International Conference on Asian Elephants in Culture & Nature: Recent submissions

  • Indian Elephants in Entertainment 
    Chakrabarti, M. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    Man used elephants in various ways. We find elephants in mythology, symbolism, religion, and popular culture. Moreover, they are used in popular entertainment in modern times; elephants have a major role in entertainment ...
  • Elephant as a Fertility Symbol 
    Burdhan, A. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    Elephant is a sacred animal in Indian mythological and theological literature. It is called Gaja in Sanskrit. Etymologically, gaja means animal born in the space. Here, ‘ga’ is denotative to gajana i.e., space and ‘ja’ ...
  • ‘Elephant’ in Pali Literature 
    Mutsuddy, S. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    The ‘elephant’ symbol is used to portray the conception of the Bodhisatta and His renunciation in Pali literature. The metaphors like `elephant look' in the scriptures are compared with the Buddha's qualities. This directly ...
  • Asian Elephants in Christianity (India and Abroad) 
    Johns, J. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    The Asian elephants have contributed to Indian religions in a great way especially with their representations in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain art. The contribution to a foreign religion, Christianity is evident but scarce in ...
  • Unusual Forms of Ganesha the Elephant Headed God in India 
    Rane-Kothare, A. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    The iconography of Ganesa the Elephant headed God has developed in different parts of India over a period of time. Especially in western and southern part of India we have a rich imagery of Ganesha. The Hindu, Jain and ...
  • Project Orange Elephant: Promoting Sustainable Land use Practices to Alleviate Rural Poverty and Mitigate Human Elephant Conflicts 
    Corea, R.; Fernando, C.; Weerasinghe, C.; Amarajeewa, A. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    Human-elephant conflicts (HEC) is one of the biggest environmental issues in Sri Lanka. HEC causes extensive crop and property damages and deaths of elephants and people. From 2004 – 2014: 2,105 elephants and 691 people ...
  • Symbolic Elephant Motif in Traditional Indian Textiles and Embroideries 
    Kumar, V. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. India had always been known as the land that portrayed ...
  • Ganjifa Art: Aesthetic Representation of Elephant in the Playing Cards of Mysore and Moghul Ganjifa 
    Gowda, G. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    Elephants play a large role in other aspects of Indian life beyond religion. Author Heinrich Zimmer says of elephants in India, "In Hindu miniatures and present-day popular drawings [elephants are] a constantly recurring ...
  • Practice of using Asian Elephants in Labour in Modern Tourism Industry 
    Premarathna, U.A.D. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    From the past, the practice of using animals in labour is a common tradition all over the world. According to the sources; chronicles and inscriptions usage of elephants in labour has been rooted into a long history in Sri ...
  • Using the Sculpture and Engravings of Asian Elephants as Souvenirs in Modern Tourism Industry 
    Premarathna, U.A.D. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    From the past the Asian elephant has taken an honorable place in Sri Lankan traditional sculpture and engraving arts among other animals as a result of their high imperial body type and intelligence. The cultural tourism ...
  • ‘Asian Elephants’ in ‘Madhubani’ Paintings: Legends, Mythology and Iconography 
    Yegnaswamy, J. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    “Madhubani” is an ancient folk art of the Mithila region in Bihar, India. Until the year 1960, only the families undertook the art of Madhubani painting, as the skills were transferred exclusively from mothers to daughters. ...
  • A Monograph on the Elephant-headed God Ganesha: The Mythological Concept and Distinct Iconography 
    Dutta, S. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    Ganesha is one of the most important deities of the Hindu pantheon. Worshipping him at the beginning of all the rituals has made him popular than many other divinities. He is widely revered as the ‘remover of obstacles’. ...
  • Depictions of Elephants in Ancient Indian Manuscripts 
    More, T.D. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    Knowledge about the elephant is provided in several Indian manuscripts and treatises since ancient times. The role played by elephants in war made their management very essential for the kings and a lot of literature on ...
  • Beyond gaja and yānai: Etymological Significance of Asian Elephant Names used in Sanskrit and Tamil Literature 
    Ashraf, N.V.K. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    No animal has appealed to the human psyche as much as the Asian elephant in Indian culture, religion, mythology, folklore and more importantly in written literature spanning over 3,000 years. Mammoth and yet tamable, gentle ...
  • Representation of Elephant in Tribal Art and Culture of Central India 
    Kumar, V. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    The Central India consists of plateaus and mountainous belt between Indo-gangtic plain to the north and roughly to the Krishna River to the south. Because of its central location, it is often called the ‘Heart of India’. ...
  • Behaviour and Social Dynamics of Asian Elephants: Can Beehive Fencing Deter Asian Elephants from Raiding Crops? 
    Butler, K.M. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    Human-elephant conflict (HEC), specifically crop-raiding, is a major conservation challenge. Many methods have been trialled to deter elephants from crops with varying success. One unique method demonstrating success in ...
  • From Lament to Drama- Analysis of “The Laments on Ariyathi Wife of Vellappanikan” 
    Karunaharan, N. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    It is believed that ‘The lament on Ariyaathai wife of Vellppnikan’ was composed during the Dutch period in the Vanni region. There is evidence to prove this. This story is based on the sufferings faced by the inhabitants ...
  • Elephants in Indian Rock Art: An Appraisal for Relative Chronology 
    Banerjee, R. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    Time markers like elephants, promptly help to identify the nature of the panel and hence the make-up of that particular rock-shelter. It is clear from previous studies (Varma, 2012, Tewari, 1990, Robinson et al., 2008) ...
  • Cultural and Social Nexus between the Elephants and Sri Lankan Society since Ancient Times 
    Katupotha, J.; Kodituwakku, K. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    Elephants being highly social mammals have been identified as a 'Natural Treasure' since ancient times in many Asian countries. Due to population increase and consequent loss of elephant natural habitat, human-elephant ...
  • Human – Elephant Conflict and Conservation of Elephants in Sri Lanka 
    Perera, K. (Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016)
    Human – elephant conflict has become a burning question and therefore, it is important to open the public eye to conservation of elephants in Sri Lanka. Most of the human – elephant conflict has occurred due to the fact ...

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