Arts and Crafts of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s art history dates back more than 2,000 years and includes ancient temple paintings, rock sculptures of Lord Buddha and frescoes. Owing to its long, rich history, Sri Lanka endows exquisite arts evolving through the course of time which has refined its culture to be a unique and precious heritage of the nation. Its pivotal position on the ancient Silk Route made Sri Lanka a crossroad of cultural and trade exchange of the West and the East. India and China's record have proved the cultural, political and trade exuberance of this island. In many ways Sri Lankan arts is an inspiration of its long and lasting Buddhist tradition which in turn absorbed and adopted countless regional and local tradition for thousand of years, evolving to be a unique variant of Sri Lankan arts. Unsurprising, most of Sri Lankan arts originated religious beliefs, represented in many artistic forms such as painting, sculpture and architecture. One of the most notable aspects of Sri Lankan Art are cave and temple painting such as the frescoes found in Sigiriya and religious paintings found in temples in Dambulla and Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy. Other popular forms of art have been influenced by both natives as well as outside settlers. For example, traditional wooden handicrafts and clay pottery are found around the hill country while Portuguese-inspired lacework and Indonesian inspired Batik has become notable. Handwoven Beeralu lace (pillow lace) is a recognised national craft and a vital source of income for rural women of the south coast. This intricate, handmade pillow lace is woven into exquisite tablecloths, doilies, and clothing accessories. Sri Lanka is known for precious and semi-precious gem stones which are found around Ratnapura.

 

 

 

Performing Art, Dance and Music

The two single biggest influences on Sri Lankan music are from Buddhism and Portuguese colonizers. Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka after the Buddha's visit in 300 BC, while the Portuguese arrived in the 15th century, bringing with them cantiga ballads, ukuleles and guitars, along with African slaves, who further diversified the musical roots of the island. These slaves were called kaffrinha, and their dance music was called baila. Traditional Sri Lankan music includes the hypnotic Kandyan drums. Drumming was and is very much a part of music in both Buddhist and Hindu temples in Sri Lanka. Performance is the most vibrant of all art forms in Sri Lanka, particularly drumming and dancing. Sinhalese dancing is similar to Indian dance but relies mostly on acrobatics, nimbleness and symbolism to unfold its stories. The most popular dance form in Sri Lanka is Kandyan dancing also called Ves dancing. It is a very majestic form of dancing. The dancers wearing a regalian costume with a headgear called Ves resembling a crown that has given the name to this style of dancing perform to the rhythmic beating of drums and cymbals and recital of verses called Vannams. Ruhunu dances are highly ritualistic and are performed to appease evil spirits causing sicknesses. Sri Lankan folk theatre is also based mainly on rituals. There are various forms of folk drama such as Kolam, Sokari and Nadagama. Folk theatre combines masked drama, dance, drumming and exorcism rituals to vividly recreate Sri Lankan folklore.

 

Still Art

Indian culture has left dominant and deep mark in Sri Lankan arts. Indian culture here means the Indian Buddhist culture introduced along with Buddhism into Sri Lanka in the 3rd century B.C and becoming the core of Sri Lankan culture ever since. Nonetheless, Indian culture has not restrained the formation of a distinctively Sri Lankan tradition to express in its own ways. Sri Lankan artistic style varied from kingdom to kingdom along its historic lines, each of which has successively added some characteristic elements to Sri Lankan arts, becoming the completely priceless inheritance we can see today.Sri Lanka has an extensive variety of handicrafts which represent the richly craftsmanship tradition tracing back as long as the nation's existence. Tourists can find the excellent collection of Sri Lankan handicrafts in shops and stores throughout the country. Religious topics and institutions heavily influence Sri Lanka's statuary and pictorial art. Local handicrafts, encouraged during the socialist days, have been challenged by less expensive imports since 1977. Some of these traditional handicrafts, such as pottery and basket weaving, are caste-based activities and tend to be more utilitarian than decorative. Others, such as wood carving, are highly ornate and well respected in international as well as local markets.

Pottery

Pottery is one of the oldest crafts in Sri Lanka and is still a daily utensil of a particular social group of 70% which retain using clay pot and fans for cooking. In addition to pots, the more intricate products likes terracotta figures, carved vases, etc are made as well for souvenirs.

Masks

Mask is a facial decorative wear used in Sri Lankan dancing. In early times, the masks were used in rituals, dramas, and curing sickness. It is believed that mask provide curative power for physiological problems. Most masks are made forma light wood called kaduru and craved into various characters.

 

Batik

Batik making is in fact the Indonesian art, but has developed in Sri Lanka into its unique style. Tourists can find a wide variety of batiks sold throughout the island. Some of the best and most original are the batik pictures made in Kandy and Fresco Batiks on the Peradeniya road outside Kandy.

Lacquer Work

This is a skilled craft practised in the Kandyan region by traditional craftsmen. Lac workers in the Kandyan region adopt the finger nail technique which is a unique style in creating patterns on items like ash trays, teapoys, ornamental pots, jewellery boxes which are collectors’ items. (Suggested illustrations: Lacquer items).

Brassware and Silverware

Traditional brass products are commonly used as decorative items in Sri Lankan homes. These include oil lamps, trays, wall plaques, lamp stands, religious statuettes, ornamental figurines, vases, letter openers and trays, serviette holders, cigarette tins and match box holders among many other articles. Silver is used in making more expensive objects like tea services, jewellery cases, trays, cutlery and other utility items.

Jewellery

Sri Lanka produces excellent jewellery which considerably benefits its own economy. There are two traditions of jewellery making: Galle tradition and Kandyan tradition. The Galle tradition is characterized by its precious stones while the Kandyan tradition is featured by its intricate metal work, especially silver work.

 

Architecture in Sri Lanka

 

Architecture in Sri Lanka is closely based on religious beliefs like most other forms of Sri Lankan arts, and undoubtedly, Buddhism is one of the most influential elements, making Sri Lankan architecture unique. Not only Buddhism, Hinduism is another important influence on Sri Lankan architecture represented as the Hindu temples and shrines of the Hindu Tamils. Since Sri Lanka has been occupied by three generations of colonization, beginning with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and finally the British, the architecture in Sri Lanka has been developed and influenced by those three culture though the course of time. The colonial legacy as seen in ancient colonial buildings in the country even enhances the charm of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a place where different cultures have intertwined together, creating harmony and at the same time the uniqueness of Sri Lanka. In early times, the statues of Buddha were often carved from the living rock of limestone cliffs. Over the centuries, other kind of materials have also been adopted for sculpting the statutes of Buddha such as jade, rock, crystal, marble, emerald, ivory, coral, wood, and metal. Hindu temples are called kovils in Sri Lanka; most of them are dedicated to God Shiva. Hindu temple basically consists of a prayer hall and shrine room. One of the most dominant characters of Buddhist architecture is the dagoba (stupa) dotting everywhere on the Island. In a shape of dome, often painted in white, the dagoba enshrines the Buddha's relics such as hair and tooth; it is usually constructed with bricks which are covered with plaster. This form of structure is firstly introduced into Sri Lanka at the same period of Buddhism's introduction into the island. The legacy form the Portuguese is the tiled-roof building with its verandah, the Catholic churches as well as the forts. Under the Dutch rule, the Portuguese forts were changed into Dutch style,the historic fort in Galle is an excellent example. The British followed the tradition by changing also the Dutch forts into their clerical and secular architectural styles. The building in the hill stations such as Nuwara Eliya is a British legacy.