The Siyarata Pooja Muthu Kuda is a white ceremonial parasol of the kind Sri Lankans call a muthu kuda, made for Buddhist and cultural occasions rather than for the rain. It is sold under the CIB name and made by Siyarata Umbrella, a Sri Lankan umbrella maker that belongs to the same Wijaya Group as the CIB retail chain.
The canopy is white taffeta, stretched over the ribs in a deep dome. Below the crown runs a band of silver-toned lace braid, and beneath that a scalloped valance hangs all the way round, trimmed with a gold-toned braid and finished with a soft white fringe along every scallop. A turned wooden finial rises from the top of the canopy, and the matching wooden handle below is turned with ringed grooves and has a warm varnished finish.
In Sri Lankan Buddhist processions the relic casket is traditionally carried beneath an umbrella or a canopy, and decorated white parasols of this kind belong to the same ceremonial world of temple occasions, processions and pooja offerings. Siyarata makes muthu kuda in more than one colour and design; this listing is the single white parasol shown in the photograph, with its straight wooden handle.
