Handicrafts of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has an extensive variety of handicrafts which represent the richly craftsmanship tradition tracing back as long as the nation's existence.

wood carving was originally associated with architecture. Wooden pillars, roofs, doors, windows, door-bolts and even wooden bridges were all decorated with finely carvad desighns.

Modern artefacts are produced without prejudice to the traditional styles of carving. The creations of the present generation include many beautiful objects of art such as trays, wall plaques and figurines both secular and religion

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.

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.

Batik making is in fact the Indonesian art, but has developed in Sri Lanka into its unique style. 

Some of the best and most original are the batik pictures made in Kandy. Batik or batique is an Indonesian word and refers to a generic wax-resist dyeing technique used on textile.

The word originates from Javanese word "amba", meaning ”to write” and the Javanese word for dot or point, "titik."It is known to be more than a millennium old, probably in ancient Egypt or Sumeria. There are evidences that cloth decorated through some form of resist technique was in use in the early centuries AD.

The best exponents of the art of brass work are in the Kandy and Matale Districts. The variety of items produced display a unique cultural identity. Other than the traditional items such as oil lamps, trays, bowls vases, spittoons etc among the recent additions are ash trays, mirror frames, serviette rings, letter openers and letter holders.

Silver is used in making expensive utility objects like jewellery jewellery - boxes, tea - sets, trays, bottle - openers, candle - holders and various cutlery items such as spoons, bowls etc .Articles made of copper and brass are also plated with silver or gold or anodized to prevent tar noshing and to eliminate the need for regular polishing.

Sri Lanka produces excellent jewelry which considerably benefits its own economy. There are two traditions of jewelry 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.