Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c6.80

c6.80

We have reviewed in the briefest possible space, the culture-history of the Sinhalese people, as recorded in one of the most interesting chronicles known to the world. We have seen something of the earth whence they sprang, and the waters that gave them drink. At all times the national life was reflected in the national culture. The art expression of that culture in the eighteenth century can only be understood and appreciated, when the people themselves and the ideals of their religion and civilization are understood and respected. An attitude of sympathy is essential also to the comprehension of much that seems strange or repulsive in an alien culture. No aspect of Eastern art can be rightly appreciated by those who approach it only with the intention of discovering what it has not accomplished. A study of what it has done will serve us better. Towards that study the present work is a small contribution. In the light of the past and for the help of the future, it is offered to the Sinhalese people as a monument to a part of their departed glory.