AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDY OF TRADITIONAL IRRIGATION, TECHNOLOGICAL WISDOM AND ECOCIVILIZATION IN ANURADHAPURA, SRI LANKA

Abstract

The hydraulic civilization of Sri Lanka had been developed in terms of the tanks in the country. Agriculture is the main subsistence of Sri Lankans from the ancient past. Sri Lankans could able to build a proud history with traditional irrigation technological wisdom which shaped by rich cultural features of the ancient period. Hydraulic civilization in Sri Lanka has unique features of its own. The main income of the Pemaduwa people is paddy, dry and mixed cultivation and fishing. These people still have intimate relationships, practicing environmental protection methods and performing various cultural activities and social practices related totanks. The ancient bureaucratic system was not in practice and it had replaced by the present administrative system. The Objectives of this research are to study about the indigenous irrigation wisdom in terms of traditional technical knowledge, administration, management and environmental protection systems in the ancient irrigation civilization of the country. The present study has conducted in the Villachchi region in Anuradhapura district, which named as ‘MahawewbendhiRajjyaya’ (the country where massive tanks were built).