1916.9.29
Name and identification of character
The puppet represents a minister, ämati (Sin.).
Context
This kind of puppet is generally referred to as nul rukadaya (Sin.), meaning string puppet. These are not used in Kolam, but some Kolam artistes are equally proficient in puppeteering. A village by the name of Bogahawatte is the famous puppet centre in southern Sri Lanka.
Material
Wood, Vel-kaduru (Nux vomica).
Iconography
The puppet is solid. The puppet figure is not complete without the rest of the limbs such as the hands and legs, and the dress. The head portion is to be fastened to a wooden pole, a part of which is visible. The face of the figure is that of a minister's mask in miniature.
Comments on the Umlauff Catalogue
This figure is identified as Rugotte in the Umlauff Catalogue, which is a misspelling of the Sinhalese word rukadaya, meaning a puppet figure.
2000 03 01
Dr. M. H. Goonatilleka