Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c15.101

c15.101

The ordinary or ‘short’ cubit (miṭi riyana) was the distance from the elbow to the top of the second joint of the little finger, the fist being closed. The ordinary span was, I think, the distance between thumb and forefinger at full stretch, and two spans made one cubit. The ordinary angala or ‘inch’ was the length of the second joint of the forefinger, and of these ‘inches’ twelve formed the aḍiya or ‘foot.’ I have never seen a cubit rule of ordinary measure, so cannot give the exact value of the miṭi riyana in English units. From the above calculations it would seem to be about 17 inches. It should be remembered that Woodwork Orientals are smaller and slighter boned than Englishmen.