Sri Lankan ivories

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An ivory Buddha statue, 18th century; Metropolitan Museum of Art. MET L 2010 475 5 O1.jpg
An ivory Buddha statue, 18th century; Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Ivory comb, 18th century; Metropolitan Museum of Art. MET 2011 576 4 O2 sf.jpg
Ivory comb, 18th century; Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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. [1] 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.

Contents

History

Sri Lankan ivory carving industry began in the 1st century BC. [1] King Jetthatissa of the Anuradhapura Kingdom has patronised the ivory industry. [2] Most of the surviving ivory works are attributed to Kandyan Kingdom. Sri Lankan ivory industry began during the Anuradhapura period. The oldest surviving ivory piece ever found in Sri Lanka is the image of a woman wearing a pearl girdle found from the southern vāhalkada of Ruwanweli stupa. [1] Ancient chronicle Mahavamsa mentions that King Parakramabahu the Great of Polonnaruwa had built a garden with decorative ivory railings. [3]

Due to the rarity of ivory, possessing ivory items were considered as a symbol of dignity in the past. These ivory works may have presented to kings, foreign ambassadors, and other high officials. [1]

During the period of Portuguese Ceylon, works made for export bore similarities with the Afro-Portuguese ivories. [4]

Creation

Ivory fan handle, 18th century AD. Metropolitan Museum of Art. MET 2010 475 9a O2.jpg
Ivory fan handle, 18th century AD. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Ivory carving technique consists of two main steps: the turning and carving. [3]

During the turning, ivory is cut using a saw and shaped using a turning lathe (pattalaya). A simple wood lathe is used. Then it is softened by using various plant saps. [3] Then carving is done. Tools like saw, drill, rasp, vice, and chisel are used in this step. [1] Later the object is polished using alum. If there are any holes in the object, they are filled up with lac and decorated. [1] Ultimately natural pigments like red, yellow, and black together with minerals and adhesive compounds are used to get the end quality of the item.

Bangles, fan handles, caskets, knife hilts, combs, boxes, trumpets, earrings, door frames, decorative plates, and sports equipment were produced using ivory. Buddha statues and human figures were also produced. [3]

Decorative elements

There are three kinds of motifs used in Sri Lankan ivory art: animal figures, anthropomorphic figures and floral decorations. [1] Decorations like petal designs, kudirakkan, nārilatā, bhērunda pakshiyā, makarā, kimbisi muhuna, panā decorations and dancing figures were commonly used in the Kandyan Period.

Examples

An image depicting a royalty, early 19th century; Metropolitan Museum of Art. MET DP240203.jpg
An image depicting a royalty, early 19th century; Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The panchanari ghataya of Ridi Viharaya, Kurunegala. Pancha Nari Ghataya Ridi Viharaya.JPG
The panchanāri ghataya of Ridi Viharaya, Kurunegala.

The finest example for Sri Lankan ivory carving are the ivory carvings at the door-frame of Ridi Viharaya, Kurunegala. Delicately carved panchnāri ghataya motif and two dancer images can be seen here. There is a gajasinha carving at the corridor of the temple. [3] Temple of the Tooth also houses fine ivory decorations. [1]

Many examples for ivory works from the Kandyan kingdom can be observed at Colombo National Museum and National Museum of Kandy. [1] The standing ivory Buddha in vitarka mudra displayed in the Colombo National Museum is considered a masterpiece of Sri Lankan ivory art. [5] Another ivory work, a chest belonging to the Kingdom of Kotte is housed in Munich Residenz, Germany. This chest is decorated with carvings depicting the coronation of King Dharmapala. [6]

Related Research Articles

Kandy City in Central Province, Sri Lanka

Kandy is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and is also the capital of the Central Province. Kandy is the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relic, one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988. Historically the local Buddhist rulers resisted Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial expansion and occupation.

The SiamNikaya is a monastic order within Sri Lanka, founded by Upali Thera and located predominantly around the city of Kandy. It is so named because it originated within Thailand. The Siyam Nikaya has two major divisions and five other divisions within these two major units. The Malwatta and Asgiriya chapters have two separate Maha Nayakas or chief Monks.

Rajasinha II of Kandy King of Sri Lanka

King Rajasinghe II, also known as Rajasingha II, was a Sinhalese King, reigned 1629 – 6 December 1687; third king of the kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka. Rajasingha requested Dutch aid to help expel the Portuguese from the island, which they successfully did in 1656. By this time however it had become clear to the Kandyans that the Dutch not only intended to expel the Portuguese but to replace them as the major colonial power on the island. This transfer of power is also believed to be where the Sinhala idiom / figure of speech “ඉඟුරු දී මිරිස් ගත්තා වාගේ” was originated - in reference that the Dutch Rule was much more of a menace to the king and cruel to the people in the island than the Portuguese. From 1645 onwards Rajasingha was engaged in sporadic warfare with his erstwhile allies.

Kandyan dance

Kandyan dance encompasses various dance forms popular and native to the area called Kandy of the Central hills region known as Udarata in Sri Lanka, which have today spread to other parts of the country.

Dances of Sri Lanka

There are several styles of classical and folk dance in Sri Lanka.

Govigama is a Sinhalese caste found in Sri Lanka. They form approximately half of the Sinhalesee population and are traditionally involved in agriculture. The term Govigama became popular during the last period of the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kandy. Its members have dominated and influenced national politics and Sinhalese Buddhism.

British Ceylon

Ceylon was the British Crown colony of present-day Sri Lanka between 1815 and 1948. Initially the area it covered did not include the Kingdom of Kandy, which was a protectorate, but from 1817 to 1948 the British possessions included the whole island of Ceylon, now the nation of Sri Lanka.

Kingdom of Kandy Former Kingdom of Ceylon

The Kingdom of Kandy was an independent monarchy of 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.

Vimaladharmasuriya I of Kandy King of Kandy

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.

Capital of Sri Lanka

The current capital of Sri Lanka is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. In the course of history, the national capital has been in many locations other than Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

Temple of the Tooth

Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a World Heritage Site mainly due to the temple.

Statue of Tara Statue of Bodhisattva Tara

The Statue of Tara is a gilt-bronze sculpture of the Tara that dates from the 7th-8th century AD in Sri Lanka. Looted from the last King of Kandy when the British annexed Kandy in the early nineteenth century, it was given to the British Museum in 1830 by the former British Governor of Ceylon, Robert Brownrigg.

Ridi Viharaya

Ridi Viharaya or Silver Temple is a 2nd-century BCE Theravada Buddhist temple in the village of Ridigama, Sri Lanka. Built during the reign of Dutthagamani of Anuradhapura, the temple is considered as the place where the silver ore, which provided silver to complete Ruwanwelisaya; one of the largest stupa in Sri Lanka, was discovered. According to the chronicles Mahavamsa and Thupavamsa, the Ridi Viharaya complex was built in gratitude for helping him cherish his dream of completing Ruwanwelisaya.

Sinhalese–Portuguese War

The Sinhalese–Portuguese War was a series of conflicts waged from 1527 to 1658 during the Transitional and Kandyan periods in Sri Lanka between the Sinhalese kingdoms and their allies, against the Portuguese Empire. The Crisis of the Sixteenth Century (1521–1597), started with the Vijayabā Kollaya, the division of the Sinhala Kingdom, then centered at Kotte. The country was divided among three brothers resulting in a series of Wars of Succession. It was also at this time that the Portuguese, whose arrival in Sri Lanka was largely accidental, intruded into the internal affairs of Sri Lanka, establishing control over the maritime regions of the island and sought to control its lucrative external trade.

Dewa (people) Maritime martial Sinhala caste in Sri Lanka

Dewa tribe of Sinhalese in Sri Lanka is the only ancient Sinhalese tribe which still could be recognize in the island who founded Sinhalese nationality. There family names bearing distinct "Dewage" as surname. Deva, Wahumpura, Wanshapurna are the other names. They are mountain dwelling people even at present.

Kandyan period frescoes

Kandyan era frescoes are mural paintings created during the Kingdom of Kandy (1469–1815) in Sri Lanka, a time when kings gave a special place to arts and literature.

Bodhisattva statues of Sri Lanka

Although currently a Theravada Buddhism flourishing country, the Mahayana cult of worshipping Bodhisattva statues has existed in ancient Sri Lanka. Archaeological evidences show that Bodhisattva cult had existed as a secondary cult inferior to worship of Buddha during the Anuradhapura period. This can be assumed by the surviving Bodhisattva statues.

Kandyan period

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.

Badulla Bronze Buddha is a Buddha statue belonging to Sri Lanka’s Anuradhapura period. The sculpture, found in the Badulla, Sri Lanka was created around 6th century AD. This statue is made of hollow cast bronze. Currently displayed at Colombo National Museum, this statue is 54.5 cm high.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kumaratunge, H. W. (2002). "මධ්‍යකාලීන මහනුවර යුගයේ පාරම්පරික කලා කර්මාන්ත". චිත්‍ර කලාව (in Sinhala). S. Godage and Brothers. ISBN   9552054788.
  2. Ranjith Hewage (2012). "සීතාවක රාජසිංහ රජුට අයත් ඇත්දළ තරාදිය". විස්මිත අතීත උරුමයන්. Susara publishers. ISBN   9789556761658.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Sanath Dharmabandu (2011). "ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ කලා කර්මාන්ත". චිත්‍ර හා මූර්ති කලාව. M. D. Gunasena and Company Ltd. ISBN   978-9552115714.
  4. Flores, Jorge Manuel (2007). Re-exploring the Links: History and Constructed Histories Between Portugal and Sri Lanka. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 287. ISBN   9783447054904.
  5. Ranjith Hewage (2012). "විතර්ක මුද්‍රාව නිරූපිත ඇත්දළින් බුදු පිළිම වහන්සේ". විස්මිත අතීත උරුමයන්. Susara publishers. ISBN   9789556761658.
  6. "Treasury – Picture Gallery: Chest". Bayerische Schlosserverwaltung. Retrieved 17 November 2017.