Sunday Times 2
From battles to rank: The story of the ‘Kastane’
View(s):Anandalal Nanayakkara will deliver this month’s National Trust lecture on ‘The story of the Kastane Sword’. The lecture will be on Thursday, February 23, at 6.30p.m. at the HNB Auditorium, 22nd Floor, HNB Towers, 479 T.B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10.
The ‘Kastane’ is generally considered to be the most iconic sword associated with Sri Lanka’s past. Originally a sword used in battle, over time it transformed into a sword of rank. Today it survives as the precious heirloom of a distinguished past. With the transition to a sword of rank, the Kastane provided a suitable medium for artisans to display their skill and artistic ability.
The talk is based on studies into the evolution of the Kastane, drawing upon contemporaneous narratives of both local and foreign authors and comparing them with extant sword forms in collections in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. G.L. Anandalal Nanayakkara is an Attorney-at-Law with over 25 years of experience in Civil Law practice and a former member of the Law Commission of Sri Lanka. A Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow and USAEP Fellow he has published several books on Arms and Armour and law.