Hinduism is a complex mix of beliefs and gods. All Hindus believe in
Brahman: the myriad deities are manifestations of this formless being,
through which believers can understand all facets of life. Key tenets in-
clude belief in ahimsa (nonviolence), samsara (the cycle of births and
deaths that recur until one reaches a pure state), karma (the law of cause
and effect) and dharma (moral code of behaviour or social duty).
Hindus believe that living life according to dharma improves the
chance of being born into better circumstances. Rebirth can also take
animal form, but it’s only as a human that one may gain sufficient
self-knowledge to escape the cycle of reincarnation and achieve moksha
(liberation).
For ordinary Hindus, fulfilling one’s ritual and social duties is the
main aim of worldly life. According to the Hindu text Bhagavad Gita,
doing your duty is more important than asserting your individuality.
The Hindu pantheon is prolific: some estimates put the number of
deities at 330 million. The main figures are Brahma, who created the uni-
verse, and his consort Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and music; Vish-
nu, who sustains the universe and is lawful and devout, and his consort
Lakshmi, the goddess of beauty and fortune; and Shiva, the destroyer of
ignorance and evil, and his consort, Parvati, who can be the universal
mother or the ferocious and destructive Kali. Shiva has 1008 names and
takes many forms: as Nataraja, lord of the tandava (dance), his graceful
movements begin the creation of the cosmos.
Islam
Sri Lanka is home to almost two million Muslims – descendants of Arab
traders who settled on the island from the 7th century, not long after
Islam was founded in present-day Saudi Arabia by the Prophet Moham-
med. Islam is monotheistic, and avows that everything has been created
by Allah.
After Mohammed’s death the movement split into two main branches,
the Sunnis and the Shiites. Sunnis emphasise following and imitating
the words and acts of the Prophet. They look to tradition and the major-
ity views of the community. Shiites believe that only imams (exemplary
leaders) can reveal the meaning of the Quran. Most of Sri Lanka’s Mus-
lims are Sunnis, although small communities of Shiites have migrated
from India.
All Muslims believe in the five pillars of Islam: the shahada (decla-
ration of faith: ‘there is no God but Allah; Mohammed is his prophet’);
prayer (ideally five times a day); the zakat (tax, usually a donation to
charity); fasting during the month of Ramadan; and the hajj (pilgrim-
age) to Mecca.
Christianity
Christianity in Sri Lanka potentially goes back to the Apostle Thomas in
the 1st century AD, and it’s certain that in the early centuries AD small
numbers of Christians established settlements along the coast.
With the Portuguese in the 16th century, Christianity, specifically
Roman Catholicism, arrived in force, and many fishing families
converted. Today, Catholicism remains strong among western coast-
al communities. The Dutch brought Protestantism and the Dutch
Reformed Church, mainly present in Colombo, while evidence of the
British Christian denominations include stone churches that dot the
Hill Country landscape.
Want to
understand more
about people’s
names in Sri
Lanka? It’s all
revealed at
http://asiarecipe.
com/srinames.
html.NAMES
Religious
Hubs
Nallur Kandas-
wamy Kovil, Jaffna
Temple of the
Sacred Tooth Relic,
Kandy
Kechimalai
Mosque, Beruwela
Our Lady of Madhu
Church, MadhuPeoP
l
e of Srila
nkaRe
LI
g
Io
n