Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c15.2

c15.2

W E have seen that Kandyan architecture is one typically of wooden, not of stone construction. It should be remembered that the general use of wood for building domestic utensils is a survival from very early times, and that while on the Indian continent wood was very largely superseded by stone as a building material, in Ceylon the indigenous style remained to the last one of wooden architecture. It is therefore natural that much of the best Kandyan woodwork should be architectural, and that it should derive a special charm from its architectural adaptation. The timbered hall and roof at their best are such as any people might be proud of, comparable with the lesser sort of Gothic timbered hall and roof; the carved doors and windows are at once decorative and constructional; and every detail is of artistic and historic interest. The constant richness and variety of carving, and its close relation to the nature of the material are always pleasing; and we never find it so disposed as to interfere with the utility of beam or frame; it appears almost always as if it were an essential and necessary part of the constructional work.