from now. Buddha’s tooth will be taken to Abhayagiri in a
procession. So keep the streets smooth and clean. Decorate them with
flowers and incense. Monks or common men- whoever takes part in the work
will earn great virtue”.
Q.3The
tooth relic always enjoyed a pride of place in Sri Lanka. A Vihara was
built just beside the king’s palace in order to preserve it. To bring it
closer to people it was taken out on a caparisoned elephant with much
fan fare. Lot of publicity was given to the procession. People were told
that they won’t earn merit if they kept the roads clean and beautiful.
Five hundred different bodily forms of Buddha were set up along the road
to Abhayagiri. Offerings were made to the tooth relic during the annual
procession. The procession lasted for 90 days. On special days such as
the Poya days, the king washed the tooth three times a day with perfumed
water. Kings and people have come to believe that the tooth relic
brought prosperity and safety to the country. The rituals and grand
procession built around the tooth relic were all devised by different
kings at different times to sustain people’s veneration for the relic.
Page No: 63
Literary concept: Travelogue
Fa Hien gives us a photographic account of the various aspects of Sri
Lanka society. First he begins with the description of Stupas which hold
a mission to Sri Lanka’s architecture. This Sanskrit names ‘Vaibhashik
and Uddeshik remind us of their linguistic links with India. The setting
up of images of Buddha in his previous birth along the route to
Abhayagiri indicate Sri Lanka’s belief in rebirth and avatars. People’s
participation in raising stupas and procession shows that religious was
their life blood. Having a Bhodi Plant in their country is an indication
of their desire to maintain their ethnic links with India. Then
ceremonial reverence compiled with love of pomp and glitter show their
popular interest their belief that tooth relic was savior of their
country indicates their concern for the benefit of their native land.
The mingling of kings with the common people shows the republican nature
of Sri Lankan polity.
Page No: 65
Historiography
The
acclaimed sources of history are, ancient coins, relics, edicts on
metal sheets and rock, travelogues, paintings, poetic works,
still-standing monuments like Taj Mahal and Pyramids. The sources can be
categorized into under grown and over grown ones. Relics, tombs and
ancient habitats like Mohinjodaro and Harappa come under the first
category, while rock edicts monuments and paintings and poetic works
come under the latter category.
Page No: 65
Reading Journal
Q:
1Bodh Gaya is in Bihar. It is on the banks of the river Phalguri. It is
there that prince Siddharth did meditation under a peepal tree and
attained enlightenment. Emperor Asoka visited Bodh Gaya and raised the
Mahabodhi temple there. With the decline of Buddhism in India the temple
was abandoned. It was Alexander Cunningham who took up renovation work
in the late 19th century.
Now, the Mahabodhi temple is a famous place of Buddhist pilgrimage. The
temple contains the Bodhi tree and the diamond throne called Vajrasana.
A huge festival is held there every year in the month of Vai Shakh.
Lakhs of people gather there. In 2002, U.N.O declared it a world
heritage site.
There are other Buddhist temples too, raised by Buddhist countries such
as Japan, China, Mayanmar, Nepal, Tibet, Thailand, Sikkim, Sri Lanka
and Bhutan. These temples are built in their native building styles. The
Buddha Statue in the Chinese temple is 200 years old. It had been
brought from China. The Thai temple has a 25 metre bronze statue of
Buddha-Chinese travelers Fa Hien and Zuan Zang are said to have visited
Bodha Gaya.
Page No: 66
Q:2JagannathTemple at Puri
Puri,
on the east coast of India, in the state of Orissa is a hoary
pilgrimage center, enshrining Jagannath, in a colossal temple. Puri is
well connected by rail and road with Calcutta and with Bhubaneshwar. Bhubaneshwar, Konarak and Puri constitute the Golden triangle of Orissa, visited in large numbers by pilgrims and tourists.
Puri
is the forerunner of the Jagannath cult in Orissa, which saw the
flowering of several temples dedicated to Jagannath all over the
state.
Puri
is an ancient shrine, enshrining Krishna - Jagannath in the form of a
wooden image. Also enshrined are wooden images of Balabhadra
(Balarama) and Subhadra brother and sister of Krishna respectively.
Interestingly, the Rig Veda refers to Purushottama in the form of a
wooden image, prepared from a log of wood floating on the ocean. Puri
is also referred to in the Bhrama purana.
Orissa
has Konark as the Surya Kshetra, Puri as the Vishnu kshetra,
Bhubaneshwar as the Hara Kshetra and Jaipur as the Parvati Kshetra.
Legend
has it that the original image of Jagannath was found at the foot of a
fig tree, in the form of an Indranila or the Blue Jewel. Its
blinding brightness, prompted Dharma to request it to be hidden in the
earth. King Indradyumna, of Malwa intending to discover this image,
performed severe penances, and was instructed by Vishnu to go to the
Puri seashore, and look for a floating log, and fashion an image from
its trunk.
The
King did discover the log of wood. Vishnu and Vishwakarma appeared in
the form of artistes and prepared images of Krishna, Balarama and
Subhadra from the tree. Interestingly, the wooden images being
worshipped are renewed during special occasions. New images have been
installed in 1863, 1893, 1931, 1950, 1969 and 1977.
Puri
was a center of Buddhist worship, before it became a center of
Vaishnavism again. The Rath Yatra at Puri has its parallel with the
chariot procession of the Buddha's tooth at Dantapuri.
Puri
is located on the gentle slope of the Nila hill, adjacent to the sea.
A sacred banyan tree is revered as a manifestation of Vishnu, the
ocean - Balarama and a pool- the king Indradyumna. Pilgrims are
required to offere worship first at a Shiva temple, and then at the
banyan tree and then at the shrine to Balarama before proceding to
worship Jagannath. Subhadra is to be worshipped next.
The
Temple: The vast temple complex occupies an area of over 400000
square feet, and is bounded by a 20 feet high fortified wall. This
complex contains about 120 temples and shrines. The shikhara of the
Jagannath temple towers to a height of 192 feet.
Structurally
the temple has four chambers. The outermost is the Bhogmandir, the
next is the Nata-mandir pillared hall for music and dance, the next is
the Jagamohana - or the mandapa where devotees gather for worship and
the last is the sanctum or the Deul enshrining the deities.
History:
The temple was originally built by the Kalinga ruler Anantavarman
Chodaganga (1078 - 1148 CE). Much of the present structure was built by
King Ananga Bhima Deva in the year 1174 CE. It took 14 years to
complete and was consecrated in 1198 CE. It is believed that the image
of Jagannath was buried thrice in the Chilka lake for protection from
invaders.
Puri represents one of the four peethas established by Sankaracharya, the other four being Sringeri in south India, Dwarka in Saurashtra, and Badrinath
in the Himalayas. Ramananda of the 14th century - a follower of the
Sri Vaishnava religious leader Ramanuja, is also associated with this
temple. Chaitanya of the 15th - 16th centuries popularized the worship
of Jagannath.
Festivals:
Elaborate worship services are carried out throughout the day here.
There are as many as 24 festivals each year, the most important one of
them being the Rath Yatra or the Chariot festival in the month June -
July. The spectacular chariot festival involves the procession of
three colossal chariots bearing the images of Jagannath, Balarama and
Subhadra through the streets of Puri.
Jagannath's
chariot is a 35 feet square, rising to a height of 45 feet, with 16
wheels, 7 feet in diameter. More than 4000 people drag the chariot.
Hundreds of thousands gather from all over the country to witness this
festival. The chariot is dragged to the deity's summer abode where
the deities are worshipped for a week, and then a re-enactment of the
chariot festival, where they are brought back in procession happens. New chariots are made each year.
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Page No: 67
Q:3
1. Be a light unto yourself (Appo Deep, Aap Bhava).
2. Neither strain the strings too much nor relax them entirely. In either case the
instrument does not ring.
3. Sangham Saranam Gachami.
4. Desire is the root cause of sorrow.
Page No: 67
Q:4
Travelogues is an eyewitness an account in writing of
famous places. The world has seen famous travelers like Marco Polo,
Abdul Razak, Fa Hien and Rahul Sanskrutyayan going about the world and
giving vivid accounts.
But for Abdul Razak who visited the Vijayanagara empire who wouldn’t
have known much about the empire. He had given a picturesque account of
trade in vijayanagaran.The city streets and the heaps of diamonds put on
sale.
Fa
Hien and Zuan Zang the Chinese travelers who visited India during the
Mouryan and Guptha periods gave full details of people’s life in the
respective empires.
The
accounts give us a peep into the lives of people –their modes of
living, their mutual- relationships, their religion, their festivities,
their beliefs and ideals, their manners and their weaknesses. As these
accounts contain cultural details of foreigners they naturally attract a
wider attention. People come to know through these accounts, different
perceptions of life. They realize whether their own cultural and
religious practices are better or worse than the alien ones. Thus people
come to broad outlook on religious ethics and politics. In course of
time the travelogues help to promote a spirit of positive understanding
and tolerance for things different from their own.
Page No: 68
Project
History of Velankanni
Sometime
during the sixteenth century, Our Lady with her infant son appeared to a
Hindu boy carrying milk to a customer’s home. While he rested under a
Banyan tree near a tank (pond), Our Lady appeared to him and asked for
milk for her Son and the boy gave her some. On reaching the customer’s
home, the boy apologized for his lateness and the reduced amount of milk
by relating the incident that occurred on his way.
On
inspection, the man found the milk pot to be full and realized that
something miraculous had happened. That man, also a Hindu, wanting to
see the place where the apparition occurred, accompanied the boy. When
they reached the tank, Our Lady appeared once again.
On
learning that it was Our Lady who appeared to the boy, the residents of
the local Catholic community became ecstatic. The tank where the
apparition took place is called "Matha Kulam" or Our Lady’s tank.
Some
years later Our Lady appeared again. This time to a crippled boy who
was selling buttermilk near a public square on the outskirts of the same
village of Vailankanni. She asked him for buttermilk for her infant Son
and the boy compiled. Our Lady asked the boy to inform a certain
wealthy Catholic man in the nearby town of Nagapattinam of her
appearance. Not realizing that his crippled leg was miraculously cured
by Our Lady, the boy rose up and began his journey. The man also had a
vision the previous night in which Our Lady asked him to build a chapel
for her. Together, the man and the boy returned to the site of the
miracle.
This
time Our Lady appeared to both. The man erected a thatched chapel for
Our Lady at the site of Her second appearance. This chapel became a holy
place of veneration to Our Blesses mother and She was called
henceforth, Mother of Good Health.
A
few years later, Our Merciful Mother rescued a few Portuguese merchant
sailors from a violent storm, which wrecked their ship. When the
merchants reached the shore of Vailankanni they were taken by local
fisherman to the thatched chapel. To give thanks and pay tribute to Our
Lady, they built a small permanent chapel on their return trip. On
subsequent visits they improved on it. The merchants dedicated the
chapel to Our Lady on September 8th to celebrate the feast of her
nativity and to mark the date of their safe landing to Vailankanni.
Historical Data of Vailankanni Shrine
1.
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The history of Our Lady of Good Health, Vailankanni, dawned in the 16th century
2.
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In September 1771, Vailankanni which had been a substation of Nagapattinam Parish, was raised to the status of a Parish.
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3.
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The majestic Shrine facing the East, was renovated twice in 1920 and 1933.
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4
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His
Holiness Pope John the XXIII, raised the Shrine to the status of
'Basilica' on the 3rd November 1962. The apparitions of Our Lady,
the Miraculous statue of Our Lady, the countless miracles, the
magnificent architecture and beauty of the Shrine, were the motives
for this Shrine to become a Basilica.
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5.
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The storeyed extension Basilica was blessed and opened in 1975.
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6.
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In 1985,the little Chapel at Our Lady's Tank, was built a new and blessed.
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