Making masks is a popular tradition in Sri Lanka. Many Sri Lankan masks trade on the west, southwest, and south coasts of the island. Ambalangoda is the center for making unique Sri Lankan masks. Ariyapala and Sons is an important landmark of Ambalangoda. At the Mask Museum, you can walk through a fantastic collection of these delicate works of art, each of which carries a legendary story of Sri Lankan history and culture.
The institution has been in the Wijesuriya family for five generations and serves as a cultural center with a small library, a mask workshop, and a mask museum. The center is named after Ariyapala Wijesuriya Gurunnanse, an ancestor of the Wijesuriya family, a renowned master craftsman in Sri Lanka.
Along with a complete collection of Sanni Yakuma rituals and kolam dances, the primary tools used to engrave these marks are also on display. The Ves Library is one of a kind in Sri Lanka. It contains anthropological reports on the making of masks and the history of traditional masked performances. The masks are handcrafted by the villagers. Today, these masks are an important part of the Sri Lankan tradition. They are very important in pageants, processions, and festivals. They are also seen in dance, drama, and puppet shows.
[envira-gallery id=”2824″]Birth of a mask
A good kaduru tree (also known as Strychnine tree, Strychnos nax-vomica, poison nut, it is soft, easy to carve wood) is selected and cut down. The stem was drained to drain the juice and then completely dried and cut into pieces. The basic shapes of the masks are engraved using a mallet, chisel, and various other tools and according to the measurements of the ancient scriptures. The wood is smoked on the shelves of large ovens to prevent future damage from insects. Experienced wood is carved and smoothed into elaborate faces and expressions. Later masks were painted with paints that were treated in the traditional way for durability.
