Language: Sinhalese
Source: Standard literature
Description
Bō-koḷa literally means "bō-leaf" is the Sinhalese term for a decorative motif of the form of a Bodhi tree leaf. To the Western eye, their leaves resemble a heart or an ace of spades.1
The Bodhi Tree is a large sacred fig tree of the species Ficus religiosa that originally stood in Bodh Gaya. It was the tree under which the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, is said to have attained enlightenment. It often symbolizes wisdom, compassion, and awareness in the Buddhist faith.
They often appear in Sinhalese lacquer work at the end of patura, long elongated triangles.
Bō-koḷa lacquer work decoration on the shaft of a Sinhalese patisthānaya.
They are the heart-shaped forms on the far right, at the ends of elongated triangles called patura.
Sold by Mandarin Mansion in 2019.
Further reading
Article: Sinhalese lacquer work
Notes
1. See Ananda K. Coomaraswamy; Medieaval Sinhalese Art, Pantheon Books, New York, Second Edition of the 1908 original, 1956. Page 216-217.
