Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c11.s1.1

c11.s1.1

MAKARA. The *makara* resembles a dolphin or crocodile; the snout ends in a trunk like an elephant’s, but shorter and often curled up so as to be inconspicuous; the body and tail are bird-like; but the Early Indian forms (Fig. 18) had a distinctly fishy tail; as also in Pl. XLVII., 8. Fig. 17 is from an old drawing by a pupil of Devaragampola Silvatenna. The *makara* is one of the signs of the zodiac; one of the 108 *mangul-lakunu*; it is also the banner of the Indian god of love. A special form of necklace, called *makara-malaya*, is shown in Pl. XLIX., 11. But its only common use in eighteenth century Sinhalese art is in the *makara toran* which abound in Sinhalese architecture above doorways and images, as in Pls. VII., 1; VIIA, above the image: Pl. XXXVIII., 9 shows a modern, debased rendering in ivory. The *makara torana* is an ornamental arch springing from two profile *makara* facing each other, and with a ‘*kibihi*’ face in the position of the keystone; the intermediate space on either side is variously treated. In Pl. VIIA. it is filled with flying *sanda kinduro*. The *makara* face is never used by itself; Mr. Bell’s ‘*makara* quadrifrons’ of the Mēdagoḍa Dēvāle stone pillar is really a ‘*kibihi* quadrifrons.’ He also mentions *makara* faces in error on p. 20. Almost all full-face detached heads are *kibihi*; all profile, *serapendiya*. Mr. Bell finds the prototype of the curious ornamental arches (*makara toran*) in the *chaitya* window of the early Buddhist cave temples of India (Kēgalla Report, p. 21).