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Humans who know no art or culture
A routine trip to Yala to enjoy not only the fauna and flora but also check out the ancient ruins and artifacts led to a tragic discovery. It was vandalism of the worst kind on a rare and precious Buddha statue in one of the many rock caves scattered around Bambaragastalawa in Kumana that a team from the Central Cultural Fund stumbled upon.

The head lay smashed to bits and the stomach dug out in this beautifully-sculpted 24-foot statue most probably dating back to the 9th century AD and done in the Anuradhapura era tradition. "It looked as if the vandals were searching for gems and couldn't care less whether they were destroying a rare statue," laments P.R.S. Bandaranayake, Conservation Supervisor of the Central Cultural Fund (CCF) whose team found the statue in a pathetic state while on a three-day tour of Kumana in July. "There is a common belief that precious stones and things of value may have been embedded (nidhan karala) in statues," he explains.

The vandals had struck about two months before that, villagers living close to the area had informed Mr. Bandaranayake and though the Yala Park authorities had allegedly been informed, no action had been taken to notify the Archaeological Department.

Very few such statues made of brick and sand and lime plaster exist. "Usually statues are cut out of crystalline, limestone or granite," says Bandaranayake dubbing this a durlaba ganaye statue. "This sleeping or reclining Buddha statue is built in the tradition of the Anuradhapura era (4th -- 10th century AD), most probably the 9th century AD," he says, adding that the folds of the robe and the curls or waves of the hair which can be picked out even in the destroyed head are proof of this along with the size and texture of the bricks used.

Other examples of statues of the sethapena Buddha can be found in Elahera in Matale, Pidurangala in Sigiriya, Hulannuge in Ampara and Dambulla. The sellipi (inscriptions) on the rock-cave face above the statue state, "Parumaka uthiya lene shagasha" meaning "pradaneevu uththiya nemeththa visin karana lada lena sanghaya vahanseta pooja karana ladi". These inscriptions fall into the category of those done in the 2nd and 3rd century BC and detail that the rock-cave had been donated to Buddhist monks and inhabited by them. "The statue would have been built after that," says Bandaranayake.

Kumana has a generous sprinkling of rock-caves in areas such as Mandagala, Mayagala, Dematagala, Thalaguluhela, Bowattagala and Kiripokunahela with evidence of ancient aramas and chaithyas. The CCF team also found stone pillars, remnants of ancient dagobas, in Bagura, with stories abounding in the area that there had been a fortress of the Anuradhapura era. "There is also evidence that monks would have inhabited these rock-caves as long ago as the 3rd, 2nd and 1st centuries BC. Slab, rock and stone inscriptions provide the proof we need," says Bandaranayake.

The ravages of time have left most of them in ruins. "That we can understand but it is a pity that man is also destroying these legacies of our ancient past," he says.

The irony is that the destruction of the reclining Buddha statue of Bambaragastalawa has taken place only after Kumana was opened to the public after the ceasefire. "Villagers say that during the conflict the LTTE fighters did not damage any of the artifacts," Bandaranayake adds stressing that Sri Lankans should be made aware of their national heritage and the importance of preserving it for posterity.

Authorities informed
The Archaeological Department is investigating the vandalism at Bambaragastalawa and a report is awaited, The Sunday Times learns. This follows instructions issued by Cultural and National Heritage Ministry Secretary A.P.A. Gunasekera, who had been briefed in writing on the incident by the CCF team on their return from Kumana. A site inspection has been carried out and after more exploration a report will be submitted next month, said Rohan Perera, Assistant Director of the Archaeology Dept.

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