Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c38.30

c38.30

1. Daṇḍāsana, literally ‘wooden seat.’ This is a piece of ecclesiastical furniture used in pansalas, but whether actually as a seat (which is unlikely) or as a table for books I am uncertain. The four hooks upon the inner sides of the horizontal bars must, it would appear, have supported a cloth cover. References to daṇḍāsana are found in sannas (p. 48) and lists of offerings, but I have never seen one in use, or pictured in a jātaka painting. The daṇḍāsana figured is kept in the apartments formerly occupied by the Saṅgha Rāja at Malvatte Pansala. It is incomplete, but shows traces of painting. Height above the ground, 18½ inches. See p. 137.