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An accidental find has yielded seven figures on the outer surface of the famed Mirror Wall of Sigiriya. Kumudini Hettiarachchi reports
More apsaras at Sigiriya
High up on the 300-metre scaffolding, hugging the outer Mirror Wall of the famous rock fortress of Sigiriya, the task of the six-member mural painting conservation team was not only arduous but also dangerous.

Just three weeks into the conservation project, Dias Wagachchi, was on the scaffolding, checking out the colours. Cotton swab in hand, he was cleaning up the surface when the outer pigment got erased, but nothing happened to the next pigment.

"Suddenly line drawings surfaced. It was an arm. It was June 7 around 10.30 in the morning," said Mr. Wagachchi, head of the Mural Conservators of the Central Cultural Fund. Hearing his exclamations, the excitement mounted. What had been a laborious task took on a different meaning.

The team set to work with fresh vigour and enthusiasm and the arm and an armlet emerged in the earth colour of red. Below the arm they found square sketches, indicating the fold of the cloth at the waist. Then bangles at the wrist. Sadly the face had been damaged.

Mr. Wagachchi quickly sketched the lines and rushed up to the fresco pocket to compare. "They looked similar and we feel more or less certain that these apsaras were also painted at the same time as the rest, about 1,600 years ago," he says.

Conservation was the aim of the project launched on May 15, this year, before the discovery of apsaras or celestial nymphs, for the outer surface of the Mirror Wall had not been touched in over 100 years, since the time of then British Archaeological Commissioner, H.C.P. Bell.

Dating from the 5th century, the Mirror Wall is built up from the base of the Sigiriya rock, with brick masonry and has a polished plaster finish. Alongside the interior of the Mirror Wall is found a walk or gallery and the apsaras can be seen in a depression above this. Graffiti have been scribbled on the polished inner surface of the Mirror Wall.

The most admired and photographed features of Sigiriya, both in modern and ancient times, are the Sigiriya ladies bearing flowers and floating on clouds. "However, the external surface of the Mirror Wall on which the conservation effort was being carried out had no indication of graffiti or paintings. Conservation was deemed necessary as cracks were appearing and the plaster was deteriorating," says Dr. Mohan Abeyratne, Deputy Director General of the Central Cultural Fund. "The plaster was loose and falling off, the light brown clay lime plaster layer was peeling off, there was algae and lichen in some areas and bird droppings in others. Some activities of man had also caused deterioration."

Even during Mr. Bell's period the Mirror Wall had been damaged and they had conserved it. Unfortunately, some of the plaster used at that time had not been compatible with the original work. "The earlier plaster was lime-sand but in conservation a mixture of cement-sand-lime had been used. Now UNESCO has prohibited the use of cement in the conservation of ancient structures," explains Dr. Abeyratne.

The conservation work being carried out under the direction of Dr. Abeyratne entailed removing the old cement mixture and using a lime-clay mixture with 5% of the bonding media of cremecryl. The algae are being removed with alcohol and an ammonium carbonate 3% solution, while for lichen it is a 5% solution.

It is no easy task. Explaining the dangers of standing high up against the sheer wall face of this rock fortress built by Kasyapa (477-495 AD), the patricide king, Mr. Wagachchi says if a basket or a bottle of water falls from the scaffolding it shatters into tiny indistinguishable pieces.

The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau had chipped in with tremendous support by constructing the scaffolding. "The job was tough because even manual drilling can damage Sigiriya, which is a World Heritage Site. The bureau did a marvellous job," says Dr. Abeyratne.

Conservation takes up much time – a month to clean up one square metre. The outer surface of the Mirror Wall runs to 107.5 metres. The labour, however, has not been in vain as in addition to conserving this national monument for posterity, the Central Cultural Fund has stumbled on more paintings of apsaras.

"On June 18, the team unearthed a face not only with the eyes, nose and mouth clearly visible but also an earring and a set of necklaces with a large pendant," says Mr. Wagachchi. Upto now the external surface of the Mirror Wall has yielded seven paintings, one with a full figure.

We are collecting the yellow, red and green pigments found on the outer surface of the Mirror Wall to scientifically ascertain whether they are similar to those used in the fresco pocket, he said. Two tests will be done - X-ray diffraction and F.T.I.R. (Fourier Transform Infra-red Spectroscopy).

The ancient artists who dabbled with lines and colour, around 1,600 years ago to change the glowering rock-face of Sigiriya into a colourful art gallery, most probably used plant gums and resins as binding material.

"If we can extract them, we can do dating," assures Dr. Abeyratne who is also Director of Research and Chemical Conservation, explaining that infra-red photography will be used to reconstruct the original frescoes.

Adds Mr. Wagachchi, "This treasure trove of apsaras we have stumbled on give credence to the Sigiri Graffiti scribbled between the 7th and 13th century AD by visitors that there were 500 apsaras making Sigiriya one massive picture gallery."

In the light of recent controversies whether Sigiriya was actually the abode of the patricide king or a monastery, it is left to historians and archaeologists to battle out the details, as the enigma of Sigiriya keeps unfolding.

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