Srilanken Handicrafts

The most characteristic and clichéd Sri Lankan souvenirs are brightly painted masks, originally designed to be worn during kolam dances and now found for sale wherever there are tourists. Masks vary in the size from the tiny to the huge; the vast majority depicts either the popeyed Gara Yaka or nthe bird demon Gurulu Raksha, though if you hunt around you may find other designs – the excellent display at the National Museum in Colombo gives a good overview of the range of masks which have traditionally been made, even if you won’t find as wide a selection in any of the island’s shop. Some masks are artificially but attractively but attractively aged to resemble antiques a lot easier on the eye than the lurid colours in which most are painted. The centure of mask production is at Ambalangoda where there are couples of large shops selling a big range of designs.

Second is popularity are elephant carvings. These range from small wooden creatures painted with bright polka – dot patterns, to the elegant stone carvings sold at the Gallery Café and Paradise Road in Colombo. Batiks are also widespread. Designs are often stereo – typical, though a few places produce more usual and interesting work. More entertaining are the puzzle boxes offered for sale around Sigiriya – delicately carved little wooden boxes which can only be opened bay series of Rubik – cube – like maneuvers. Also fun are the beautifully made wooden modals of tuktuks and other vehicles – wonderful souvenirs or children’s toy. They’re most commonly found in Negombo, but also increasingly available in Colombo and elsewhere on the island.

A number of other traditional crafts struggle on with a little help from the tourist trade. Metalwork has long has been produced in Kandy area, and intricately embossed metal objects such as dishes, trays, candlesticks and other objects can be found in all the island’s handicraft emporia, though they’re rather fussy for most foreign taste. Leatherwork can also be good, boots and footrests. Lacaqureware can also be good sometimes be found, along with kandyan – style drums and, occasionally, carom boards.