Dummala Resin – Sri Lanka

Description

Dummala is not from a single tree, it is a mixture of oleo-resins from several tree species in Sri Lankan forests providing gums and resins. These may include:-

• Resin from Yakahalu (Shorea oblongifolia)
• Resin from Davu (Anogeissus latifolia),
• Resin from Hik (Linnea coromandelica)
• Resin from Gammalu (Pterocarpus marsupium)
• Resin from Kohomba gum (Azadiracta indica)

Dummala, an aromatic resin used for incense and used to treat many diseases in Sri Lanka. When powdered it burns when thrown at traditional fire torches, causing a large swirl of fire that is believed to help destroy airborne germs and disinfect public gatherings.

These traditional rituals, called Shanthi Karma, or rituals of solace, are a combination of dance, chanting and the strumming of drums to invoke blessings of deities to eliminate evil spirits. There are lot of such rituals in Sri Lanka, some of them region specific, but overall … performed with the purpose of warding off diseases.

Fire torches form an important part of these rituals. A powdered resin called dummala, from the Shorea oblongifolia plant, is thrown at these torches, resulting in large swirls of fire that light up the dance floor.