Ceylon Handmade Traditional Masks …
Through the ancient Sri Lankan society, which was highly spiritual, disciplined, civilized and culturally endowed, a traditional mask art has been developed exhibiting its own unique characteristics. Therefore, Ceylon masks could be clearly distinguished from other Asian masks.
This mask named, Mayura Raksha Mask
(Peacock Monster) has the shape and color of a peacock, depicts a powerful demonic spirit disguised as a peacock. It brings peace and love to you and your relatives.
it is in excellent condition, whimsical, rare and very decorative. It is a superb, museum piece. The character has dramatically protruding eyes; a pierced mouth of sharp teeth (it is this piercing which allows the dancer to see out); prominent, detachable ears; and a wonderfully realistically rendered nose.
There are many types of Yaksha/Raksha/ spiritual demon masks. Also, there are many other types of non-Yaksha masks that belong to the traditional mask art of Sri Lanka. They can be categorized according to the purpose for which they are used and when they are used. Contact us via "EBAY CONTACT SELLER OPTION" if you want to find out about other types of masks or buy them.
This Mask is 100% handmade and made out of Local Balsa tree(Sea Mango/ Cerbera manghas). Sea Mango wood is the lightest wood in the world.
Size - 6 inch * 5 inch
Item will be checked for any damages or errors before packaging & shipping
Shipment Details
Will be shipped within 7 days after the buyer placed the order (mostly within first 2 days)
We are directly shipped from Sri Lanka and we are the original producer of the product (not a drop shipper)
Tracking number will given to you as soon as the shipment done
100 % customer satisfaction guaranteed.
Simply, we always hope your satisfaction.
More About the Ceylon Masks
According to the earliest historical evidences of Sri Lanka, the name of the first king to rule the country was King "Manu". It means the chief leader of a group of people with great human qualities.
According to ancient legends, The queen of the powerful king Manu was pregnant. As her pregnancy neared term she developed an irresistible craving to see a peace masked dance performed. So intense was her desire that her health rapidly began to fail. She beseeched her husband, the king, to grant her this wish before her childbirth. The occurrence of such special desires in the mind of a pregnant mother is called "Doladuka" in their local language. To satisfy that desire, on the orders of King Manu, the Shakra king of the Deva tribe informed this to a sage called "Maha Vishwakarma". Under the guidance of Vishwakarma Rishi (the son of the god Vishwakarma), the masks suitable for the peace mask dance ceremony were prepared for King Manu's queen.
The purpose of this white magical ceremonial dance was to bring good fortune and prosperity to the Blessed Prince, who came here from a spiritual world(a brahma plane) in the hope of accepting the kingdom of the future, and became pregnant by the Queen.
It also helps to keep the queen's mind good and healthy. They knew that in order to create a great king for the future of the kingdom, the mental development of that prince had to be worked out from the fetal stage. For that, they also enlisted the help of invisible forces with good vision. The reason for this is that it is possible to obtain from those good invisible forces the guidance needed to suppress the dark forces that are invisible to the naked eye, for the spiritual development of the future king, and for the prosperity of the kingdom, and for the creation of a righteous ruler.
Furthermore, in order to maintain the fertility of a country, its people must be healthy. All epidemics are spread by inhumane creatures that live miserable lives in the very dark and lower plains. That is the sad reality but it is inaccessible to modern materialistic science. If you are a true meditator, it is a matter of experience. Demons with very low traits enter the human body and make people sick. Bad Inhumans are able to do so because even though ordinary people have physically healthy bodies, they often suffer from some form of mental illness. When mentally disturbed, their aura weakens and these black spirits easily enter the human body and damage the human astral body.
People who have been cured of all mental illnesses are only a few who have transcended samsara. Except for such nobles, all other human beings and animals are mentally as well as physically ill due to the influence of black spirits. When that happens, it becomes difficult to maintain a self-sufficient country. Therefore, the kings were always tempted to seek the help of sages to protect the kingdom from the influence of black spirits.
Rishis(Sages) are yogis who have elevated the mind to a very high spiritual level. They are the Bodhisattvas who load the Parami in search of Samma Sambuddhatva in a future soul. Why use the worldly meditative powers of that nobleman for the benefit of the people? It is because of the immense kindness and compassion that is in their hearts. The sages try to give temporary relief to the innocent people who are trapped in the worldly world due to their inability to recognize the illusion of the mind and to alleviate that suffering.
The traditional yakkha/ raksha / spiritual demon masks created for the shaanthi karma (performing a white magical ceremonial dance ) based on such a deep theory represent the forms of powerful demonic spirits capable of subduing the evil black spirit living in those lower planes. On the advice of sages, people seek help from such powerful demonic spirits. There are also inhumans who compassionately help people in such a way. Many of those living today cannot believe them because none of them are visible to the naked eye. But develop your mind. You can experience for yourself the creatures that inhabit other dimensions and their various forms.
During the ritual, experienced masters dress up in traditional costumes and dance in traditional yakka/ spiritual demon masks. Traditional poets perform prayers. These rituals often involve asking for help in maintaining the health of a pregnant woman or rescuing a patient from a black spirit disease and bringing peace to the black spirit soul. The messengers who convey the message of the powerful demons to the common people are the mature masters who dance in the traditional masks of demons.
Those powerful demonic spirits help the people to get rid of black spirits on the promise that they will live righteously, avoiding all the evil deeds such as killing animals, stealing and committing fraud.
In addition, folklore states that King Rawana, a great king who lived in Sri Lanka, used masks to intimidate rivals during the Huge War of Rama-Rawana with India. Going beyond the literary text of the Ramayana, according to true history, King Rawana was not a rapist or an evil ruler, but a great righteous leader.
However, the history of masks in Sri Lanka goes a long way. So, the real Yaksha / Raksha / spiritual Demon masks used in the past for peace rituals or their miniatures are still hanging in the houses today. It's not just a wall decoration or a reminder of a cultural element.
All the people who live in their house come together. They promise the universe that we will all abstain from all sinful acts and live a righteous life, and they emit into the universe a powerful mental rays of pure emotion. In response, they make up their minds to ask powerful good spiritual demonic spirits to protect this abode from weakly pathogenic black spirits. Then they hang spiritually powerful monster faces on the walls of their houses. They keep their houses very clean. Then the kind gaze of the relevant powerful demonic spirits is directed towards these people. They protect the righteous residents.
Even today, traditional masters teach their students the rituals of pacification. For the first time after proper training, the priests address the gods and powerful spiritual demons, and the masters hold a ceremony involving ancient rituals to allow their students to wear masks and dance.
Balsa wood is the lightest wood in the world. These Balsa plants were cultivated in the Matale area of Sri Lanka during the British colonial period. The wood has been used to build ships and aircraft. These traditional Ceylon masks are made from the wood of the "Ceylon Vel Kaduru" plant, which grows naturally around the paddy fields and other moist/watery lands in Sri Lanka. It is also a genus of Balsa. Its scientific name is Cerbera manghas. There are several reasons why Sea Mango(Wel Kaduru) wood can be used to make these traditional masks. Its durability is very high. That type of wood has been safe for over 300 years. (These masks are coated with a special oil called dorana oil, which protects them from pests for centuries.) It is an easy type of wood to protect against pests. It is an easy to carve as well as lightweight wood. There are no significant losses or repairs.
From the past to the present, no machines or molds have been used to create these masks. Only a few traditional small tools made by the designer himself are used. So these are great types of handicrafts.
The production of masks is two main steps.
1. Cutting
2. The coloring
The mask artists in Sri Lanka use craft poems to getting out of fatigue and for then ease.
Here are some steps to follow in mask design.
1. "Gana Kapeema":-
Cut the trunks of wood and divide them into easy pieces
2. "Paayam Paheema":- Flattening of wooden parts
3. Drying of milk:- Dry the wood with a smoke sterilizer to reduce the moisture content
4. "Lakunu Kapeema":- Mark the face, eyes, nose, mouth and highlight delicate shapes of the face
The color applicator for masks is commonly called "Siththara unnanse", the traditional painter. Before painting, the white spider clay is coated. Today, white emulsion paints are used instead of spider clay.
After that, let it dry slightly and then color it as needed. The masks are then applied "Suwada Latu" and "Dorana" oil to protect them from moisture.
As some of the natural ingredients that the old artist used to paint masks,
Red - "Sadlingam"
Yellow - "Hirigal" stones
White - spider clay("Makulu Mati")
Purple- "Bovitia" plant can be mentioned.
