Guard-stone, ('dwara-paalaka' - Sinhalese), Isurumuniya, Sri Lanka.

The 'guard-stones' were erected at the entrance to buildings in ancient Sri Lanka. They were called 'Dwaara Paalaka' in Sinhalese and mean what they say in Tamil - namely 'administrators of the opening' - guards of the entrance. They were in pairs facing each other across the entrance. They were chiseled in granite. Each figure carried a 'pun kalasa' - Sinhalese or 'nirai-kudam' in.Tamil. This latter represented prosperity and was an auspicious sign. The seven headed cobra protecting the crowned head of the figure means, that the figure represented was a 'Naga' king. This was photographed at Isuruminiya by Charaka Wickremasinghe.