The Royal Regalia

The Crown

The Crown of the Arya Cakravarti, Kings of Jaffna, was conical in shape, made of gold and set with precious stones such as rubies, diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires.

The Imperial Throne

The Throne of the Arya Cakravartis of Jaffna, was made of the best available material and adorned with ivory, gold, set with precious stones such as rubies, diamonds, blue sapphires, cat’s eyes and pearls of priceless value. The imperial throne which was used by the Kings at their solemn festivals; this consisted of seven steps all beautifully carved and inlaid with ivory. For the dispensation of justice the Arasan made his appearance every day in open "Durbar”. The Arasi on all public occasions took her seat on the throne along with the Arasan, who did not wear a crown.

The Portuguese Captain Joao Ribeiro who dedicated his historical tragedy of Ceilao (Ceylon) to King of Pedro IV of Portugal in 1685 was a lad of nineteen when he came to Ceylon to serve in the Portuguese garrison and remained in the island until 1658. His book describes the society of law country Sinhalese of the Maritime Provinces then under Portuguese rule. He gives a description of one of the Imperial Thrones of the Kings of Jaffna. Among the other articles in the fortress was the imperial throne a rare and costly work which the viceroy had intended to present to the King Dom Sebastian on the occasion of his assuming the sceptre. Every effort was made to remove this but the task was found so difficult owing to its great size that finally orders were given that the top alone which was the most precious part of all should be broken off and entrusted to some reliable persons to be carried away, as proof of its magnificence.

The Jewels

Keeping with the Tamil tradition in the earlier days the Royal Family of Jaffna were profusely covered with jewellery and wore an attire of pure silk. Gold is considered auspicious and good for health and it is made into ornaments for every part of the body except the feet, where it is worn only by Gods and Kings. Heavily decorated crown made of gold and set with precious stones, necklaces of pearls, chokers, gold necklaces set with precious stones, gold earrings, gold armlets, bracelets, gold rings set with precious stones and anklets made of gold were the other principal jewels usually worn by the Arasan. The Arasi and Ilavarasis were covered with jewellery from the throat to the waist and wore different type of gold jewelleries as necklaces made of gold, rings set with precious stones, pearl necklaces, ornaments for the nose, gold armlet for the upper arms, valayal (gold bangles), todu (gold earrings) set with rubies and diamonds, headset ornaments set with precious stones are worn on the parting of the hair along the forehead, oddiyanam (waist band) made of gold worn tightly around the waist set with precious stones, golusu (heavy anklets) and metti (toe rings). The craft of jewellery was given a royal patronage from the ancient times. Indeed flowers played an important part in the social and the religious life. Flowers were offered to the gods and adorned their places of worship. Jasmine and other sweet smelling flowers were daily used by the Arasi and Ilavarasis to tie round the hair. Flower garlands were worn by men and women round their necks. Even the elephants, chariots and horses which went to war were decorated with flowers and garlands. Sandalwood paste, kunkumam and vibhuti (white sacred ash) were the substances with which the forehead mark was made and these continue to be used to the present day by men and women.

The Royal Headdress

The Royal Headdress is made of pure raw silk or georgette and embroidered with gold thread. Its design is called "Thallippagee" (turban). The length of the turban is 9 meters long and in front of the headdress a Sarpech with a white further is pinned.

The Sarpech

The "Sarpech" (turban ornament) is not just an ornament but is something with great significance and a combination of emotion values and meaning. Each piece has been carefully selected and designed by the professional jeweller. This Sarpech has been made once and so far it shines its uniqueness. That is each precious stone reveal something likewise

Ruby: Reveal the ancestors the great warriors who sacrifice their blood for the Kingdom
White Diamond: Bring peace and well being to his country and people
Emerald: This means ever enduring Kingdom
Blue Sapphire: The sky is the limit
Yellow Sapphire: Relates the gold and wealth of the Empire.

The Royal Sword

The Sword is a ancient symbol of royal authority and holds a very important place in the history of the Kingdom of Jaffna. It was carried for generation by great warriors to bring justice and victory. The Sword after the warrior’s death becomes a sacred object and no longer enters battle. In the ancient times it is kept hidden except for ceremonial uses to summon and transmit the spirit of the warrior. Infect a sword requires one to treat it with the greatest respect at all times. The Raja of Jaffna carries the sword during official and ceremonial functions.

The Attire

"Sherwani" with "Churidar" is the traditional out fit worn during ceremonial and formal occasions. It is a long coat which fits close to the body, with a tight fitting collar, fastened in the front with buttons and falls well below the knees. It is made of raw silk and hand embodied with golden silk threads. They are worn with tight fitting churidar trousers in a matching or contrasting colour. The length of the churidar is longer as compared to the leg and which gathers at the ankles.

"Dupatta" is a long scarf which can be worn in a number of ways. It is two and a half meters long and half meter wide. With matching embroidery and gold tassels at both ends and they give a regal and graceful look.

"Jodhpur Suit" are designed to perfectly blend of Indian and western taste. Mostly plain to heavy elegant embroidery on the jacket and standard length closed collar jacket worn with matching formal trousers is also part of the clothing worn.

"Kurta Churidar" is worn as part of the attire on normal occasions. Usually the kurta opens in the front and it is fastened with four buttons made of gold and set with pearls or precious stones. It has rich hand embroidered work and made out of most colourful of fabrics. Kurta is like a loose long shirt reaching the knees, worn with tight fitting churidar trousers in a matching or contrasting colour and which gathers at the ankles.

"Veshti" is worn at all cultural occasions and traditional ceremonies. It is a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, usually around 4 to 8 meters long and wrapped around the waist. Veshti is worn with a Kurta or a silk Shirt on top and Salv on the shoulder. It is usually white or cream in colour, made of pure raw silk or cotton and embodied with golden silk threads. Pattu Veshtis are worn on special occasions and cotton Veshtis are for daily use

Mojari

"Mojari" are considered as the royal ethnic footwear and normally hand crafted shoes made of fine leather without laces. It is delicately embroidered with golden and silver thread all over. With some out fits the Oxford shoes with laces is also been worn.