Craft Villages

The jewellers of Nilavala by ASIFF HUSSEIN There could hardly be imagined a more beautiful sight than a Kandyan lady wearing her embroidered bodice covered with a sari of old Indian brocade, bare-footed, and covered with delicate tinkling chains and pendants, rings and bracelets, of which profusion one feels that …

The mat-weavers of Henavala by ASIFF HUSSEIN There was a time when the famous Dumbara mats were much talked about and sought after by the cultured circles of Sri Lankan society not very long ago.This however no longer appears to be the case today at a time when the love …

Perpetuating an old craft by ASIFF HUSSEIN Drums never fail to liven up things. Be it the rhythmic beats of the wandering minstrel or the loud bangs of the school hevisi band, the drum speaks the language of life. The art of drum-making however survives in only a few localities …

The cotton-weavers of Talagune   by ASIFF HUSSEIN Little is it known that the weaving of traditional homemade cottons once widely prevalent in the Kandyan country today survives as a cottage industry in only one solitary village, namely, Talagune in the Uda Dumbara division of the Kandy district. Around eight …

The lac-workers of Hapuvida by ASIFF HUSSEIN Lac work is certainly one of the most beautiful forms of art known to man. Be it flag poles or spear handles, candle holders or jewellery boxes, little round tables or large wall clocks, items worked in lac exude a beauty unmatched by …

by ASIFF HUSSEIN Sesath or traditional Sinhalese umbrellas have a long history behind them. Although today largely used as home decor and at ceremonial observances such as peraheras, the sesatha of yore had a functional as well as a ritual value. The olden-day sesath appear to have been invariably white …