Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c22.126

c22.126

The style is of the most usual and best form, similar to those commonly made in steel. In this case only the point and knife edge are of steel. The style has a beautifully carved wooden case, silver mounted and ivory tipped. The names of the different parts of a style are indicated at the side of the figure; beginning from the top these names translated mean: the ‘umbrella’ (so called from the resemblance to the talipot-leaf umbrella, seen on the right and left of the lower illustration on Pl. XXII.), the ‘leaf,’ the ‘pipe,’ the ‘knop,’ and the ‘pen.’ The right proportion of these parts is laid down in a corrupt Sanskrit verse of the *Vaijayantaya*, of which text and translation follow: