News
National Heritage Ministry gazettes 170 ancient monuments
The Government has gazetted as ancient monuments 83 archaeological buildings and remains in the North, with many of them being ruins of Buddhist temples. These were among 170 monuments countrywide that were gazetted by the Ministry of National Heritage last week. It is the largest listing of archaeological monuments from the Northern Province since the end of the war and follows a months-long survey conducted by the Department of Archaeology.
Research is ongoing to document other monuments in these areas. A large number of monuments in the North are identified as remnants of dagobas, mostly indicated by hillocks and other ruins around the sites such as pillar bases, brick walls, base stones, rock inscriptions, image houses and remnants of related building. They are situated in villages in the Mannar, Mullaitivu, Jaffna and Vavuniya Districts.
There are nearly 30 such Buddhist monuments in comparison with the seven Hindu ones on the list. The latter comprise two Hindu temples as well as ruins in the vicinity of four other kovils. The majority are in the Mullaitivu District, with one in the Jaffna District.
“We have the authority to gazette only monuments of more than 100 years,” said Dr Senarath Dissanayake, Director General of Archaeology, in response to why so few Hindu sites were listed in areas with a strong background in the religion. But he stressed that among the significant numbers classified as “sites with ruins of buildings” there might be destroyed Hindu temples that his officers had been unable to identify.
“Some monuments can be recognised and these have been gazetted,” he explained. “But there might be some Hindu temples among unidentified buildings included in the list.” The Department had deployed its Excavation Officers to conduct the surveys.
Much research still needs to be done in the Vavuniya and Kilinochchi districts, the Director General said. “We have 40 percent of the Mullaitivu district and 20 percent of the Mannar district to complete,” he added.
The Archaeological Department has intensified efforts to document sites and monuments around the country in response to a spiralling trend of “treasure hunting” and vandalism. Former conflict areas in the North and East have proven particularly susceptible as they only recently opened out after three decades of war. No surveys were done there during that period.
Among the other monuments listed in last week’s gazette are sluices, dams, irrigation tanks, rock caves, rock pillars, Buddhist temples, ancient retaining walls, burial sites, doss houses (ambalamas), bridges, rock surfaces with archaeological evidences and old buildings.
Included are a stone inscription to mark the Wariyapola rebellion of Matale at the Wariyapola-Matale Junction in Kohombiliwala, Matale; the doss house (called Gal Ambalama) at Pitakotte Junction; the old building in which the Department of the Auditor General is housed in Independence Avenue, Colombo 7; the old Town Hall Building of the Municipal Council in Main Street, Pettah; the Mullaitivu marketplace; the Chunnakam public market; the Kankesanturai lighthouse; the old Dutch hospital in West Gurunagar and the megalithic burials on Chart Beach of Kayts in Allaipiddy – the last four being in the Jaffna District.. Once gazetted, strict regulations are in force to prevent the desecration of these monuments.
comments powered by Disqus