Sri Lanka · Weaving / Leaf Craft
කැදිලි (Kadili)
Cadjan (කැදිලි — kadili in Sinhala) is the ancient Sri Lankan tradition of weaving coconut palm leaves (Cocos nucifera) or palmyra palm leaves (Borassus flabellifer) into panels for thatching, screens, food containers, ceremonial objects, and mats. Sri Lanka cadjan is distinct from other Southeast Asian palm leaf traditions in the spine-weaving technique: the central spine (midrib) of the coconut leaf is retained as the structural member, and the leaflets are woven in and around the spine rather than stripped from it. This spine-retention produces a panel with built-in structural integrity that can be used without any secondary frame — the cadjan panel is self-supporting. The leaflet weave angle around the spine — approximately 45 degrees — is assessed by holding the spine vertically and observing whether the leaflets spread into a perfect diamond grid: correct angle produces diamond grid; too steep: rectangles; too shallow: flattened diamonds.
Risk level: Endangered · Sri Lanka national ICH list
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