Sri Lanka handicrafts, Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's handicrafts carry a history that stretches back thousands of years. With the exception of jewellery, production remains essentially a cottage industry — artisans working with natural raw materials and time-tested, age-old techniques passed down through generations. That continuity has allowed the characteristic identity of Sri Lankan craftsmanship to survive largely intact to the present day.

Much of that survival is owed to Sri Lanka's ancient social system, which has its Indo-Aryan roots. Certain arts and crafts were historically assigned to defined socio-occupational groups, a structure that proved remarkably effective at preserving traditional skills in their purest form. Today, the island's wide variety of attractive handicrafts can be found in shops, street stalls and government-run stores throughout Sri Lanka. It is worth noting that ivory and tortoise shell handicrafts, once sold widely, are no longer legal in the country.

Pottery

Pottery is among the oldest of Sri Lanka's handicrafts, and its primarily utilitarian character has continued since the very beginning of Aryan Sinhalese civilisation. The simplicity of ornamentation and the elegance of form have held fast on the island for more than two and a half millennia. Low-fired cooking pots, pans, jugs, bowls, goblets, tiles and vases are the most widely used kitchen items, while intricately designed pieces — terracotta figures, carved vases and ornamental figurines featuring distinctly Sinhalese characteristics — are also produced at countryside workshops.

Sri Lankan pottery is shaped on a small wheel turned by the potter, who moulds the clay by hand before the piece is hardened in a traditional brick-built kiln. The majority of output remains plain, undecorated utilensil ware. However, with demand for decorated pottery growing, dying wet clay in patterns and glazing have been introduced in recent times.

Woodcarving

Woodcarving in Sri Lanka has an equally long history, and its depth of tradition is perhaps best witnessed at Lankatilaka Temple and Embekke Devale at Kandy, where the low-relief carving of traditional craftspeople is displayed to striking effect. Miniature replicas of this work can be purchased at fair prices at both temples. Among the most popular pieces are three-dimensional carvings of ebony elephants and Buddha figures. Wood-carved decorative panels are also widely used in interior decoration across the island.

The range of woodcraft items is broad, spanning wall hangings, fancy jewellery, figurines, sculpture, lacquer products, gift boxes, toys, educational items for pre-school children and a variety of household goods — each combining utility with elegance.

Metalwork

Sri Lanka has a long tradition in metalwork, drawing on the full range of metals and alloys — gold, silver, brass, tin, lead and iron, as well as their various combinations. Work ranges from ornamental casting and pierced designs to more specialised techniques. Damascene work, which involves decorating metal such as iron or steel with wavy patterns of etching or inlays of precious metals, is produced here using traditional methods. So too is filigree — the delicate decorative openwork made from thin, twisted precious metal wire.

Brassware

Brassware is produced in two main techniques: wrought and cast. The wrought technique yields bowls, tea services, trays, and a range of ornamental and decorative ware, all finished with the careful attention to detail that defines Sri Lankan craft traditions at their best.