Masks of Sri Lanka

Masks are made of light timber obtained from the kaduru tree similar to balsa, whose botanical name is Strychnos nux vomica. There are three main types of masks, namely, Raksha masks, Sanni Masks and Kolam masks.

Raksha masks are twenty-four in number and they are worn at dance performances  and cultural pageants. The most common Raksha masks are the Naga Raksha (the Cobra Demon), the Gurulu Raksha (the Bird Demon), the Maru Raksha (the Demon of Death) and the Ginijala Raksha (the Fire Demon). 

Sanni masks depict eighteen demons, which are believed to cause eighteen types of diseases in humans. They are used in healing rituals performed by exorcists to drive away the eighteen Sanni demons to cure the patient, who has fallen ill due to their evil influence. Some of the Sanni masks used during the healing ritual include the Golu Sanniya which causes dumbness, the Kana Sanniya which causes blindness, the Gedi Sanniya which causes boils and the Jala Sanniya which causes shivering and chills.

Kolam masks are used in folk dances performed to satirize the follies committed by various members of the rural society. One of the most popular kolam dances is the Jasaya-Lenchina Kolama. It involves Jasaya, the village washman, Lenchina, his beautiful young wife, and Mudali, a high ranking administrative officer in the area. The folk dance shows how desperately Jasaya tries to stop the advances made by Mudali towards his beautiful wife. It carries a social message about the powerlessness of the poor against the high officials of the colonial society and generates a great deal of laughter to attract the audience during the performance.

First-hand information about the masks made in Sri Lanka can be obtained by visiting the mask museum at Ambalangoda, located 86 kilometres south of Colombo on the southern coast of Sri Lanka.