From the beginning main livehood of the people of Sri Lanka was agriculture. But other occupations such as fishery, craftmanship and services also existed. We can divide there livehood to three main catogorizes.
1. Agriculture
2.Industry(craft work)
3.Trade
Most of the people in that society lived in rural areas or villages. It is basically a self sufficient and simple society. Agriculture secter divided to main categorizes:
1.Farming
2Animal Husbandry
Farming again divided to two secters:
1.paddy cultivation(wet land cultivation)
2.chena cultivation(dry land cultivation)
Dry Land Cultivation
This is very oldest and primitive time of agriculture but from the ancient time our people used to chena cultivation to produce Vegetables, grains and other food items.
The farmer clears the jungle by cutting down the trees and let them to dry few days. Then he set fire to dry trees and branches to clear the area. Before he setting fire he shouted and make noises to chase away animals to avoid them burning. That is called "GINIYATHIKAA"
The ash of the trees served as a fertilizer to the soil. Then timing to rainy season he dig the soil and spread the seeds of vegetables and cover with soils. The plants grow with rain water absorbed in the soil. The broadcast seeds of grains like Kurakkan, Amu, and Thana
during the first rains in the season, and with the rain plants grow.
Newly burn chena lands were called "NAWADALIHENA". To protect his cultivation from wild animals, farmer had adopted several medthods:
1.Making a stocase "DADUWATA"
2.Making bond fires.
3.Keeping guard from Watchout "PALRAKIMA"
4.Making scarecrows "HALIKATTA"
They cultivate some dry farming paddy varieties on chena lands. One popular rise variety that cultivated in chana was ALVEE.
After two three or times of harvesting the chena land, the farmer aband the chena land and start a new one in another spot.
Wet Land Cultivation
In Sri Lanka wet land cultivation mainly consisted of rice paddy. According to the Monsoons we have two major harvesting period called YALA and MAHA. But later period irrigation projects had provided water to paddy cultivation. Therefore it is called irrigated cultivation. Initially to provide water to paddy small tanks were build. They were called village tanks. But later the kings had patronaged paddy cultivation by making large tanks. Paddy were normally cultivated twice a year. But according to Thonigala inscriptions there were three seasons
Akalanasa - Maha Kannaya
Madahasa - Intermidiate season
Pitadahasa - Yala kannaya
Activities of Preparing Paddy for Cultivation
1. Cleaning of the Irrigation cannel which use to suppy water to the paddy field
2. Cleaning of the paddy field.
3. Ploughing of the paddy field with buffaloes.
4. Storing water in the paddy field.
5.Cleaning of the bunds using mammoty (Udalla)
6.Secound ploghing with baffaloes using plough (Nagula)
7.Preparation of seeds for seed links(paddy taken in last harvest)
8.Mudding and leveling paddy land using Mada Poruwa with the help of baffaloes.
9. broadcasting of paddy seeds. (vee vapuranawa)
10. Care of the plants for three months until it rise.
11. harvesting of paddy using sickle.
12. Transport paddy to kammatha and thressing paddy with baffaloes to seperate paddy from paddy leaves.
13.Winnowing paddy using winnowng fan (kulla)
by few people to seperate good grains from dust and straw,
14.Transport paddy to home and store in vee bissa-a paddy store.
Craft indrustries
People of ancient Sri Lanka had involve in various crafts in order to produce goods and equipments, (tool for agriculture hold equipments) jewelveries, to make utensils, fabrics and so on. Those people mainly organized in cast wise and they lived in a seperate villages, assuring that same cast people were living in separately from others.
1. Agriculture
2.Industry(craft work)
3.Trade
Most of the people in that society lived in rural areas or villages. It is basically a self sufficient and simple society. Agriculture secter divided to main categorizes:
1.Farming
2Animal Husbandry
Farming again divided to two secters:
1.paddy cultivation(wet land cultivation)
2.chena cultivation(dry land cultivation)
Dry Land Cultivation
 |
| searching a land |
This is very oldest and primitive time of agriculture but from the ancient time our people used to chena cultivation to produce Vegetables, grains and other food items.
 |
| vegetables |
The farmer clears the jungle by cutting down the trees and let them to dry few days. Then he set fire to dry trees and branches to clear the area. Before he setting fire he shouted and make noises to chase away animals to avoid them burning. That is called "GINIYATHIKAA"
The ash of the trees served as a fertilizer to the soil. Then timing to rainy season he dig the soil and spread the seeds of vegetables and cover with soils. The plants grow with rain water absorbed in the soil. The broadcast seeds of grains like Kurakkan, Amu, and Thana
during the first rains in the season, and with the rain plants grow.
Newly burn chena lands were called "NAWADALIHENA". To protect his cultivation from wild animals, farmer had adopted several medthods:
1.Making a stocase "DADUWATA"
2.Making bond fires.
3.Keeping guard from Watchout "PALRAKIMA"
4.Making scarecrows "HALIKATTA"
 |
| scare crow |
They cultivate some dry farming paddy varieties on chena lands. One popular rise variety that cultivated in chana was ALVEE.
After two three or times of harvesting the chena land, the farmer aband the chena land and start a new one in another spot.
 |
| watchout hut |
Wet Land Cultivation
In Sri Lanka wet land cultivation mainly consisted of rice paddy. According to the Monsoons we have two major harvesting period called YALA and MAHA. But later period irrigation projects had provided water to paddy cultivation. Therefore it is called irrigated cultivation. Initially to provide water to paddy small tanks were build. They were called village tanks. But later the kings had patronaged paddy cultivation by making large tanks. Paddy were normally cultivated twice a year. But according to Thonigala inscriptions there were three seasons
Akalanasa - Maha Kannaya
Madahasa - Intermidiate season
Pitadahasa - Yala kannaya
Activities of Preparing Paddy for Cultivation
1. Cleaning of the Irrigation cannel which use to suppy water to the paddy field
2. Cleaning of the paddy field.
3. Ploughing of the paddy field with buffaloes.
4. Storing water in the paddy field.
5.Cleaning of the bunds using mammoty (Udalla)
6.Secound ploghing with baffaloes using plough (Nagula)
7.Preparation of seeds for seed links(paddy taken in last harvest)
8.Mudding and leveling paddy land using Mada Poruwa with the help of baffaloes.
9. broadcasting of paddy seeds. (vee vapuranawa)
10. Care of the plants for three months until it rise.
11. harvesting of paddy using sickle.
12. Transport paddy to kammatha and thressing paddy with baffaloes to seperate paddy from paddy leaves.
13.Winnowing paddy using winnowng fan (kulla)
by few people to seperate good grains from dust and straw,
14.Transport paddy to home and store in vee bissa-a paddy store.
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| Thressing paddy by baffaloes |
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| sickle for cutting paddy |
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| store of paddy called "vee bissa" |
People of ancient Sri Lanka had involve in various crafts in order to produce goods and equipments, (tool for agriculture hold equipments) jewelveries, to make utensils, fabrics and so on. Those people mainly organized in cast wise and they lived in a seperate villages, assuring that same cast people were living in separately from others.
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| pottery |
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| Daladha Maligawa carvings |
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| Traditional Masks |
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| wood carving |
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| cane crafts |
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| wood carving |
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| stone carving |
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| pottery |
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| brassware |
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| hand crafts |
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