A study of dress and personal ornament in the Kandyan period, written in Sinhala by a historian who works on the Kandyan kingdom. The title translates roughly as Clothing and Jewellery of the Kandyan Era, and that is the scope of it: what people of the last Sinhala kingdom wore, and the ornaments that went with it.
Nelum Kumari Jayathilake lectures in the Department of History at the University of Peradeniya. Her research centres on the Kandyan kingdom — her other book examines Kandyan warfare and defensive techniques in relation to the Portuguese, and her published articles are largely drawn from the same field. This volume sits within that body of work and is listed on her own record as a research book rather than a general survey.
The subject is one that sits at the meeting point of material culture and court history. Dress in the Kandyan court and countryside carried information about rank, caste and office, and the ornaments associated with it are among the most recognisable surviving objects of the period. A historian of the kingdom approaching the topic brings the documentary side of it alongside the objects themselves.
Please note that the text is entirely in Sinhala. There is no English edition and no parallel translation, so the book will be of use to readers who read Sinhala comfortably. Buyers outside Sri Lanka who do not read the language may still find it of interest for reference purposes, but the argument and the detail are not accessible without Sinhala.
Published in Colombo by Godage International Publishers, an established Sri Lankan house issuing academic and general titles in Sinhala and English. Likely to suit students of Sri Lankan history, costume and textile researchers, and readers with an interest in the Kandyan court.
- Author: Nelum Jayathilaka
- Publisher: Godage International Publishers
- Language: Sinhala
- Pages: 184
- ISBN: 9789553072627
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