Lanka's Ancient Lifestyles

The lifestyles of ancient Lanka are inextricably interwoven with her myths and legends, her culture and religions, her economic pursuits and her eco-systems. But examining each in isolation will not give even a glimpse of the whole. The implication of a myth may range across culture and economic pursuits or vice versa. One may have given rise to the other. The sum of the parts do not amount to the sum of the whole.

From ancient times, Lankans have lived in harmony with nature, putting back into the soil what they took out, practising hena or shifting plot cultivation. Incorporating collective rituals and other cooperative practices, their lifestyles imply a deep respect for nature and the knowledge that their ritual cooperation with each other is the metaphor of their cooperation with nature herself. Lanka's oral traditions dating back 20'000 years convey an intricate labyrinth of knowledge demanding a delicate sense of balance and tremendous moral fortitude.

Every villager bore the moral responsibility of the village on his shoulders through the devices of ritual vows. Keeping your word to the gods, ensured that they kept their word to you too; enjoining the villagers to participatory management of resources and integral allocation of resources on a caste delineated basis. The modern application of a system of caste is offensive to say the least, but the system as practised in ancient times was one of shared mutual responsibilities and was not simply an elitist class exploiting underlings. 

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