Abstract:
Fashion can be considered as an active process which earns its survival by
influencing others. People are influenced by various fashions. There should be some
theories behind in this influencing process. If these theories could be identified in a
broad spectrum they could effectively applied in the field of fashion in the context of
Sri Lanka. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to find out how religion affects on
influence in fashion of the royalty of the Kandyan Kingdom. Christian religious
practices which introduced during 16th Century AD and Theravada Buddhism which
was re-established with the help of Siam during the 18th Century AD were selected
for the study in the Kandyan Kingdom study setting. The study began with
observational study of temple paintings, sculptures, sketchers of the period. Historical
details about the Kandyan dress are well documented visually ever than early
administrative eras. Original written sources and true pictorial evidences were used for
the research. Besides, Kandyan tradition has a living culture as well. Reliability of the
data which was incorporated in the research is of much concern. Therefore, pictorial
data were cross checked with different literary sources such as temple murals and
particular literature, enabled to build a strong logical analysis. Religion played an
important role of influencing foreign dress habits among locals. Religion not only
introduced the faith but also the culture that bond with that. Royal patronage allowed
foreign influences to spread within the Kandyan Kingdom to some extends. Most of
influences were modified according to Buddhist culture. Colour was one of the main
elements that promoted by foreign influences. Each religious philosophy encouraged
people to wear certain colours as a mean of communication.
