Ashwa Pahana
Name: C. L. Anuradha
Email: lahiruanuradha4@gmail.com

Mobile: 0763825762
Department Of Ceramics

The discovery of fire is a very special milestone in the beginning of human evolution. Since then, fire has been used for various purposes, lighting lamps being one of them. From the beginning of lighting of lamps to the present day, lighting of lamps has been done with different meanings and the production of lamps has been done using different raw materials. According to the investigations carried out on the history of Sri Lanka, it is revealed that various lamps with artistic value were created in the main eras of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy.

But as a result of the beginning of the use of electric light, nowadays it is observed that lamps are used only for religious sacrifices.  For that, the lamps created using materials like brass, glass, clay etc. will increase in artistic as well as market value. But the creation of clay lamps is limited to a few different shapes and the market value is also reduced. Thus clay lamps are only made in a few simple shapes, probably due to religious influence and lack of market value. But from this work of art, I hoped to create a clay lamp that is suitable for the present, using various technologies that existed in history in terms of utility and artistic value. Accordingly, these lamps were designed to be used for interior decoration in Ayurvedic centers. Most Ayurvedic centers have separate areas for meditation and yoga, and this is ideal to use for that purpose. This can be used for the mental recovery and health building of the patients engaged in those activities.

In order to achieve the above mentioned objectives, a historically important artwork and social practices of Sri Lanka were studied and inspired. That is,

• The Elephant lamp found in Kotavehera, Dedigama.
• Medicinal moking

The technology of hydrostatic principle in the elephant lamp has been used for this “Ashwa pahana” and my research objective was to see what the contribution of red clay is to the use of this hydrostatic technology.

The utility of this ” Ashwa pahana”.

1.) Building beauty at the place where this artwork is placed.

2.)  Removing germs and toxic gases from the surrounding environment.

3.)Reducing the effect of mosquitoes.