Son Mahamat/Maha Namaskar is a popular Hindu-Buddhist ritual that is an homage to the Buddha. The name Mahamat (literally “mahak”) is Sanskrit for’sacrifice’. Namaskar symbolises this in the form of a wooden elephant or large wooden tree with a single leg. In this event, the devotees sit cross-legged on their seats like this with their feet on a wooden tree.

This is a very old ritual for many years in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan people (the majority of whom are Hindu) worship the elephant as a Lord/God who enjoys the same high level of status as Shiva (one of the Hindu gods) does. This has resulted in an extremely diverse worship of the “Tatra” elephant. Many traditions of this practice are to be found on various websites worldwide. The most popular of these, which are often linked with the modern mahamat, is the use of the “Shrine of the Elephant”. They often say “the Buddha-Tatra-Maha-Namas” mantra at the end of every ritual. This is followed by a prayer for peace and serenity, accompanied by a “tam-kam” (tam-panna) which means “peace of mind.” As much as it seems to the non-Buddhist mind, this is a very powerful spiritual (e.g. yoga) form of meditation.

For a long time I have considered the Sri Lankan Namaskar ritual as one of the most important “Mahamat” rituals outside India, and as something that I felt needs to be posted here as a reference. Many of the websites I read on Sri Lanka also mention this. It is not a surprise that Sri Lanka is the “world’s biggest mahamat”.

I started my Sri Lankan Namaskar in October of 2011, and I have been going very slowly since then (probably only about 25% a month). The main reason has to do with an issue I have written about previously, that at the time was still being raised by the Sri Lankan Buddhist monks: the use of these rituals as a way of promoting Buddhism in the area (in this country). My intention at this stage is not to encourage people to perform the ritual (I am not a Buddhist myself and have no interest in entering into any of the other practices, nor do I promote the traditional