Sri Lanka has received worldwide fame as a hydraulic civilization. The word 'hydraulic' has naturally to do with water. This country has more than one hundred large rivers
crossing its territory from north to south and from east to west. The biggest from among them are the Mahaweli and the Kelani both of which are replete with historic
remembrances. The Sinhalese are known to be an Aryan race that migrated to the island in the 6th Centry BC from North India. Their ancestry is traced to a legendary lion. The
lion (sinha), mated with a princess and so the race was brought into existence, relates the legend.
All legends and myths are founded on some truth. This truth is also open to
interpretation, the events concerned being hidden in such a distant past. Let us examine one of them and trace its impact in the mind of the population. The Aryans were nature-worshipers who visualized the elements as warrior-like gods. Over time the Vedic religion
assimilated local influences and evolved into Hinduism. During this process, gods such as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva assumed great importance.
The veneration of many other gods waned but not Surya, the sun-god. Even today devout Hindus begin their day by worshiping the sun-god. In the Vedas the Sun-god is depicted as a handsome youth of golden hue triumphantly riding across the heavens in a chariot drawn by seven horses. The horses each represent a day ofthe week. This representation is known to the Sinhalese people through their New Year celebrations.
However, the deification and worship of the sun was institutionalized mainly in agrarian societies because the role of the sun is to make the earth fertile. The Aryans were at first such a society. Now the lion or 'sinha' is a symbol of the sun. This is because its head is surrounded by a mane, the hairs of which stand out like the rays of the sun.
Ancient religious texts, for example those of the Indian 'Vedas' speak of the sun god whose arrows, being its rays, strike and conquer the enemy dressed in black, symbolized by the dark water bearing clouds. So vanquished by the sun god the clouds release their prisoner, the water, which in turn comes down to earth rendering it apt for cultivation and fruit bearing.
