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Polonnaruwa wide open to thieving treasure-hunters
No security co-ordination, poor police staffing, laments Thera
Despite a spate of raids by treasure-hunters, the authorities lack co-ordination to protect monuments and prevent the desecration of Polonnauruwa, the country’s medieval capital and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gal Viharaya Chief Incumbent Ven. Wedaruwe Sri Upali Thera emphasised that all relevant authorities – the police, Archaeological Department, Central Cultural Fund (CCF), the Wildlife and Forest Conservation departments and Divisional Secretaries – and local villagers should combine forces to implement a systematic strategy to stop the thievery of monuments.
Latest raid by treasure hunters: Vandalism at the Swastika Pokuna
The officers of the Archaeological Department or the CCF could not in isolation provide security to these important sites as the area is quite large, Ven. Upali Thera noted. “Set up more police posts and increase the number of police officers,” he appealed to the authorities. The police post at the Gal Viraya could not realistically attend to the security of other monuments like Watadageya which was 3km distant. “The area is too large to deal with from one post.”
There should also be more police officers staffing the posts, he said. Although there were around 15 officers attached to the unit there were usually only around seven officers present; others would be assigned special duties elsewhere. “Identifying the vulnerable monuments is crucial,” noted the Thera. Once this was done, police units should be set up at these points.
There were not only insufficient police but a lack of staff and resources at the CCF and Department of Archaeology. “You can’t plan strategies from Colombo,” emphasised the Thera, saying the relevant ministers and officers needed to visit Polonnaruwa to examine conditions on the ground. “It is a shame to see even the restored monuments like Swastika Pokuna being vandalised,” he lamented.
Thieves late last month destroyed a central portion of the popular and beautiful Swastika Pokuna to dig for buried treasure.
The Ven.. Upali Thera said villagers should be co-opted into security plans because they used the alternative roads within the Polonnaruwa sanctuary: “There should be some agreement that the entrance would be restricted during night in order to discourage looters”.
An Archaeological Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the department’s Polonnaruwa office had fewer than 10 security officers to look after the dozens of well-frequented monuments and the large number of other restored and un-restored monuments scattered around a large area.
“We had to employ labourers to do the job of the security officers,” the officer disclosed. They could not be held accountable for losses because it was not their proper job. “They do only day patrols – even that they do using their own motorcycles and spending their own money on fuel.
Although the CCF collected billions of rupees annually from foreign and local visitors, the Archaeological Department did not benefit but had to work under difficult conditions, the official said. “It is disheartening,” he noted. “And we get all the blame.” The CCF allocated 25 per cent of annual income to the Ministry of National Heritage but the Archaeological Department received only its annual budgetary allocations.
CCF Director-General Professor Gamini Adhikarai told the Sunday Times that night-vision CCTV with hidden cameras and new lighting would be installed at the Polonnaruwa monuments to monitor security. He acknowledged that there was a dearth of officers to protect these monuments and said more officers would be recruited and staffing priority given to the Polonnaruwa sites.
He also said graduates should be appointed as heritage management assistants to take care of monuments. “They will be responsible for even if a brick goes missing,” he said. Polonnaruwa Division SP S.F. Sarath Joseph said that police were inquiring into the Swastika Pokuna attack but that no arrests had been made so far. He said these gangs were usually composed of outsiders from areas such as Colombo, using help from one or two local residents.
SP Joseph said police believed the incident must have taken place during Poson Poya night (June 22), when the some of the local police had been assigned to special duties away from the sacred sites.
Acts of vandalism in the Polonnaruwa sanctuary since May last year
- Hole dug underneath the platform of the Nandi or the vehicle of the God Siva, close to the Siva Temple flanking the Naipena Viharaya,
- Removal of the Yoni Gala or the stone slab holding the Shiva Lingam to facilitate digging inside the Siva Temple.
- Attack on the Vishnu Temple flanking the Naipena Hiharaya
- Destruction of part of the Swastika Pokuna.
Some of the unprotected archaeological sites in the Polonnaruwa sanctuary
- Nissanka Alms Hall
- Naipena Viharaya (Cobra Hood temple)
- The Lotus Ponds (No. 1 and No. 2)
- Restored wells in the Rankothvehera Stupa hinterland
- Demalamaha Seya Stupa.
According to archaeological officers even the police night patrol does not cover a large number of important archaeological monuments in the sanctuary.
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