ABSTRACT
The genre of medieval Sinhala poetry composed between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries in Sri Lanka provides a fascinating look at how bodies of men and women contributed in important ways to the construction of praiseworthy kings. Buddhist kingship in this era was frequently the subject of eulogistic poetry, and such texts were recited in royal courts to enhance the fame and power of rulers. This chapter examines how the bodies of men and women are described in different but ultimately complimentary ways. Leading men combine martial power with sensual enjoyment, and they frequently are identified by name and attributed with an agency that emerges out of the exemplary bodies they possess. However, women are more often presented as nameless, attractive figures that contribute to the power of men. The male-female binary as depicted in such poetry demonstrates how gendered bodies are represented and rendered useful for the aim of making Buddhist kings appear more like bodhisattvas and worthy of praise and veneration in their own right.
