“ !e Guardian of Moratuwa Brassware ”
“ This publication isn’t about the process of Brassware. It is about a family that carefully protected the brass crafting through generations and their contribution to protect brass crafting, that had been given life through hard work and creativity ”.
The Christopher family had been in brass crafting business for three generations; which had been pass down from father to son. In the modern day society people are tend to distance themselves from traditional employment to modern. However what challenges that Christopher family had to face, they are still remaining in the brass industry of Sri Lanka.
01 . 0 I have seen their mesmerizing brass crafting process and got inspired by it to create this little publication.
*Moratuwa is a large outlying district of Colombo city, on the south-western coast of Sri Lanka. It is situated on the Galle and Colombo main highway, 18 km south from central Colombo city.
Fifteen years ago Christopher family continued their brass crafting business in a small outdoor workshop. However in the present day, they have expanded their business from *Moratuwa to Colombo and Batticaloa in Sri Lanka.
“ There are two aims of this publication. First, to celebrate the Christopher family’s traditional brass crafting. Second, to encourage the reader to understand the importance of protecting brass crafting for the future generation”.
Nearly a thousand of years ago in 288 B.C; brass industry was gifted to Sri Lanka from India.
* !erÄŤ (Pali) s an feminine honorific term for Bhikkhunis and !ero (Pali) also appearing as !era for Bhikkhu in the Buddhist monastic order, traditionally composed of four groups: monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen.
* Sri Maha Bhodi is a Sacred tree (Ficus Religiosa) in the Mahamewna Gardens; Anuradhapura,Sri Lanka.
Sangamitta * TherÄŤ an illustrious daughter of emperor Asoka of India, arrived to Sri Lanka along with the *Jaya Sir MahaBodhi sapling and eighteen other industrial castes of people; in order to serve Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi. Lokuru, the early Sinhala name for brass artisans,who also came along with the eighteen industrial castes. They established their new residence in Anuradhapura and later moved towards Kandy; the hill country of Sri Lanka (Riswan, M.2017).
05 . 0 In the beginning a need of a Lokuru were limited for creating religious figures, such as Buddha statues and Hindu god statues. However by the time when economy grew, they started in making more daily essentials such as mugs, plates, spoons and medicine equipments.
According to Mr. Lasantha during the Kandy kingdom era of Sri Lanka, Lokuru had officially started to collaborate with Kandy metal engraves. They turned rough and plain brass in to beautiful pieces, that bears elegant Kandy motifs; which had given a unique identity to the Sri Lankan culture. The colonial era of Sri Lanka, the brass industry became popular due to the East Indian trading. Because of this many Lokuru clans had move towards the west side of Sri Lanka; Christopher amily is one of the few.
* The Brass crafting that had carefully brought through for generations, was given to the future generation.
Appu Pulley was a brass artisan, gifted his knowledge about brass crafting to his three sons; Christopher, Ganeshan, Simon. They were taught about both traditional and modern techniques of brass crafting. Christopher as the elders of the family took the responsibility of passing down this gifted craft to the next generation. After working on brass industry for nearly seventy years his family business was inherited by his four sons; Anura, Lasantha, Hemantha and Udaya.
09 . 1 Christhombu Welayudan Lasantha pulley, the third son of Christopher and the youngest generation that continuing his father’s legacy. He was born on 28th of February in 1969 at Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. In the age of twelve Lasantha started to learn brass crafting from his father and uncles.
11 . 1 Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. By differing proportions of these two materials, brass creates a range that differ by weights, qualities,sounds and colours. The process behind each pieces take days, weeks or months to be completed. The commencement of traditional brass casting methods such as lost wax process and soil smelting process; which had been meticulously continued up to modern day. Christopher family use both these methods for their brass crafting process.
* A sound of a bell is like a radiation of a divine energy, which touches the seven chakras or the energy centres of human body.
!e craft of bell making is a speciality of Christopher family; who would never fail to oblige for a temple or a church in supplying of a bell in any proportion or in any size. One of their most successful bell works were done for the bell tower at Adam’s peak temple; the holy mountain in Sri Lanka sacred since ancient times.
15 . 1 Today among many Brass items brass oil lamp, also known as the branching oil lamp holds a special place in Sri Lankan culture.
The upper and lower maces represent the *stupa. The oil plates represents the nine supreme attributes of the lord Buddha. On the top of the oil lamp there sits a jungle fowl; the national bird of Sri Lanka which implies the prosperity.
* Stupa or Cheitya a mound like or hemispherical structure containing relics, typically the remains of Buddha or Buddhist monks. (Ratanasinghe, 2002)
The very story behind the brass oil lamp is interesting. According to Mr. Lasantha a base of oil lamp represents earth and reservoir; which was believed to be the protectors of a village.
Sri Lanka is considers as a country with a very strong history for metal-based culture and an industry. The manufacturing of brass-ware has evolved over centuries with heirlooms passes down for generations. Through these crafts Sri Lankan culture got a new market by attracting in both local and global.
17 . 1 According to Mr. Lasantha the supply of raw material has become the most significant issue due to the raw material export under new trading policies. However the remaining material prices increase by time to time and the government of Sri Lanka has limited the support which giving towards the local brass artisans.
* Brass isn’t just a skill it is a bond between mind and spirit that pass down from generation to generation.
The involvement of modern generation towards brass crafting is at a low scale. Because of these issues Sri Lanka’s traditional brass crafting is slowly diminishing. Mr. Lasantha truly hopes, someday his son would also taken interest on brass crafting and takes over their family business.
Any merits this publication may have is a direct result of the friendship with Christopher family. They had been supporting to make this publication successful; I owe them much and I am pleased to acknowledge it. Also I would like to thank them for giving me the opportunity to enter the world of brass artisan and to gain knowledge about the true secrets and art of brass crafting.
23 . 2 I am as ever indebted to my parents who supported me, Also I would like to thank for my lecturers in the Graphic Design department at Academy of Design, Sri Lanka; for giving feedback that I have benefited in this publication.
The sources of information in order to make sure that anything in this publication is not identical with another.
Apothecaries Co. Ltd. 2016. Hand Crafting Brass metal ornaments, Colombo, Ceylon. [ONLINE] Available at: http://lankapura.com/2009/01/handcrafting-brass-metalornaments-colombo-ceylon/. [Accessed 21 June 2017]. Daleena Samara and Madhawa Nagahawatte. 2011. A Brilliant Legacy: A Relative Newcomer, Brass Adds A Shine To Sri Lankan Handcrafts. [ONLINE] Available at: http://serendib.btoptions.lk/article. php?issue=21&id=539. [Accessed 8 May 2017]. dailymirror.lk. 2017. Revival of brass industry. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.dalymirror. lk/132797/Revival-of-brass-industry. [Accessed 30 August 2017]. Riswan, M, 2017. A Historical survey of social class and caste system in Sri Lanka. “Kalam” International Journal Faculty of Arts and Culture, South Eastern Univerdity of Sri Lanka, 2, 1-8. Ratanasinghe, Aryadasa ‘Mahiyangana Cheitya- the first of its kind in Sri Lanka’ Budusarana. [Accessed 30 August 2017].
25 . 2 Images in order of appearance.
Waidyathilaka, Chamodi. “Goddess Kali- Brass-ware.” 2017. JPEG file. Bawantha Perera, 2017. Images of Sri Lanka- Historic Photographs of Sri Lanka. [Online] Available at: http://lankapura.com/.[Accessed 15 May 2017]. Waidyathilaka, Chamodi. “Taking the gift of Brass crafting- Lasantha.” 2017. JPEG file. Waidyathilaka, Chamodi. “Bells of Moratuwa ” 2017. JPEG file. Waidyathilaka, Chamodi. “Traditional brass oil Lamp.” 2017. JPEG file. Waidyathilaka, Chamodi. “Lasantha , the lover of brassware.” 2017. JPEG file. Waidyathilaka, Chamodi. “Brass-ware bring luck.” 2017. JPEG file.