A Study on Sociological Aspects of ‘Kohombã yak kankãri shãnthikarmaya’

‘Shãnthiya’ mainly refers to mental relief or blessing and ‘karmaya’ refers to activity. By the true sense of the word, ‘shãnthikarma’ is an accumulation of artistic activities which was held with the aim of blessings of communities. When considering Sri Lankan traditional culture, ‘shãnthikarma’ performs a prominent place as an Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). There are various forms of ‘shãnthikarma’ related to different geographical locations such as Upcountry (Kandyan), Lowcountry, and Sabaragamuwa provinces in Sri Lanka. ‘Kohombã yak kankãri shãnthikarmaya’ is considered the culmination of the Upcountry dancing tradition of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the main objective of this study was to analyze the ‘Kohombã yak kankãri shãnthikarmaya’ based on the Sociological aspects. The importance of ‘Kohombã yak kankãri shãnthikarmaya’ as a productive and protective magic (Abhichãra), Relationship between the concept of ‘Kohombã’ and Animism, the concept of Sacred and Profane based on ‘Kohombã yak kankãri rituals, the importance of ‘Kohombã yak kankãri shãnthikarmaya’ to maintain social solidarity, collectiveness, and stability of the society have been analyzed with Sociological perspectives in the article.