Fashions of Royalty: The Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka

Abstract

This book aims at discussing the fashion of the Kings and Queens during the Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka (15th Century – early 19th Century). There are plenty of visual records to study the background of this setting such as sketches and descriptions made by observer – participants of the period, historical murals, carvings and sculptures of the period. Wall paintings which depict the dress of the era, sketches of foreign diplomats are observed in the research. Historical details about the Kandyan dress are well documented visually even more in the early administrative eras. Original written sources and true pictorial evidences were used for the research. Besides, the Kandyan tradition has a living culture as well. Therefore, when dresses of the Kandyan era are examined the Kandyan period is remarkably marked with very significant signs with ample visual and written evidences. Museum collections of dresses belonging to the era were observed. Therefore, pictorial data were cross checked with different literary sources such as temple murals and particular literature, research work pertaining to the subject, enabling to build a strong logical analysis of fashions of the Kings and Queens of the Kingdom of Kandy. The Firstly, the study tries to testify the reliability of chosen images of the Kings and the Queens of the Kandyan Kingdom. The reliability of factors is taken as the key in presenting the chronology of costumes of the Kandyan Kingdom. . This collection of writings on fashion of royalty of the Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka is based on fundamental documents that intend to discuss the original majesty of the royalty of the Kandyan Kingdom. In the ancient administrative eras of Sri Lanka, royal majesty was depicted almost uniformly in every temple mural. It can be suggested that the sartorial etiquettes of royalty who were depicted in the early administrative eras were based on ancient doctrine. However, the presentation of the Kandyan royalty in their recordings is rather exotic and different from early depictions. Each King shows individual aesthetic appreciation in his sartorial etiquettes. Their many dress categories, shapes and silhouettes, materials, colour, patterns and jewellery show intricate delicacy in fashion.