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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XIX. 



of Sinhalese art — dots, squares, circles, parallel lines, inter- 

 lacings (plaits), and the like are on a different footing, for such 

 geometrical patterns have originated independently in va- 

 rious parts of the world, instead of spreading from a single 

 centre where they were first elaborated, as appears to have been 

 the case with the ancient conventionalized patterns derived 

 from representations of plants, in particular the lotus. 



The conclusions arrived at may be summarized as follows : — 



(1) There can be traced in Sinhalese (Kandyan) art of the 

 eighteenth century, and even much later, features which are 

 almost certainly survivals from the early art of Northern 

 India, some knowledge of which may be supposed to have been 

 brought to Ceylon by the "Lion race" at the time of their 

 immigration, though the main part of it is traceable rather to 

 the As©kan period and the religious and artistic revival that 

 followed the introduction of Buddhism into Ceylon. The old 

 Indian art of the Asoka period can be best studied in the 

 Bharhut sculptures (200-150 B.C.) which belong to the early 

 Indian or Indo-Persian school of the first five centuries B.C., 

 and were contemporaneous, more or less, with the Asokan 

 missions to Ceylon. i 



(2) In particular, the following elements in Kandyan art can 

 be traced to the early art of Northern India : — 



(a) In mural paintings, the use of rosettes, both simple and 



with an outer whorl of conventional cobra heads, 

 to fill up inconvenient spaces. 



(b) Style of composition and general artistic convention 



resembling that of the sculptures, suggesting the 

 possible existence of a Bharhut school of painting 

 corresponding to them. 



(c) A peculiar form of armlet seen at Bharhut and found in 



a modern Sinhalese embroidered jacket. 



(d) Palmette patterns on Sinhalese embroideries, wood 



carving, lac-painting, and pottery. 



