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This course examines the development of art and architecture in Sri Lanka from 500 BC to 1815 AD. The class begins with an account of a group of exiles from Northern India, the Sinhalese, who arrived in Sri Lanka around 500 BC and whose exposure to Buddhism two centuries later would generate the building of great stupas and vast monasteries, the decorative programs of which included paintings and sculptures of considerable beauty and sophistication.

Through close analyses of art, architecture, and craft, this course aims to assess the cultural practices of the only Buddhist society in South Asia, and to chart its interaction with the Hindu world of Southern India. By combining the examination of art with the study of history, archaeology, philosophy, and the environment, it is the central objective of this class to provide understanding of how Sri Lanka's art has evolved through the ages. (Lay/Tammita-Delgoda)

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