The watapatha is the hand-held fan of the Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, and one of the items that lay devotees give to monks as a donation. It is a simple object: a rounded fan face on a turned handle, held by a monk during religious activities and ceremonies in the tropical climate of Sri Lanka.
In Sri Lankan Buddhist ceremonies the fan is more than a way to move the air. In traditional rites a monk may hold a round-handled fan of talipot leaf, elaborately decorated, as a symbol of authority and high ecclesiastical position.
This Lakpura Watapatha has a palm-leaf face, gathered in fine radiating ribs towards the handle, and a rounded, almost circular outline. The edge is bound with coloured braid and a small coloured panel sits where the leaf meets the handle, which is turned wood with a lightly varnished finish.
The photographs show two finishes. One has a plain pale leaf face bound with a yellow braided rim. The other has a red braided rim and a broad band of gold embroidery running around the inside of the edge, framing the pale leaf. The listing is offered as the standard fan and as Design A and Design B, so choose the design at checkout.
