Worn painted wooden mask with a red face, bulging black eyes, exposed teeth and fangs, yellow protruding tongue, cobra canopy, serpents at the nostrils and separate cobra-and-lotus ear panels.
Sri Lankan Nāga Raksha performance mask, catalogued as nagarassa

Worn painted wooden mask with a red face, bulging black eyes, exposed teeth and fangs, yellow protruding tongue, cobra canopy, serpents at the nostrils and separate cobra-and-lotus ear panels.

Unknown maker, polychrome wooden nagarassa mask associated with Kolam performance, Sri Lanka, 1771–1920 (catalogue date). Photograph: Wellcome Collection, L0037158; photographer and photographic date unspecified. CC BY 4.0. · Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International · Image source

Wellcome identifies this polychrome wooden mask as nagarassa associated with Kolam performance and dates it 1771–1920. This is a separate collection witness, not a photograph of either accession already cited in the profile. The cobra canopy and lotus ear panels belong to this particular mask; no equation with every nāga tradition is implied.

Overview

Science Museum Group identifies its wooden mask as Naga Rassa from a Kolam play. The face is red, hooded cobras form the headdress and emerge from the nostrils, and lotus-disc ear pieces are surmounted by more cobras. Its catalogue date is a broad 1771–1910 range.

Casa Ásia’s separate early nineteenth-century Naga Raksha mask is described through protection and transformation. That museum stresses that a demonic appearance need not imply malevolence. The performed mask character is kept distinct from treating every South Asian nāga as this cobra-crowned demon.

Cobra headdressRed demon faceNostril serpentsKolam roleProtective interpretation
01

Origins & earliest records

Sri Lankan performed beings

02

Records & interpretation

Identified custodial object record and attributed interpretation read.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Demon mask from Kolam play

    Unknown maker; Science Museum Group record

    A657016; object or collection date kept distinct from tradition origin.

  2. 02

    Naga Raksha mask, CA-CFC.853

    Casa Ásia collection

    Specific contextual comparison; no inferred first attestation.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

Direct primary record

Demon mask from Kolam play

Identified museum collection. A657016

Identified custodial record read; image bytes have not been independently inspected for this row.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Museum or custodial collection recordDemon mask from Kolam play — custodial recordResearch access: 2026-10-05
  2. Museum interpretive accountNaga Raksha mask, CA-CFC.853Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

Sri Lankan Nāga Raksha performance mask, catalogued as nagarassa

Worn painted wooden mask with a red face, bulging black eyes, exposed teeth and fangs, yellow protruding tongue, cobra canopy, serpents at the nostrils and separate cobra-and-lotus ear panels.

Unknown maker, polychrome wooden nagarassa mask associated with Kolam performance, Sri Lanka, 1771–1920 (catalogue date). Photograph: Wellcome Collection, L0037158; photographer and photographic date unspecified. CC BY 4.0. · Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International · Image source

Wellcome identifies this polychrome wooden mask as nagarassa associated with Kolam performance and dates it 1771–1920. This is a separate collection witness, not a photograph of either accession already cited in the profile. The cobra canopy and lotus ear panels belong to this particular mask; no equation with every nāga tradition is implied.

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