Maravahanam - Traditional Chariot Art
Grade 9 · ART · Traditional Art
An introduction to Maravahanam, exploring traditional chariot art, its cultural significance, different types, decorative features, and its use in Sri Lankan religious and cultural traditions.
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A maravahanam is a temple processional chariot, elaborately carved in wood and drawn through the streets during a perahera - the same tradition that produces the large decorated tuskers and dancers seen in Kandy's Esala Perahera and similar festivals across the island.
The carving on a chariot is worth studying as applied sculptural design: multiple registers of ornament (mythical creatures, floral scrollwork, figures) covering every visible surface, built to be seen in motion and from below by a street crowd rather than examined up close - scale and repetition matter more here than fine detail.
