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Sigiriya: The Architectural and Aesthetic Marvels of Sri Lanka鈥檚 鈥淟ion Rock鈥�

Presented by the Department of Religious Studies and the Bhagwan Padma Prabhu Endowment

ABOUT THE EVENT

Join us for an evening with Dr. Kapugollawe Anandakiththi of the University of Kelaniya and Dr. Justin Henry of USF as they discuss our ongoing project hosted by Louisiana State University to generate a public open-access, VR-immersible digital model of the plateau-top palace of Sigiriya as it would have appeared in the 5th century.  

Dr. Henry and Rev. Anandakiththi will furthermore discuss the social and theological tensions at work among Buddhist lay people and monastics as early visitors to palace complex reflected on the opulence and sensuality of the location, recording their impressions in the 鈥淪igiriya graffiti,鈥� some of the earliest attested vernacular poetry of Southern Asia.  

Following the discussion will be a Q&A session with the audience. Light refreshments will be available. 

ABOUT SIGIRIYA, SRI LANKA鈥橲 鈥淟ION ROCK鈥�

A plateau-top palace constructed in the 5th century which as a UNESCO World Heritage now today attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The artistic, architectural, and engineering marvels of the palace complex offer a snapshot of the intellectual dynamism of the golden age of the Kingdom of Anuradhapura, with Sigiriya representing the 鈥渃rest gem鈥� of a broader network of hydrological engineering accomplishments of the region, cumulatively built up over many centuries. 

 

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Guest Speaker: Rev. Dr. Kapugollawe Anandakiththi

Rev. Dr. Kapugollawe Anandakiththi is a Theravada Buddhist monk and Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. Rev. Anandakithti has published on aspects of Sinhala and Marathi phonology, morphology, and grammar, and is currently a visiting fellow at Louisiana State University where he is working on a project concerning the recovery of indigenous knowledge of local geology in up-country Sri Lanka through the use of text-critical analysis, linguistic anthropology, and computational linguistics.

MODERATOR: Justin Henry, PhD

Justin Henry earned his PhD in the History of Religions from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2017, focusing on the traditions of South Asia. He has published on aspects of Sanskrit, Pali, Sinhala and Tamil literature in Sri Lanka and South India and his first book, Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below, was released by Oxford University Press in 2022. He is currently working on a general audience book on the "many Ramayanas" of Asia, as well as a monograph project on Jain, Hindu and Buddhist attitudes towards wealth acquisition, philanthropy, and business ethics, historically. He has taught courses on Buddhist and Jain Philosophy and Literature, Hinduism, The God Debate, Religion and Wealth, and New Religious Movements.

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PARKING

We recommend parking in Lot 22D. For more information about parking options, please visit Parking Services.

USF Campus Map (PDF)

For reasonable accommodations or other questions, please contact CAS RSVP.