SINHALESE EARTHENWARE. 7 
said to be very efficient ; the sand (as in the “sand bath” of the 
chemical laboratory) both retains the heat and preserves an even 
temperature. 
A piece of earthenware only used locally is thelipa. This is alow 
cylindrical earthen stand replacing the three stones (liggal) which are 
usually used to raise the cooking pot above the fire upon the ground. 
Finally we have the elegant gin kabala or fire dish (plate C, fig. 8), 
which is a form rarely met with, but suitable for use.as a small hearth, 
or to provide a fire for the goldsmith’s blowpipe. The goldsmith, 
however, generally makes use of some commoner dish such as the 
smaller koraha to serve his purpose. A narrow-necked water vessel 
or goglet, generally rather rough in execution, is also sometimes met 
with. The list of domestic pottery is thus exhausted. It will be 
seen that it faithfully reflects the simplicity and lack of luxury 
characterizing the typical old-fashioned household. The vessels are 
few, and each serves some simple purpose for which it is specially 
adapted. The value of this rough earthenware is so small that 
breakages are not of very serious consequence. At the same time 
they are not very frequent. Indeed European residents will have 
observed that breakages of crockery by servants are much less fre- 
quent than in an English household. The ordinary price of a kala- 
gediya is about 20 to 25 cents, of a némbiliya 6 to 15 cents, of a 
koraha 25 to 50 cents, and so forth. 
ECCLESIASTICAL EARTHENWARE. 
By ecclesiastical earthenware I mean the pots and vessels used 
especially in connection with vihara and déwala. Of these the 
most usual and most characteristic is the kotalaya ; this is a spouted 
vessel used for holding the water with which flower offerings are 
sprinkled. Hither an earthen or a bronze kotalaya may be found in 
every vihara ; the bronze kotala are smaller and more elegant than 
the earthen. Figure 8 on plate.B shows a decorated kotalaya from 
Dodantalé Vihara near Kégalla. 
Very large wide-mouthed earthen vessels called pdtra are found 
in most vihara and are used to hold water or to receive offerings of 
rice, &c., from worshippers. A very fine painted example is to be 
seen at Dodantale Vihara, but most specimens are plain or with very 
simple decoration of simple lines or of 64 leaves in red. Earthen 
incense burners (dummala kabal), often of very elegant form and 
skilful execution, are used in déwala and vihara; the incense 
(powdered dummala resin) is sprinkled on burning charcoal carried 
on the dummala kabala. Two of these incense burners are shown 
in figs. 1 and 5, Plate C; fig. 1 illustrates a handsome example made 
by a Kandy potter only last year. 
