Masks with a purpose

Preeti Verma Lal

The man looked frightening. His tongue stuck out, his eyes menacing, his teeth gnashed, his head cluttered with countless cobra hoods. In another corner was an old man with a mop of scruffy hair, long beard and a benign look. A woman with golden tiara was nailed on the wall and on the shelf stood a series of men. One man looking flummoxed. Another about to break into a laughter. A pair of blank eyes. A skeletal frame walking with a stick. In the Masks Museum (Ambalangoda, Sri Lanka), the ancient tradition of mask-making is kept alive one face, one expression, one chisel at a time. Called Ariyapala & Sons, the Museum is named after Ariyapala Wijesuriya Gurunnanse, one of the island’s greatest master craftsmen. Masks have been an integral part of the Sri Lankan history and culture and the art of mask-making has been documented in ancient texts. Making an intricately carved mask is a tedious process. Made from the timber of kaduru tree, the master first creates the basic design with the help of a chisel and mallet; the wood is then left on a smoke stall to season for about a week. The masks are then carved, painted and smoothened with motadella leaves; the colours varying according to the mask-purpose.

In the island known as Indian Ocean’s teardrop, each mask serves a purpose. These are not decorative pieces to be hung on the living room wall. Sri Lankan masks are mainly divided into three categories — sanni, kolam and raksha. The Sinhalas have several healing rituals and ancient mask-makers depicted 18 demons associated with various diseases.

Different kinds of masks represent different diseases — Amukku Sanniya, the mask that represents vomiting, has a green complexion and protruding tongue, whereas Gulma Sanniya, which represents parasitic worms, has a pale complexion suggestive of hookworm anaemia; masks for malaria and high fevers, cholera and chills have fiery red complexions.

Besides these, the chief of sanni (demons) is depicted as ‘maha kola’(medicine) mask. During exorcism, the sanni demons are summoned, offered tribute and requested to leave the patient alone.

The Karava (fishermen) community has elaborate mask plays and rituals. Kolam mask dance borrows from mythology and prominence is given to characters like Panikkala, Nonchi akka, Hewa, Jasaya, Lenchina, Mudali. These masks are also used to narrate comic tales.

The raksha (demon) masks are usually larger than the sanni and kolam masks. Mainly used in festivals and processions, these include naga raksha (cobra mask), maru raksha (mask of the demon of death), gurulu are raksha (mask of the bird), rathnakuta raksha, purnaka raksha. There are 24 masks of raksha form. Few are used in performances like the maru raksha (demon of death).

At the Masks Museum, heaps of kaduru wood lie in the workshop. It is difficult to believe that an inane piece of timber can be turned into an incredible mask with a chisel and a mallet. One stroke at a time!