SRI LANKAN MASKS..

In an Island famous for worshipping demons believed to be living in trees and mountains, devil masks are in popular usage for ungodly practices. Masks used in various dramatic rituals in Sri Lanka can be classified as mythological, demonic, animal-spirit and human figures. Oldest of them are animal and demonic ( or animal-cum-demonic, human-cum-demonic). The significance and designs of mythological masks are associated with iconography of the folk religions of the historical period. On the other hand, the significance and design of the human masks have been evolved in recent time.

The authentic masks and masking traditions of Sri Lanka are extraordinary cultural phenomenon and a significant contribution Sri Lanka has made to the Asian cultural spectrum. It is indeed a puzzle as to how the Sri Lankan masks have a short history in an ancient civilization that has to date traces of hunter-gatherer type of society. The present-day Veddas, who are considered to be the primeval ancestors of the Sinhalas, have preserved various ritual ceremonies and ritual practices involving mime, facial and body painting. Some of these practices are directly connected with ancestor worship as evidence from the na-Yaku cult. These attempts at invoking the supernatural, are evident in other part of the world were hunter •gatherer societies still exists.