Bummadiya
Bummadiya (Sinhala: බුම්මැඩිය bummæḍiya) is a traditional Sri Lankan folk drum, unique in its construction from clay. It belongs to the 'Athatha' (Played using hand) type of the 'Pancha Thurya Bhanda'.[1] It is shaped like a gourd with an elongated neck or a clay water vessel ("Kalaya"), and has goat skin, monitor skin or monkey skin stretched over its mouth.[1][2] There are no standard measurements for its construction. The body is made using clay with two openings, while only the opening that is used to produce sounds is covered by the animal skin. It is also known as "Bumgediya" or "Bumbeyya" and has been historically referred to as "Kumbha bera", "Bimbisaka" and "Kala bera" during certain periods of its evolution.[3][4][5]
Bummadiya was played while singing harvest songs ("Goyam Kavi"), along with the Udekkiya.[2][6][7][8] These verses often describe the importance of meritorious deeds and the life of buddha.[3][9]
| Sinhala Original | Romanisation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| කවියෙන් කීවොත් මුනි ගුණ වරුනා
දෙසවන් යොමු කර අසනුය මෙ දනා |
Kaviyen kīvot muni guṇa varunā
Desavan yomu kara asanuya me danā |
Saying buddha's qualities in poems.
All these people, lend me your ears. |
| මෙ කපට විසිතා සංකර පොරණේ
අප මහ බෝසත් දළිඳුව එදණේ |
Me kapaṭa visitā saṁkara poraṇē
Apa maha bōsat daḷin̆duva edaṇē |
In the ancient times of this Kalpa,
our Bodhisattva was born poor |
| එතැන් පටන් බව සයුරට බැසලා
උපන් ජාතිවල පින් රැස් කරලා |
Etæn paṭan bava sayuraṭa bæsalā
Upan jātivala pin ræs karalā |
From there, he entered the ocean of samsara.
Gathered virtues on all born lives. |
| කෙතේ ගොයම් කපනව දැන් අපහට
ගසයි බෙරය සොඳ ලෙස බෙරකරු හට නැමී තිබෙන ගොයමුත් එක පැත්තට කපමු කපමු පද තාලෙට හනිකට[10] |
Ketē goyam kapanava dæn apahaṭa
Gasayi beraya son̆da lesa berakaru haṭa Næmī tibena goyamut eka pættaṭa Kapamu kapamu pada tāleṭa hanikaṭa |
The fields are being harvested for us now
The drum is being played well by the drummer Paddy is also bent to one side Let's quickly harvest to the beat |
History
Bummadiya has a long history, dating back to the Anuradhapura kingdom according to some literary and archeological sources. 'Saraththadeepani Teekawa' holds that it is unsuitable for Buddhist monks to play the "Kumbha beraya". A stone carving of a dwarf playing the bummadiya can be found on a stone pillar at the Lovamahapaya Monastery in Anuradhapura.[11] The Thupavamsa and 'Saddharmalankaraya' mentions an instrument called the "Ekas Beraya" (One-eyed drum) which could be a description of the Bummadiya.[11] The instrument is called "Bimbisaka" in the 'Deeganikaya Attakatha' and mentions that it is used in ritualistic practices. 'Vesathuru Da Sanne' includes several types of drums that were used at the time, which includes the, "Kala beraya". 'Thisara Sandeshaya' of the Gampola Kingdom also includes the "Kala beraya" in one of its poems.[3]
| Sinhala Original | Romanisation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| තහලම් කළ බෙර තම්මැට පට තන්තිරි ඩමරු
තඹමේ ටක බෙර බොම්බිලි වීණා මිණි සුසිරු |
Tahalam kaḷa bera tammæṭa paṭa tantiri ḍamaru
Tam̆bamē ṭaka bera bombili vīṇā miṇi susiru |
Thalampata, Kala Bera, Thammattama, Pata Bera (Drum), Thanthiri (Veena), Damaru (Drum),
Flute, Udakkiya (Drum), Bombili Veena, Flute made of gemstones, |
Folk poems ("Jana Kavi") also mention "Kala bera wayeema" (Playing the Kala Bera).
| Sinhala Original | Romanisation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| තොසන් වඩන අඟනෝ ලොව සරියේ
අසන් මෙමා කී කවි පද සරියේ |
Tosan vaḍana an̆ganō lova sariyē
Asan memā kī kavi pada sariyē |
To the fair maidens bringing joy to everyone,
listen to my verses. |
| ලත් පමණට මැටි ඉද කරවා ගෙන
පත් බිඳලා කළ ගෙඩි තනවා ගෙන |
Lat pamaṇaṭa mæṭi ida karavā gena
Pat bin̆dalā kaḷa geḍi tanavā gena |
Taking the right amount of clay,
and kneading it into the shape desired, a kala gediya is made. |
| ඇඳලා සේලේ රැලි ගවසාලා
බැඳලා පුස්කොළ කණේ තබාලා |
Æn̆dalā sēlē ræli gavasālā
Bæn̆dalā puskoḷa kaṇē tabālā |
(Maidens) Dressed up in the traditional skirt with pleats,
with earrings on the ears, |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Music instrument in Sri Lanka | Holiday Tours | Look Lanka Tours Sri Lanka Tour Packages & Trips 2025/2026". 2023-07-24. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ^ a b "Roar Media Archive - Traditional Beats: Ten Uniquely Sri Lankan Drums". archive.roar.media. 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ^ a b c d e Weerakkody, Iranga (November 2021). "Sustainability and Re-invention: The Pot Drum in Sri Lanka". ResearchGate. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ Manatunga, Anura (December 2024). "Identification of "Bummediya" Design". Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal of Archaeology, Anthropology, History and Heritage Tourism. E.M.I.P. Ekanayaka on behalf of the Sri Lanka Association for Antiquarian Studies. ISSN 3030-7457.
- ^ Ranathunga, Gayathri Madubhani (2018). Art and Tradition of Sri Lanka – Volume 01 Music of Sri Lanka. S. Godage & Brothers (Pvt) Ltd. ISBN 978-955-30-8903-8.
- ^ Panapitiya, Saman. "Some Observations on Agrarian Life and Performing Arts in Today's Sri Lanka" (PDF). University of the Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo.
- ^ Panapitiya, S.; Mahaliynaarachchi, R. P. (18 January 2023). "Folk Poems and Songs to Empower Human Resources Engaged in Sri Lankan Paddy Farming – An Empirical Study" (PDF).
- ^ Panapitiya, S.; Mahaliynaarachchi, R. P. (18 January 2023). "Folk Poems and Songs to Empower Human Resources Engaged in Sri Lankan Paddy Farming – An Empirical Study" (PDF). The Journal of Agricultural Sciences - Sri Lanka. 18 (3).
- ^ Shamika, Priyan (2 March 2017). "ශ්රී ලංකාවේ භාවිතා වන අවනද්ධ භාණ්ඩ 7". www.ada.lk (in Sinhala). Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ "කුඹුරේගොයම් කයිය අනිද්දයි" (PDF). Educational Publications Department of Sri Lanka. 3 April 2025.
- ^ a b Kumara, Chandana. "The Ethno-Musicological Aspects of Sri Lankan music during the period of King Dutugemunu (161-137 BCE)" (PDF). University of Kelaniya. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ "තිසර සන්දේශය-විවරණiv - Wikibooks". si.wikibooks.org (in Sinhala). Retrieved 2025-04-01.