1916.9.313
Name and identification of character
A mythical bird in the form of a demon, gurulu rassaya, or garunda raksa (Sin.).
Context
Stage two in a Kolam performance.
Material
Wood, vel-kaduru (Sin.) (Nux vomica). Traditional pigments.
Iconography
The mask has a bird-like face and a beak. It has goggle eyes. The headdress is heavily ornamented and glossily painted. It is tall and broad, with several tiers, in the shape of a relic dome, dagoba (Sin.). A pine-flower forms the crest of the headdress. The headdress consists of Kandyan motifs representing the features of the bird.
Cobras are employed as ornamentation, for example to decorate the eyebrows. The ears are separately attached. They are in the shape of peacocks or eaglets, with the wings rising upwards.
2000 12 27
Dr. M. H. Goonatilleka