Subject: විදානෙ vidane chief / headman

Culture: Sinhalese

Setting: colonial resistance, Kandy kingdom, Sri Lanka 18th - early 19thc

Evolution:

Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources,Secondary Sources, Field Notes)

Musket

Costume

* Racinet 1988 p106

"Kandien nobles. Despite the attempted abolition of the caste system by the English, costume often reflects the old caste system.

"The comboye, worn by both men and women, is the most important article of national costume. It consists of a piece of material wrapped around the hips and fastened with a belt, whose size is an indication of status.

"The beret is also a mark of nobility and is forbidden to ordinary people, as are gold and silver jewellery."

Saber

* Richardson/Bennett 2015 p77

"The characteristic sword of Sri Lanka is the kastane, with its short, curved (and often imported) blade, and dragon-headed hilt. Some surviving examples can be dated to the 17th century, where they had a brief vogue as fashionable swords in England and the Netherlands; the Parliamentarian Colonel Alexander Popham was evidently proud to wear one in his great equestrian portrait formerly preserved at Littlecote House."

* Coe/Connolly/Harding/Harris/LaRocca/Richardson/North/Spring/Wilkinson 1993 p

Knife

* Coe/Connolly/Harding/Harris/LaRocca/Richardson/North/Spring/Wilkinson 1993 p