Ceylon and South-East Asia
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Australian National University THESES SIS/LIBRARY TELEPHONE: +61 2 6125 4631 R.G. MENZIES LIBRARY BUILDING NO:2 FACSIMILE: +61 2 6125 4063 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY EMAIL: library,[email protected] CANBERRA ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA USE OF THESES This copy is supplied for purposes of private study and research only. Passages from the thesis may not be copied or closely paraphrased without the written consent of the author. CEYLON AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA : Political, Religious and Cultural Relations from A.D. c_. 1000 to c_. 1500 by W.M. Sirisena This thesis is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Australian National University This thesis is based on original research conducted by the author while he was a Research Scholar in the Department of Asian Civilizations at the Australian National University from 1967 to 1969. t £ . V f ACKNOWLEDGMENT A number of scholars and friends helped in many ways during the preparation of this work. Dr. Sirima Kiribamune, Dr. K,Indrapala, Dr. R.A.L.H. Gunawardene (my teachers in the Department of History, University of Ceylon, Peradeniya) and Dr. A. Liyanagamage of the Department of History, Yidyalankara University, have gladly and willingly given me their valuable suggestions, friendly encouragement and personal help. Professor K.V. Goonawardene, formerly Head of the Department of History, University of Ceylon, Peradeniya and now Vice-Chancellor of the Vidyalankara University also gave much encouragement and arranged for me to pursue my studies abroad. Many scholars of the Australian National University and in particular of the Department of Asian Civilizations were most generous with their time in extending a helping hand. Dr. K.H.J. Gardiner spent much time in checking Chinese references and made many valuable suggestions in this respect. Dr. Sutjipto Wirjosuparto was available whenever I was faced with problems which came within his province. Dr. H.H.E. Loofs, who was my joint supervisor, saved me from some errors and I have benefitted a great deal from his useful comments and criticisms. Dr. M.H.F. Jayasuriya and Mr. T. Rajapatirana of the Department of South Asian and Buddhist Studies read this thesis and made many suggestions. Professor A.L. Basham has not only shown a continuous and helpful interest in this work, but has encouraged and inspired me at our every meeting. I am most grateful to him for his willingness to help at all times. I am indebted to Miss K.S.Myint for translating the passages from the Burmese chronicles and to Miss M. Hutchinson who went through the manuscript for errors in English expression. I am most grateful to Mr. Jayanta Madawala who was kind enough to draw all the maps and plans. The Department of Visual Aids was helpful in preparing the plates. My thanks are due to the staff of the Menzies Library for their ready help and co-operation. Through the commendable interlibrary loan-system they obtained for me much material not available in Australia. Finally, I must express my gratitude to the authorities of the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, in allowing me study-leave in which to complete my research, to the Australian Government for granting me an award under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, and to the Australian National University for generously meeting the expenses of my fieldwork. 1 INTRODUCTION Relations between Ceylon and the countries of South-east Asia go far back in history. Centrally situated in the Indian Ocean, Ceylon commands the entrance to the Bay of Bengal, and due to the extensive sea-borne trade between the east and the west became an important entrepot between the two. Ceylon first came into contact with South-east Asia as a result of the maritime trade involving South-east Asian countries on the sea route between China and the west. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries A.D. commercial activities paved the way for political contacts between Ceylon and South-east Asia. The relations of Vijayabahu I and Parakramabahu I of Ceylon with South-east Asia may be understood better in the light of the background of commercial activities in the Indian Ocean. The desire of the Pagan dynasty of Burma to weaken the Cola influence on commerce in the Malay Peninsula resulted in friendship between Vijayabahu I of Ceylon and Anawrahta of Burma. The maritime trade, on the other hand, was the main cause of Parakramabahu's invasion of Burma. The religious contacts that started as a result of commercial activities brought Ceylon and South-east Asia even closer. Interest in Theravada Buddhism stimulated intercourse between these two regions from the eleventh century onwards. Ceylon had received this 2 Faith in the third century B.C. from India and ever since its intro duction the Buddhist monks of Ceylon tried as far as possible to pre serve it in what they believed to be its original form. In India Buddhism changed rapidly with the fusion of Hindu ideas and ulti mately, as a result of the Hindu revival and the Muslim expansion, wa s wiped out in the country of its origin. In the eleventh century A.D., when interest in older forms of Buddhism revived in some countries of South-east Asia, Theravada Buddhists had no place to turn to for religious guidance except the island of Lanka. From then onwards until the arrival of the Portuguese in the sixteenth century Ceylon maintained her position as the fountain-head of Theravada Buddhism, and contacts with South-east Asia were main tained. I Buddhism is rich in art traditions and wherever it spread its art traditions followed. South-east Asia is no exception. When Ceylon became the chief religious influence in that region, Sinha lese Buddhist art too became influential. In stupas, in monasteries and in other Buddhist edifices as well as in the sculpture of South east Asia this Sinhalese contribution is quite conspicuous. It is also noteworthy that Sinhalese architecture itself shows some South east Asian influence. The task of this thesis will be to examine such political, religious and cultural relations as existed between Ceylon and the countries of South-east Asia from the eleventh century until the 3 end of the fifteenth century A.D. Close relations date from the eleventh century. But because in certain respects these contacts were the continuation of those that had existed well before that time it will be necessary to trace the history of their origins. With the coming of the Portuguese in the beginning of the sixteenth century, contacts with South-east Asia came to a temporary halt and Ceylon lost her significance as a centre of Buddhist culture. In fact in later centuries countries such as Burma and Thailand came to the rescue of Theravada Buddhism in the land which had formerly been its fountain- head by sending missions to restore the Faith. Hence we have taken the beginning of the sixteenth century as the terminal point in this study. 1 The term South-east Asia as used throughout this study refers only to the western countries within the general region, namely Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, the Malay Peninsula and some islands of Indonesia with whom Ceylon had relations in the period from the eleventh to the sixteenth century A.D. For the present purpose, such countries as Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines, which had little or no contact with Ceylon at this period, are not included in the name 'South-east Asia'. 1 The region known under the term South-east Asia, which came into use during the Second World War, comprises Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, the two Vietnams, Malaysia, Singapore, the Republic of the Philippines, and the Republic of Indonesia, Brunei and Timor. See Dobby, Southeast Asia, 7th ed. (London, 1960), p.17; D.G.E.Hall, Atlas of South-east Asia (London, 1964),introduction, pp.62-63. 4 A few scholars have already drawn attention to the importance of the subject of this thesis, but until recently it was a neglected field. Modern historical writing on ancient Ceylon has overemphasized the Indian influence on the history and the culture of the Island and has often neglected her other international relations during ancient times. Her proximity to the mainland no doubt encouraged much Indian influence, but we should not forget that Ceylon's central position in the Indian Ocean brought her into contact with the other parts of the outside world. Neglect of this fact may be noticed in the work of one historian^ who divides the history of Ceylon up to the coming of Europeans into North and South Indian 2 3 periods. As Gunawardene has rightly pointed out, this tendency has been inherited from the chroniclers of the past who over emphasised the relations between Ceylon and the home of Buddhism and neglected other aspects of Ceylon's international relations. Evidence is forthcoming to show how the chroniclers were often silent even on the movements of Buddhist missions between Ceylon and South-east Asia. 1 G.C.Mendis, The Early History of Ceylon, 2nd ed. (Calcutta, 1935). 2 Anuradhapura Yuga.ya, ed. Liyanagamage and Gunawardene (Vidya- lankara University Press, 1961) pp.xxvi ff. 3 Leslie Gunawardene,'Ceylon and Malaysia: A Study of Professor S .Paranavitana's research on relations between tne two regions'. Mimeographed paper dated 28th March, 1969, p.2. 5 Another point which may be raised in this connection is the exaggeration of Indian influence in South-east Asia. Some Indian writers refer to the early kingdoms of South-east Asia as Hindu colonies and the whole region as Greater India and they have failed to recognise the importance of the indigenous elements in South-east Asian culture and the contribution of other countries which perhaps disseminated Indian culture in locally modified form.