Page 275 - Proceedings book

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Therefore, Elite homes used this art form as a flooring method to emphasize social

prestige, while Buddhist temples used mosaic flooring to symbolize resistance to
colonial power, aligning with the Buddhist renaissance that occurred during the

colonial period.

The stūpa was always erected on an elevate terrace or platform (maluva) demarcated

by boundary walls and with steps and entrances located at the four carinal points.
Often the inner terrace was surrounded by an outer terrace or courtyard, at a lower

level (Bandaranayake, 1990: 25) The immediate communication directed at the
viewer by a Buddhist stūpa is one of strength and solidity. It is said that Buddhists

expect two main purposes from the construction of a stūpa: the primary purpose is to

commemorate a noble or eminent individual, and the other is to evoke emotion and
deepen faith through the very act of seeing the stūpa (Weerasena, 2016: 33).

Moreover, the addition of mosaic art for the stūpa compound instead of stone-paved

compounds (Salapatala Maluva), the creation of the Buddhist flag at the stūpa spire
(Kotkärälla) using mosaic art at Vijayanada Vihāra, and the addition of mosaic art for

the railing at the stūpa compound instead of Hasti Prakara with mosaic art at

Shailatalarama Vihāra all strongly emphasize the ideology of resilience depicted
through the Buddhist vihāra in relation to the power of the colonial period

(Photograph No.06,08,10,11).

By incorporating fragments of porcelain and ceramic products used by the colonial-

era elite into the sacred architecture of stūpas, the Buddhist vihāra conveyed a
powerful symbolic message. This artistic intervention not only reflected resistance to

colonial dominance by reclaiming and redefining elite material culture, but also
underscored the Buddhist philosophical concept of anitya (impermanence). The

transformation of elite, worldly objects into sacred, devotional art emphasized the

transient nature of material wealth. Through this integration, the vihāra became a
space where art, belief, and subtle socio-political commentary intersected,

highlighting both cultural resilience and the spiritual values of the Buddhist tradition.

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