Maru means death, and in Sri Lankan folklore the Maru Raksha is the demon who decides when a life ends. The mask gives him a dark red face, round staring eyes, a tight row of square white teeth, curved fangs and a small red tongue, set against a great fan of orange plumes.
The detail. The crown and side panels are shaped like curling paisley leaves, painted orange and streaked with fine green and black feather lines, with a white, green and yellow plume standing at the centre. Beside the eyes, two ear panels are painted with a green lattice fringed by white petals.
In tradition. The Maru Raksha is one of the few Raksha forms still carved and performed in the south of the island. Like the other demon masks it is hung in homes as a guardian, its fearsome face turned towards whatever might do harm. Read about Raksha masks and the Kolam masks of Sri Lanka's folk theatre.
Construction and sizes. The mask is carved from light wood in three parts, a hollow face and two side panels, and painted by hand. It comes in heights from 15 cm (6 in) to 60 cm (24 in), and each one varies slightly in colour and line from the photographs.
