Letters from Sri Lanka: Kandyan Dance, a Unique Example of Sinhalese Culture…

My dear travelers and lovers of unusual journeys, welcome to another new adventure on the Mr.M blog. Today we continue our story about Sri Lanka and today we will learn more about Sinhalese culture together. Before I start today’s post I would like to thank the Sri Lankan Tourism Board for this amazing experience and for having the opportunity to continue my adventure on my favorite dream island!

If by any chance you missed any of my previous posts, take the opportunity to visit some of the previous stories at the following links:

1. The Story about Colombo (Travelogue): LINK
2. Unforgettable Fashion Safari in Sri Lanka: LINK
3. My Safari Experience in Sri Lanka (Travelogue): LINK
4. Sigiriya: The Magic of the Lost Kingdom (Travelogue): LINK
5. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Travelogue): LINK

Who are the Sinhalese people?

The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group of Sri Lankan descent. In history, they were known as Hela people. They make up about 75% of Sri Lanka’s population and have more than 15 million members community. Sinhalese ethnic identity is based on language, cultural heritage and nationality. Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an isolated Indo-Aryan language, and are predominantly Theravada Buddhists, although a minority of Sinhalese follow branches of Christianity and other religions.

Since 1815, they have been largely divided into two groups of peoples: the “Sinhalese of the Upper Lands” who inhabit the central mountain regions and the “Sinhalese of the Lower Lands” in the coastal regions, although both groups speak the same language. customs.

Sinhalese culture is unique, dating back more than 2,600 years and nurtured by Theravada Buddhism. The main features of Sinhalese culture are sculptures, fine arts, literature, dance, poetry and a wide range of traditional folk beliefs and numerous rituals. Ancient Sinhalese stone sculpture and inscriptions are known around the world and are a major attraction in modern tourism.

Sigiriya is known for its frescoes, which we wrote about in one of the previous posts. Interesting information from historical writings is that the workers sang their lives in folk songs to accompany their work and tell the story of their lives. Ideally, these songs consisted of four lines and in the composition of these songs, special attention was paid to the rhyming patterns. Buddhist festivals are interspersed with unique music that uses traditional Sinhalese instruments. Older rituals such as tovils (exorcism) continue to delight audiences today and have often praised and invoked the good powers of the Buddha and the gods to cast out demons.

The performing arts (dance) of Sinhalese can be categorized into several groups:

1. Kandyan dance consists of 18 Vannam (dance routines) that depict the behaviors of various animals such as elephant, eagle, cobra, peacock, monkey and rabbit. These dance routines can be seen at the annual Perahara competition in Sri Dalada Malagawa Kandy.
2. Pahatharata dance has a different significant style of dance that is used to cure diseases and spiritualize (spiritual enlightenment). The main feature of these dances is that the players wear masks that represent different gods and demons. Elements like fire and water are used to show people and bless their hopes.
3. Sabaragamuwa dances also have a unique and significant dance style that is there to entertain the masses.

Folk music and dances differ significantly depending on the cast of Sinhalese. These dances are extremely popular among boys and girls who are brought up from an early age to nurture and preserve their culture. These types of art are performed during special events such as the Sinhalese New Year.

Kandyan dance encompasses various dance forms and routines that are popular and original in an area called Kandy, located in the Central Hills region, known as Udarata in Sri Lanka, which have also spread to other parts of the country today. This is an example of Sinhalese culture in Sri Lanka.

Let’s find out together which are some of the dances in Kandian dance, some of the many dances are: Ves dance, Naiyandi dance, Udarata dance, Pahatharata dance, Weeramunda Kankariya dance and Vannam.

Ves Dance

According to one well-known legend, the origin of Ves dance lies in a dance ritual known as Kohomba kankariya (named after the deity Kohomba), which is also known as Kohomba yak kankariya or simply kankariya. Masters of traditional dance believe that originally the king of a place called “Malaya Rata” and his two brothers performed the first Kohomba Kankariya. Some believe that this “Malaya Rata” was located in India.

According to legend, three shamans came to the island as a result of a trick of the god Shakra to cure King Panduwasdev, who was suffering from a mysterious unusual disease. It is said that the king suffers from a recurring dream in which the leopard directed its tongue towards the king, which is believed to be like the black magic of Kuweni, the first wife of King Vijaya. After performing Kohomba Kankariya, the disease disappeared, and many natives adopted the dance.

It was originally performed by dancers who were identified as a special caste under the feudal system of Kandyan. They were associated with the Temple of the Tooth and played a significant role in the Dalada Perahera (procession) held by the temple each year. The popularity of the dance weakened as support for dancers from the Kandyan Kings ceased during the British period. It is now revived and adapted for the stage and is the primary cultural export of Sri Lanka.

Ves dance, the most popular, originated from an ancient purification ritual, Kohomba iakuma or Kohomba kankariya. The dance was conciliatory, never secular, and was performed only by men. The intricate costume of Vesa, especially the head covering, is considered sacred and is believed to belong to the deity Kohombi. Only before the end of the 19th century, Vesa dancers were invited for the first time to perform in front of the Kankari Temple at the annual Kandy Peraher Festival. Today, the richly costumed Wes dancers represent the embodiment of Candian dance, which emphasizes the true and true culture of Sri Lanka.

Naiyandi Dance

Dancers in Naiyandi costume perform during the initial preparations for the Kohomba Kankari festival, during the lighting of lamps and the preparation of food for demons. The dancer wears a white cloth and a white turban, pearl ornaments on his chest, a belt, rows of pearls around his neck, silver chains, brass straps, ankle boots and jingles; just like the costume of Ves dancers except for the forehead. This is a graceful dance, which is also performed in the temples of Maha Visnu (Vishnu) and Kataragama Devales on festive occasions.

Udarata Dance

The percussive dance is a very prestigious and unusual show. The name of this dance comes from the word “udarata” – a small lacquered hand drum in the shape of an hourglass, about 18-20 cm high, which is believed to have been given to humans by the gods.

It is believed that the two skins of the drum were given by the god Iswara, and the sound by Visnu; The instrument is said to have been constructed according to the instructions of the Sacra and to have been played in the heavenly palace of the gods. It is a very difficult instrument to play. The dancer sings as he plays, tightening the strings to get variations in pitch.

Pahatharata Dance

The Patharata is an instrument dedicated to the goddess Pattina. It resembles a tambourine (without skin) and has small cymbals attached at intervals around its circumference. The dance is said to have originated in the days of Prince Siddhartha, who became a Buddha. The gods were believed to use this instrument to celebrate victories in war, and Sinhalese kings used Patharata dancers to celebrate victories on the battlefield.

The costume is similar to the costume of Udarata dancer, but the Patharata dancer does not wear a jacket with pearls and she replaced the silk handkerchief at the waist for the complex folds of the Udarata dancer.

Weeramunda Kankariya Dance

Weeramunda Kankariya and Kande Deviyan Pidima (evening ritual for the god of the mountain) can be identified as ceremonial dances rooted in the folk beliefs of the Kandyan Dewa people.

Vannam (Dance styles)

Originally, Vannam was a form of recitation. Most Vannam describe the behavior of animals such as elephants, monkeys, rabbits, peacocks, roosters, snakes and others. Later, the dancers used vannam as a background for their performance. There are 18 vannam in the Kandyan dance form. Traditionally, a dancer would have to learn to perform all these vannames before getting a Ves costume. The most famous among them are hanuma vannama (monkey), taste vannama (eagle) and gajaga vannama (elephant).

The word vannam comes from the Sinhala word varnana (descriptive praise). Ancient Sinhalese texts refer to a significant number of baths that were only sung, later adapted to solo dances, each of which expressed a dominant idea. Historical writings reveal that the king of Kandiana, Sri Veeraparakrama Narendrasinghe, gave a significant impetus to dance and music.

It is believed that coffee (poetry sung with music) was composed for eighteen major baths by an old sage named Ganithalankara, with the selfless help of a Buddhist priest from a temple in Kandy. Vannam is inspired by nature, history, legend, folk religion, folk art and sacred tradition, and each is composed and interpreted in a certain mood (rasaia) or expression of feelings. Eighteen classic baths are:

Gajaga Wannama (elephant), Thuranga Wannama (horse), Mayura Wannama (peacock), Ukkussa Wannama (eagle), Vyrodi Wannama (precious stones) Hanuma Wannama (monkey), Savula Wannama (rooster), Sinharaja Wannama (lion, lion king) , Nayyadi Wannama (cobra), as well as many others.

Although originally only men were allowed to train as dancers, there are now several schools that also train women in Kandyan dances. However, there is no definite Wes costume for women, and many dancers have adapted the men’s costume in different ways. There are currently only a few performances of Kohomba Kankariya for many social, economic and political reasons. The dance in its traditional form is still performed every year at Dalada Perhahera in Kandy.

Kandyan dance was adapted for the stage by Citrasena Diaz in the 1970s. In several ballets he choreographed, he used the movements and characteristics of Kandyan dance. In a way, its popularity has also helped reduce the caste barriers that surround dance and made it more enjoyable for urban, contemporary audiences. Many contemporary modern dancers in Sri Lanka have borrowed the Kandyan form of dance in their work.

Dear travelers, we have come to the end of this special post about the Sinhalese culture and wonderful Kandyan dances which would not be possible without the selfless help of the Sri Lankan Tourism Board in cooperation with local partners to feel the spirit and beauty of the Sri Lankan culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried to share my impressions of this unusual experience in Sri Lanka.

Time always flies when a person has a good time! A man is rich at heart if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad to always be able to find partners for my projects that help me discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way during this global health crisis COVID-19.

I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with companies that are at the top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank them for this amazing adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual island country in South Asia in a completely different way.

How did you like this story of mine about my experience with Kandyan dances? Have you maybe had the opportunity to visit Sri Lanka before? Share with me your experiences, I am would be glad to hear!

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write to me below in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you in the same place in a couple of days, with a new story from Sri Lanka!

Warm greetings from Sri Lanka,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Sri Lankan Tourism Board. This post presents my personal and honest review of the destination experience.