Funday Times

Gaveshaka continues the trail in the National Museum

Brassware with intricate designs
Brassware of the Kandy Period shows a wide variety of utility wares for the household. These are displayed in the Kandy Period Gallery and show delicate workmanship by talented craftsmen.

Among the products mostly produced in brass are arecanut-slicers (gira), writing styluses (panhinda), locks and bolts of doors and windows, door hinges and handles (allu), boxes, trays, lime boxes, and jewellery, pills and tobacco boxes. There are also pots and pans of various shapes and sizes and these show South Indian influence. Other products showing South Indian influence are brass lamps, specially the pedestal types, and cauldrons. Betel trays (bulth-heppuva) and plate stools (serakkala) are among the special brass products of utility value.

The decorative element used in brass products generally followed the usual decorative motifs of the time. Such motifs were used in the utility products irrespective of the materials from which they were made. The lotus petal (palapeti), for example, is a common motif used extensively. Among others used as decorative themes are liyavela, hansa-puttuva, galbinduva, birds with scroll wings, cock-birds and peacocks used in pedestal lamps.

Chunam boxes (killota), betel pounders (vangedi), arecanut slicers (gira) and a betel stool tray (heppuva) are displayed in a single display unit. The arecanut slicers while maintaining a standard size, take varying shapes and designs. The cutting blade, of course, remains the same. The chunam boxes are of varying sizes and are elaborately carved. So are the pounders which can be easily carried about. These are meant to prepare a mouthful of the betel chew.

Decorated brass panels, trays and jewellery boxes are exhibited in another display cupboard. Here again, the jewellery boxes are of different shapes and designs but the size more or less remain the same.

Of special interest are two brass trays with elaborate designs. One relates the story of the execution of Ehelapola Kumarihamy and the children. The other depicts the Kandy Perahera in detail.

It is appropriate to recall the tragedy of the Ehelapola family as described by educationist L. E. Blaze in 'The Story of Ceylon'. "In his disavony of Sabaragamuwa, Ehelapola was very popular; he tried to rule well and to please his subjects, but his popularity served only to increase the king's (Sri Vickrema Rajasinghe) fear that Ehelapola was plotting to seize the throne. Certain charges were brought against him and he was ordered to return immediately to Kandy.

The order was not obeyed, and the king in anger deprived the minister at once of all his high offices, imprisoned his family and took away his property. Molligoda (who is thought to have jealously set the king against Ehelapola) was appointed first adigar in his rival's place and was dispatched to Sabaragamuwa against the rebel.

In May 1814 after a weak effort at resistance, and failing to receive the help he expected from the British, Ehelapola fled to Colombo and there sought the protection of the governor. Molligoda laid waste Ehelapola's disavony and took large numbers of prisoners to Kandy. The king's rage when he learnt of Ehelapola's flight was terrible. One after another, those whom he suspected of friendship with the fugitive were tortured and put to death".

But for Ehelapola's family was reserved the vengeance that even at this day we cannot recall without a shudder.

"The chief's wife and children and his brother and his wife were all condemned to death - the brother and boys to be beheaded and the ladies to be drowned. The execution was duly carried out to the horror of those who looked on. The heroic conduct of Ehelapola's second son, nine years old, deserves to be recorded. His elder brother wept when he was to be beheaded and clung to his mother. The second boy heroically stepped forward; he bid his brother not to be afraid - he would show him the way to die. By one blow of a sword, the head of this noble child was severed from his body."

In one panel, the tray depicts the gruesome scene how Ehelapola Kumarihamy's infant was put in the mortar and how she was asked to pound her and in another, how she herself was thrown to the lake and killed.

Back to Mirror Magazine