1833•Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and IrelandOpen access
XVIII. Account of a Flag representing the Introduction of the Caste of Chalias or Cinnamon-peelers, into Ceylon
Alexander Johnston
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Abstract
I beg leave to send you an account of the painting upon cloth which I presented to the Society some time ago, and which is a fac-simile of a very ancient banner of the caste of Chalias, or cinnamon-peelers, on the island of Ceylon. The present numbers and importance of these people, render their history a subject of curious research. As the Cingalese inhabitants of Ceylon were, previous to the thirteenth century, ignorant of the art of weaving fine cloth, which was then known to the Hindu inhabitants of the peninsula of India, the kings of Kandy offered great rewards to any of their subjects who would bring over from the peninsula some weavers for the purpose of introducing that art into Ceylon.