Bridal set
Bridal sets are the most important pieces of Kandyan jewellery. They are handmade and consist of 26 pieces of jewellery that will adorn the bride from head to waist. The set normally consists of moon and sun, head chain, karapati throatlet, earrings, 3 pendants with chains, pethi necklace, agasti necklace, sarri (thick) bangles, gedi bangles and hawadiya (hip chain). Most of these jewellery items were made using five types of metals such as gold, silver, copper, lead, brass. All these items are gold-plated. The number "5" was considered an auspicious number and considered to make it 5 times stronger. These items are embedded with red and white Indian stones designed specially to go with the spectacular designs.
Bridal sets are rare with only a selected number of families possessing the entire set. These are collector's items.
Kandyan culture today
Kandyans are people who come from the Kandyan hill capital and descendants of the Kandyan kingdom. Their customs and traditional habits are still preserved to a great extent with families giving parents and their elders an important role to play. In many ways their lives are unaffected by the rest of the world as they continue to follow Avurudu and prehera (king's parade) in August where you can see these jewellery items being displayed.
Kandy city stands apart from the rest of the country in many aspects. Even today the royal palace, now a Buddhist center, performs its rituals according to the royal decrees issued by the last king, Rajasinghe II of Kandy, and does not follow regulations issued by the state.
Due to its historical importance, Kandyan jewellery is highly priced and is at the heart of Ceylonese culture representing the glorious times of the Raja (Kings).
In 1815 when the British entered the citadel, Kandyan jewelry caught the attention of the British officials resulting in some of the sets being shipped off to the royal family in England as gifts, later becoming popular amongst women in high society in England.
Even today Kandyan jewellery sets are auctioned off at the best auction houses in the United Kingdom and Europe with a throatlet and necklaces being valued at £5000 to £8000 and the entire sets being sold for prices ranging from £50,000 to £200,000 depending on the design and antiquity of the sets. In Sri Lanka these sets are available on a seasonal basis for a dollar rate for outsiders.
Some of the old Kandyan families still living today include Ellwela, Nugawela, Nugapitiya, Ratwatta, Halangoda, Weragama, Menikdiwela, Delpitiya, Palipane, Kobbekaduwe, Molamure, Muttettuwegama, Aluvihare, Hulangamuwa, Tenne, Galagoda, Lenawala, Mampitiya, Rambukwelle, Mediwake, Meegastenne, Amunugama, Mollagoda, Molligoda, Panebokke, Dunuwilla and Madugalle.
Jewellery consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a western perspective, the term is restricted to durable ornaments, excluding flowers for example. For many centuries metal such as gold often combined with gemstones, has been the normal material for jewellery, but other materials such as glass, shells and other plant materials may be used.
The Kandyan Wars refers generally to the period of warfare between the British colonial forces and the Kingdom of Kandy, on the island of what is now Sri Lanka, between 1796 and 1818. More specifically it is used to describe the expeditionary campaigns of the British Army in the Kingdom of Kandy in 1803 and 1815.
A Mangalsutra, or Tali, is a necklace that the groom ties around the bride's neck in the Indian subcontinent, in a ceremony called Mangalya Dharanam within a Hindu wedding. The necklace serves as a visual marker of status as a married Hindu woman.
Khada dupatta is the traditional wedding dress of Hyderabadi Muslim brides in the Indian subcontinent. It is an elaborate wedding ensemble comprising a kurta (tunic), chooridaar, and a 6-yard dupatta.
In the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka, the Kings maintained a harem that consisted of a chief queen and one or two secondary queens. In addition to the queens, the harem also included concubines, who were divided into three categories based on their rank. The highest-ranking category was Randoli, which consisted of consorts of royal blood who held the position of chief queen. The second category, Rididoli, consisted of consorts from either noble families of royal lineage or sisters of Randoli. The lowest ranking category was Yakadadoli, who were from the Radala (Elite) castes.
The Nayaks of Kandy were the rulers of the Kingdom of Kandy between 1739 and 1815, and the last dynasty to rule on the island. The term Nayak is derived from the Sanskrit word Nāyaka. Their rise to power came about as a result of the death of Vira Narendrasinha, who left no legitimate heir- the throne passed to his brother-in-law, who was crowned as Sri Vijaya Rajasinha in 1739. They were of Telugu Balija origin, spoke Telugu and Tamil, and used Sinhala and Tamil as their court languages. They are also credited for building various Vishnu temples in Sri Lanka dedicated to their clan deity Vishnu, known as Upulvan in Sinhala. A prominent one of them was the Kandy Vishnu Temple established at their capital Kandy. A cadet branch of the Madurai Nayak dynasty, the Kandyan Nayaks were related to the Thanjavur Nayaks as well. Both Madurai and Thanjavur nayaks belonged to Balija caste.
Bangaru Thirumala Nayaka, also known as Bangaru Tirumala and Vangaru Thirumala, was a member of Madurai Nayak royal family and Governor/Commander of the Madurai Nayak King Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha (1704–1731). His son, a young boy was adopted and crowned to the Madurai Throne, with the queen Meenakshi as queen regent, when the Madurai king died without heir. Strife between Bangaru Thirumala and queen Meenakshi would later erupt into many battles leading to the downfall of the dynasty. Later, through marriage alliances with the Sinhalese royalty, relatives of Bangaru Thirumala came to rule the Kandy kingdom in Sri Lanka. They ruled till 1815 when the last king, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha was deposed and taken captive by the British. He was exiled to Vellore Fort from Kandy.
Chinese pre-wedding customs are traditional Chinese rituals prescribed by the 禮記 (láih gei, the 儀禮 (yìh láih and the 白虎通 condensed into a series of rituals now known as the 三書六禮. Traditionally speaking, a wedding that incorporates all six rites is considered a daaih chéui.
The Kingdom of Kandy was a monarchy on the island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century.
Vimaladharmasūriya I was a king of Kandy from 1590 to 1604. His reputation was built when he successfully repulsed two major Portuguese offensives on Kandy, the Battle of Danture in 1594 and the Battle of Balana in 1602, in both of which the Portuguese were humiliatingly defeated.
Queen Elizabeth II owned a historic collection of jewels – some as monarch and others as a private individual. They are separate from the gems and jewels of the Royal Collection, and from the coronation and state regalia that make up the Crown Jewels.
Attire of Mangalorean Catholics refers to the traditional clothing of the Mangalorean Catholics from the Mangalore Diocese on the southwestern coast of India.
Tamil people have historically been connoisseurs of fine golden jewellery, which has a history predating the Sangam period in the Indian subcontinent. Ancient Tamil literature lists out the different types of jewellery worn by women historically from head to toe. Apart from gold, jewellery was also fashioned out of silver, copper and brass.
Sri Lanka–United Kingdom relations, or British-Sri Lankan relations, are foreign relations between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.
The National Museum of Ratnapura is one of the national museums of Sri Lanka. It is located in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka and it was opened on 13 May 1988. The museum building is called “Ehelepola Walauwa”, as it once belonged to Ehelepola Nilame, a courtier of the Kingdom of Kandy, who was the 1st Adigar under the reign King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the last king of Sri Lanka, for whom he served as the Disawe of Ratnapura.
Kandyan law is the customary law that originated in the Kingdom of Kandy, which is applicable to Sri Lankans who are Buddhist and from the former provinces of the Kandyan Kingdom before the 1815 Kandyan Convention. It is one of three customary laws which are still in use in Sri Lanka. The other two customary laws are the Thesavalamai and the Muslim law. At present, Kandyan law governs aspects of marriage, adoption, transfer of property, and inheritance, as codified in 1938 in the Kandyan Law Declaration and Amendment Ordinance.
Ivory carving is one of the traditional industries of Sri Lanka. The country's ivory carving industry has a very long history, but its origin is not yet fully understood. During the Kingdom of Kandy, ivory art became very popular and reached at its zenith. These delicate ivory works represent how Sri Lankan craftsmen mastered in this technique.
The Kandyan period covers the history of Sri Lanka from 1597–1815. After the fall of the Kingdom of Kotte, the Kandyan Kingdom was the last Independent monarchy of Sri Lanka. The Kingdom played a major role throughout the history of Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1476. The kingdom located in the central part of Sri Lanka managed to remain independent from both the Portuguese and Dutch rule who controlled coastal parts of Sri Lanka; however, it was colonised by the British in 1815.
Diana, Princess of Wales, owned a collection of jewels both as a member of the British royal family and as a private individual. These were separate from the coronation and state regalia of the crown jewels. Most of her jewels were either presents from foreign royalty, on loan from Queen Elizabeth II, wedding presents, purchased by Diana herself, or heirlooms belonging to the Spencer family.
