Welcome. if you have found this site, you are likely a fan of this fascinating knife that comes from old Ceylon, today called Sri Lanka (meaning "resplendent" in sinhalese). I found my first piha collecting dust in a little antique shop in the United Arab Emirates. I was instantly hooked, but I noticed early on that there weren't a lot of people who knew much about this style of knife. I found that hard to believe in light of it's unique and beautiful design, and the fact that westerners have been in Ceylon for centuries. Even Marco Polo was crazy about the place. Silly for it. I have not been there as of yet, but I have the pleasure of living in a place that is home to a substantial population of Sri Lankans. Great people, too. Any people who boast more public holidays than any other country get my full support.

As I said, there aren't a lot of people who know much about this knife and there is almost no information to be found in english about them. Stone's glossary gives a nice description but no history. Actually, Stone lists it as a piha kaetta, but I am told by a highly respected Sri Lankan antique dealer that the name itself is erroneous. A "pihiya" is a small ornate knife worn for decoration at the waist. A "da kaetha" is a sickle-type tool used to cut paddy or reap grass. So, "piha" alone seems safe enough based on this description. If anyone can refute this, please speak up. However, the fact that this gentleman speaks Sinhalese is one good reason to trust him. He's also a collector.

I am going to put any information I can gather here on this site. So far I have very little, but odds are what I have found is more than you've seen. Besides Stone's Glossary I have found a Sri Lankan publication entitled "Mediaeval Sinhalese Art" by Ananada K. Coomaraswamy, as well as a London publication entitled "A Catalogue of Antiquities and Other Cultural Objects from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Abroad" by P.H.D.H. de Silva. Both books are old and were extremely difficult to obtain. Good luck if you decide to try and find them. I found two copies of each and sold one of each to a friend.

The catalogue is really just a collection of plates and descriptions, but it contains some BEAUTIFUL pihas. "Mediaeval Sinhalese Art" has a few valuable insights into the craftsmanship and history behind the piha and some other related information & terminology. The best piha info in this book was also quoted nearly verbatim in a Christies catalogue from a few years back.

Please feel free to contact me with questions as well as any information you have and would like to see added here.