CHAPTER V.

THE ATTRACTIVE CEYLON BUILDING.

A Mixed Architecture of Many Native Woods — Designs from Ancient Buildings — Figures of Sacred
Birds and Animals — Ornamental Facades and Pillars — Fancy Designs in Ceilings and Walls —
Carvings that Take One Back 543 Years B. C— The Sacred Tooth of Buddha— Sun and Moon
Symbols.

A. *^ A

ANY thousands visit ' the Ceylon building daily — the
principal court of which alone contains 18,706 square feet
for exhibits. This large court stands to the north of the
German building, fronting the lake. It is 162 feet in
length. The pillars and such parts of the ends of the
beams as are in view, and the four entrance doors, as al-
so the central octagon, are beautifully carved in imita-
tion of the carving found on the stone pillars and objects
of art in the ancient city of Anuradhapura and other
places of great antiquity. This court is a fine exhibit
in itself. The minor courts are also made of the woods
of the island, beautifully carved, and acknowledged by all who
have seen them to be works of art. The main building of the
court comprises a central octagonal hall with two wings facing

respectively north and south. The court partakes largely of the Dravidian style of
architecture in the design of its columns and adopted by the Cinghalese in their an"
cient temples throughout Ceylon. The details of this mixed architecture may be
studied with advantage in the numerous temples and ruins scattered over Ceylon
of which views are shown in photographs exhibited in the court. The court is con-
structed entirely of the beautiful native woods of the island. Some twenty thou-
sand cubic feet of timber was felled for the purpose. The whole court is raised on
a projecting basement some four feet above ground level, and is reached by four
stairways highly carved, two leading into the central octagon and one into each of
the wings. These flights of steps (of which an illustration is given) are adapted
designs from the well-known stairs of many fine ruined temples to be seen at Anura-
dhapura and Polonnaruwa, the successive ancient capitals of Ceylon between 543
B.C. and 1235 A. D. The cobra-shrouded figures carved in bas-relief on the ter-
minal stones, guarding either side of the approach, are termed doratu-palayas, or
janitors. These guard-stones are always found at the foot of steps to vihares (shrines),
etc., in the older ruins, to ward off evil.. The conventional lines on attached pillars
at the side of the terminals are found equally with elephants and bulls on these

mr

534

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

guard-stones at Anuradhapura and elsewhere. The figures on the face of and sup-
porting the steps, the front edges of which have a small conventional pattern of the
water-leaf ornaments, or padma, carved upon them, have been supposed to repre-
sent yakkas, a class of evil spirits, also placed here tc avert ill. At the bottom of
the steps is a large carved slab, semi-circular in form, termed a sandakadapahana,
or moonstone, carved in bas-relief, to represent a lotus flower open in the center,
and concentric bands of sacred geese, foliage, and figures of lions, elephants, horses
and bulls in the outer ring. The carved balustrade on either side represents a

makara, a fabulous
beast, half lion,
half crocodile. Ar-
riving at the top of
the stairs, the en-
trance to the build-
ing is through a
handsome door-
way having carved
jambs of similar
pattern to those of
the Dalada Mali-
gawa (the temple
in which the sacred
tooth of Buddha is
deposited) at Kan-
dy, and at the Am-
bulugala and Dip-
pitiya vihares in
the Four Korales
of the Kegalla Dis-
trict of Ceylon.
The continuous

scroll ornament should be particularly noticed, also the intersecting double-foliaged
scroll. The fancy design of leaf ornament spreading downward from the trunk of
a woman's body, is here particularly handsome, and follows the line of the arch.
The ceiling of the central hall is supported by twenty-four elaborately carved pil-
lars, which are in two stages; the lower story supporting cross beams terminating in
a carved bracket. Between the cross beams, and forming a capital to each pillar, are
carved cross-bracket-capitals termed puskpa-bandha; they are carved to represent
conventional drooping lotuses. The upper tier of these pillars, with their attached
bracket-capitals, are carved in the form of a plantain flower, and the ornamentation
on the face of the pillars is that of the padama, lotus ornament.

On either side of the central hall are colossal, figures of a sedent Buddha and
Vishnu. The hands of the seated Buddha, are as usual, placed in the lap, the back

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CEYLON BUILDING.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR. 535

of the right hand resting on the left palm, and the crossed teet showing the sacred
marks on the soles.

The figure of Vishnu, usually ranked as the second of the Hindu triad, is rep-
resented four-armed, the back pair of hands holding his discus and chank, with his
vehicle, the winged garuda behind, and standing on a pedestal. The "lotus-god" is
as usual, painted blue.

The whole building is enclosed with an ornamental facade, there being eight
windows to each annex and four of double width to the central hall. The windows
have architraves carved with the water-leaf superficial ornamentation, and under
each window is a panel containing conventional and other designs in bas-relief.
The upper part of the window is formed of an ornamental arch, carved with the
same pattern as the architrave. The carved architrave terminates with a shoulder
enriched with the creeper-knot ornament.

The whole exterior of the building is framed with satinwood, ornamented
with Randyan scroll-work, and the roofs, which have large projecting eaves, are
terminated at the eaves-line with valance tiles of a pattern found in frequent use in
Kandyan buildings. All the roofs, which are covered with imitation pan-tiles, are
framed with a break of line a little more than half way up the slope, which is espec-
ially characteristic of Kandyan architecture. The roofs over the central hall and
tea room rise in three tiers, and the whole is surmounted by a kota, or spire, termi-
nating in a hammered brass finial exactly similar to the one surmounting the Temple
of the Sacred Tooth of Buddha at Kandy. All the ends of projecting beams, or
gones, are highly carved, and the terminations of the rafters are cut in the manner
and form peculiar to the architecture of the building.

Of the panels under the windows, that under the third window from the south-
east corner is a representation of the Ira-handa, the sun-and-moon symbol of the
Four Korales, with the lion holding two daggers.

The exhibits are ranged round the hall and annexes in handsome cases made
of satinwood and ebony, the lower panels having the form of the torana, or Cing-
halese arch. Other exhibits are disposed round the walls and pillars of the building.

Close to the court and immediately to the northwest is a building in the form
of a dagaba, set apart for the use of the Ceylon court staff. It is an exact repre-
sentation of the Ruwanveli dagaba at Anuradhapura, as taken from a model
carved in stone which stands within the pradakshina, or "procession path." Ruwan-
veli dagaba was commenced by King Dutugamunu in the year 161 B. C., and com-
pleted 137 B. C. It is constructed of solid brickwork, rising to a height of 150 feet,
with a diameter at the base of 379 feet. The original outline of the dagaba was
destroyed by the Malabars in 1214 A. D.

A writer for the London Times has truly said: "A pretty and attractive thing
is the Ceylon building and especially its grand court. The main room of the grand
court is 160 feet in length and above it, reached by a spiral stairway of handsomely
carved woodwork, is the tea-room, where nearly a hundred varieties of tea are
shown, together with the processes of culture and classifying. The exhibits con-
sist of work of arts, manufactures, the products of the island, jewelry and curiosi

536

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

with an interesting exhibit presented by the sultan of the Maldives. The interior
of the court is in the Dravidian style of architecture adopted by the Cinghalese in
their ancient temples. Twenty-five varieties of brilliantly colored wood are used in
the decorations. The carvings are after designs in the ruined temples of Anurad-
hapura and Polonnaruwa, which were capitals of Ceylon between 543 B. C. and 235
A. D. Scenes from the life of Buddha are portrayed on panels and frescoes. A
carving of exceptional interest shows Buddha overshadowed and seated on the
coils of the seven-hooded cobra. On either side of the north wing are colossal
figures of Buddha and Vishnu. The hands of the figure of Buddha are crossed in
the lap and the feet show the sacred marks. The figure of Vishnu, second in rank
in the Hindoo triad, is represented four-armed, the back pair of hands holding his
discus and chank with the winged garuda behind. The 'lotus god' is painted blue.
The whole building suggests the Hindoo religion."

THE GREAT BUDDHIST GOD.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR. 537