Kanna’ and ‘Maha Kanna’ and also depended on
the abundance of water.
The main need of the dry zone to maintain
paddy cultivation successfully was to supply
sufficient water. Gathering rain water and taking
water through canal to paddy fields by putting
a barrier across the natural rivers were the two
strategies followed. The tradition of making
tanks developed in this country as a strategy to
face the need of preserving water. The statement
uttered by king Parakramabahu the Great (1153
- 1186 A.D.) as “Not a single drop of water
that falls from the sky should be sent to the sea
without properly using it” shows how the ruler
saw the importance of preserving water.
Unlike at present, farmers in the past were
conscious of doing various customs in the
paddy cultivation. It provided them with much
assistance to be engaged in their livelihoods by
being close to the nature.
Animal Husbandry – Apart from agricultural
activities, there was animal husbandry too.
Rearing cattle was the major activity in it. The
inscriptions mention Gopalagams, which were
reserved for those who were engaged in cattle
rearing. What was taken from cattle was very
helpful for food. Mee kiri (milk or curd), Githel
(ghee), Wendaru (butter), were prominent
among them. There is a word “Kirigeri” in an
inscription, made by king Kashyapa IV, in the
Colombo Museum. What it means is the cattle
reared for getting milk. A nice carving of a
woman who gets milk from a cow has been
engraved on the rock ‘Mahameru’, which was
settled in the ancient Stupa of the temple named
Nagapabba in Sigiriya.
Apart from cattle, chicken and goats were reared
in houses. There is an inscription, written in the
9 th century A.D., at the hospital in Padhanagara at
Ethvehera temple in Medirigiriya, Polonnaruwa.
It is mentioned in the inscription that for needs
of the patients only the flesh of naturally died
chicken and goats should be used.
4.2.2 IndustriesYou learned in previous lessons that from very
ancient time the metal industry of Sri Lanka was
highly developed. There is some information
about artisans who worked in their industries
using iron. Among them, blacksmiths were
prominent. The name ‘Kabara’ was used to
introduce them in inscriptions. That is how the
word ‘Kammara’ was written in old Sinhala. The
blacksmiths were very essential and important to
the villagers. He was the one who made pruning
knife (Keththa), mammoty (Udella), and plough
(Nagula) for them. In an inscription in a place
called Muthugalla in Polonnaruwa, there is a
reference about a blacksmith named Majjima.Apart from this, there were artisans who
were engaged in their industries using copper
(Thabakara) and tin metal at that time. The
word ‘Thuladhara’ had been used to introduce
goldsmiths in ancient documents. In some of the
books they have been described by the name of
‘Swarnakara’. An inscription found in the place
called Mandagala in Hambantota district, there is
a reference about a goldsmith named Thuladara
Sumana. Things such as bead and badges, made
of types of half gems and gems, found in old
cities such as Anuradhapura and Magama from
the archaeological excavations reflect the nature
of the gem industry existed in the society of this
county. The artisans who were engaged in such
affairs were called ‘Manikara,.Another industry, which existed in the ancient
society of this country, was the art of carving on
tusks. An inscription situated close to Vegiriya
Devalaya mentions a craftsman of tusks named
‘Datika Sumana’. The term ‘Datika’ comes from
the word ‘Danthika’.Earthenware was the most useful ones for the
ordinary people, who lived in those days, for their
day-to-day activities. A large number of remnants
of such earthenware have been discovered in
archaeological excavations. Making earthenware