Devil dancing and mask carving has been an integral part of the lives of the Sinhalese people on the southern west coast of Sri Lanka from ancient times. The delicate art of mask carving has been passed down from generation to generation and is still prevalent today but has lost its former status of glory and is now seen as a cottage industry for the benefit of tourists and as home decorations.

Ambalangoda, the home of the Ariyapala Mask Museum has been famous for devil dancing and colourful devil masks. Situated on the Colombo-Ambalangoda highway, the museum was established by the Wijesooriya family to preserve and strengthen this unique cultural heritage. The Wijesooriya family has been closely related to the art of mask making from the very beginning and is currently in the 5th generation of running the mask museum. The museum has been named after Ariyapala Wijesooriya, a renowned master craftsman in mask making. 
Consisting of the museum, a workshop and a library full of ancient manuscripts related to the craft of mask making, it is not only a major tourist destination but also a preservation of a national heritage and an educational institute on the rich dynamic culture of the southern people of Sri Lanka. The Wijesooriya family has compiled a complete collection of all 120 masks recorded throughout history and is also one of the few families that perform the devil dances today. At the workshop visitors are taken through the full process of mask making from the seasoning of the kaduru wood to the carving and finally the decoration with brightly coloured paints to bring about the exact expressions and beauty of the mask.
Classified as Gods, Raksha, Human beings, Yakksha, animals and composite masks, and broadly categorized as used for Kolam dances and Sanni Yakum (special healing ceremonies used in former days to ward off evil spirits and demons) the art of mask making is slowly dying in the island and the Ariyapala Mask Museum is one of the few places preventing its complete extinction and the preservation of a unique cultural heritage. 
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