style plus tradition = Sri lankan Batik

Though the exact way Batik has been evolved in Sri lanka is uncertain,it is believed to be originated in Indonesia,and was brought in to the country by the Dutch when they came here.Other countries like China,India and Japan are also found to be having the industry of Batik crafts.

In a nutshell,Batiks consist of incorporating beautiful themes and colours into fabric,which can either be traditional or contemporaty.In our country,Batik industry used to produce mens and ladies wear,bed covers,wall pictures,table clothes etc.

Since it's been brought,Sri lanka's Batik industry has been conflated with the other arts crafts,that ultimately has led to produce a unique characteristic artistry to be developed within the island.As a result,most of the batik productions today, are having our own cultural and artistic features well integrated on them.

The process of a Batik production
1)material dipped in boiling water to remove the starch
2)design drawn out
3)colour resist material(wax/mud etc)applied to some areas for the design
4)first round of colours applied and then washed in water
5)again colour resists applied to areas according to the design where colour should not be absorbed during the second round of dying
6)this process continues till all the colours for the design is applied
7)material dipped in boiling water

learn more.....

The Shine that'll never be blown over - Sri lankan Gems

A gem is a naturally occurring crystalline form of a mineral which takes generations to be formed.Though the time it takes to be formed is very long,it can be enjoyed for generations as well.Gem industry in Sri lanka has been existing for thousands of years as it is found that even ancient Emperors of Roam had Sri lankan gems taking places in their crowns.

In past,one of the names given for Sri lanka was "Rathna Deepa" and the meaning of "Rathna" in Sinhala is gems while "Deepa" is land,so it was "Land of Gems."The Gem mining centre of Sri lanka is Rathnapura("Pura"means city)which is a major crossing between Southern plains to Hill country to East.

There are 17 types of precious and semi precious stones identified in the country and some of the most popular ones are Blue sapphire,Alexandrite(the rarest gem in the world),Stur Ruby,Amethyst,Garnet,Moonstone(only found in Sri lanka).

We have The State Gem corporation,which plays a major role in country's the Gem industry.It makes sure that all the gems that produced are within the international standards and also helps people involved in the industry throughout its process,from mining to exportation.

Know more about Sri lankan Gems....

Evincing Sri lankan traditions - Sri lankan wooden Masks"Vesmuhunu"

As an island that has a cultural history of more than 2500 years,Sri lanka has been able to develop a wide variety of spectacular art crafts of its own.Since very ancient times,wooden masks have always had a great position among all the Sri lankan traditional crafts.

One well known purpose of these masks was to be used in various dramatic rituals in Sri lanka like"Bali","Kohomba kankaariya"(Sri lankan devil dance)etc.These masked can be broadly classified as mythological,demonic,animal spirit and human figures.Of these,animal and demonic ones are considered as the oldest and some believe they represent ungodly practices(related to very ancient times)while mythological masks are considered to be an iconography of the folk religions of the historic period of Sri lanka.On the other hand human masks believed to be evolved in recent times.Some of these masks are used for healing purposes as well.

As you can see these masks are very colourful and express different kinds of emotions.They play a key role in dramatic rituals where they give the spectator some joy and excitement while always conveying a deeper meaning for them to catch.

want to see a video? watch a video of Sri lankan mask dance