Page 265 - Proceedings book

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Stūpa

The Stūpa is the characteristic monument of the Sri Lankan Buddhist tradition. Its
antiquity, both in the literary and the archaeological record goes back to the

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beginnings of the Buddhist tradition in Sri Lanka in the 3 Century BC. The largest of
the Sri Lankan stūpas, such as the Jetavana, the Abhayagiri and Ruvanvalisäya in

Anuradhapura, are not only the largest monuments of their type in the entire Buddhist

tradition but are also amongst the largest and tallest constructions in the pre-modern
world. Throughout the greater part of the Anuradhapura period, the Stūpa occupied

the principal position in a monastery (Bandaranayke, 1990: p.25).

Mosaic art

Mosaic is an art form that involves decorating a surface by closely placing pieces of
hard materials. Various definitions have been given for the term “mosaic.” The

Oxford Companion to Art (1978) defines mosaic as “the art of making patterns and
pictures by arranging coloured fragments of glass, marble, and other suitable

materials and fixing them into a bed of cement. It was first developed extensively by
the Romans in pavements” (The Oxford Companion to Art, 1978: 742). The

Dictionary of Art defines mosaic as “closely spaced polychrome or monochrome

particles (tesserae) of near uniform size embedded in binder, such as mortar or cement,
Mosaic has been used as a decorative medium on walls, floors and columns for over

5000 years. A wide range of natural and artificial materials may be used for the
tesserae: pebbles, hardstone shells, vitreous paste, terracotta, mother-of-pearl, enamels

and turquoise” (The Dictionary of Art, 1996: 154).

The New Encyclopaedia Britannica (2010) defines mosaic as “an art, surface

decoration of small coloured components, such as stone, mineral, glass, tile, or shell
closely set into an adhesive ground. The mosaic pieces are usually small squares,

triangles, or other regular shapes (called tesserae), which applied to the surface,

frequently a wall or floor, which has been prepared with mortar or adhesive to receive
the design” (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2010: 345). The New Standard

Encyclopedia defines mosaic as “a permanent decoration formed with small pieces of
such materials as glass, stone or tile. Mosaics are primarily architectural ornaments

applied to ceilings, walls and floors of buildings. They are also used to decorate such
objects as bowls, table tops and ashtrays” (New Standard Encyclopedia: 542).

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