Language: Sinhalese
Source: Standard literature

Description

Binduva (බිඳුව) or "drop, spot or speck" is the name for a Sinhalese decorative motif common in lacquer work that consists of diamond-shaped spots.¹

Tani binduva or binduva lacquer work decoration on a Sinhalese cane.
Sold by Mandarin Mansion in 2020.

Coomaraswamy mentions a related pattern that called gal-bindu (බිඳුව) or "stone drops" which looks like this:

Gal-bindu lacquer work decoration on the shaft of a Sinhalese patisthānaya.
Sold by Mandarin Mansion in 2019.

The patisthānaya in full.

In a Sinhalese-English dictionary of 1892, bindu and binduva are said to be synonymous so perhaps the appearance of both patterns under different names in Coomaraswamy's work was unintentional.²

Overview of Sinhalese decorative lacquer work

Upper part of a lacquered staff.
From colored drawings by Ethel M. Coomaraswamy.

The above image shows two sections of Sinhalese lacquered staffs. The decorative motifs are as follows:

A. Vẹlpota or pāhaḍe vẹlpota
B. Ādāra-koṇḍu
C. Gal-bindu (ගල් බින්දු) or mori binduva
D. Kola vẹla ("leafy branch") or kaḷas-dangaya
E. Pāhaḍe or palā peti
F. Lanu-dangaya
G. Patura
H. Bō-kola ("bō-leaf")
K. Binduva (බිඳුව) or tani binduva³

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. For the definition of bin̆duva (බිඳුව) or "drops" see: Benjamin Clough; A Sinhalese-English dictionary, Wesleyan mission press, Colombo, 1892. Page 423.
3. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy; Medieaval Sinhalese Art, Pantheon Books, New York, Second Edition of the 1908 original, 1956. Explanation of plate XXIV.