Time and Timeless in Sri Lanka
A Glossary of Useful Terms Abi and Aya: Titles preceding a name which in ancient Lanka designated royal status; pron. "AH-bee" and "AH-yuh". Amalaka: A bell-shaped dagoba taller than it is round, as distinct from the bubble-shaped dagoba which is equal in height to its diameter; pron. "aah-muh-lAH-kuh". Appa: Also known as hoppers — a pancake-like food made of sourdough and water; pron. "aahp-paah". Anicut: A dam, dike, embankment, or channel which directs water into different streams for irrigation; a sluice gate; pron. "ah-nee-cuht". Arahat: In Buddhism, an individual who has completely emancipated himself from the passions and defilements which keep one in the endless cycle of rebirths in samsara; sometimes spelled arahant; pron. "aah-ruh-haht". Arama: Buddhist monastery complex; pron. "ah-rah-muh". Areca: A species of palm whose pingpong-ball-sized nut is chewed with betel leaf and ash as a mild stimulant; bitterly astringent; creates abundant cinnamon-colored spit which decorates most sidewalks; makes one wonder who could have been so hungry as to have discovered to this combination; pron. "air-EE-kuh". Arrack: Hard liquor distilled from fermented coconut or palm-flower sap called toddy; comes in several grades ranging from the virtually poisonous to what has been described as "coconut cognac"; generally contains about 32-35 percent alcohol with a high sugar and congener content which is said to produce the worst hangovers in the world; illegal homemade arrack is called kisappu and is perhaps the swiftest known route to delerium tremens; kisappu has been known to cause blindness; tourists should never drink liquor from an unsealed bottle or a bottle with no label; pron. "aah-rahk". Avasa: A monk's personal quarters in a pansala; pron. "ah-vah-sah". Ayurveda: An ancient indigenous system of herbal medicine stressing naturopathic healing; pron. "ayu-hr-VEH-duh".
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