The brilliant yet unsung epigraphist
A rare photograph of Prof. Wickremasinghe: Seen here (circled) at the first Ceylon Students’ Dinner in 1909, in London
“It can truly be said that he laid the foundation of the scientific study of Ceylon epigraphy, on a firm basis. In the midst of his multifarious duties, first at Oxford University and later at the London University, he edited and published between 1903 and 1927, thirteen parts of this journal, consisting solely of his own contributions. The scholarly and able manner in which Dr. Wickremasinghe carried out this onerous task earned for him a first-class international reputation among Indianists; but it is sad to reflect on the indifference of his own countrymen towards the great service he has rendered his country by his researches into the history, language and culture of the Sinhalese people, incidentally bringing credit to Ceylon scholarship.”
This extract is from the preface of the Journal Epigraphica Zeylanica Volume IV (1943) by Senarat Paranavithana, commenting on his predecessor, epigraphist M.Z.de Zilwa Wickremasinghe who died in 1937.
In this citation Paranavithana refers to the accomplishment of the gifted, self- taught linguist, whose career abroad in such renowned centres of learning such as Oxford, London and Berlin University where he was the Head of Department of Oriental Languages from 1899-1920 have not been emulated by anyone in his country.
Last month, in the Sunday Times Plus (June 11), I wrote about the woeful state of our own society that fails to recognise eminent personalities who have made momentous contributions to our heritage and learning.
During the last century in Sri Lanka there emerged several such scholarly figures, many born and raised in remote localities where they had little access to educational facilities, leave aside museums and libraries. Basic services like electricity and lighting which are now commonplace were also not forthcoming. Against such odds, these self-taught personalities produced outstanding results in comparison to their more fortunate colleagues.
Today we look at the famous linguist and epigraphist, Don Martino de Zilwa Wickremasinghe who was born in 1865 in an obscure village –Batuwantudawe, a few miles from Galle. He attended a local state-run school near his home and then went on to continue his education at Richmond College. He made his way to Colombo where he had the good fortune in associating with F.H.M. Corbet, an eminent lawyer and Privy Councillor who was at one time Trustee and Chief Librarian at the Colombo Museum.
Corbet encouraged Wickrema-singhe to study languages and realised he had a great aptitude and talent for Oriental languages.
While at the Colombo Museum, Corbet advised Wickremasinghe to undertake field research to identify and collect important Pali and Sinhala manuscripts on behalf of the Museum. The majority of such valuable documents were carelessly stacked, unread, in old temples and walawwas. These centuries-old manuscripts – the foundation of our country’s heritage – were on the point of perishing due to indifferent storage, neglect, insect infestation etc.
To secure such manuscripts one needed to be fluent in Pali and Sinhala and to be able to communicate effectively with learned Buddhist priests and other owners scattered throughout the country for they were wary of visiting European scholars who were likely to carry away these treasures.
Such research work needed special skill and delicacy. Equipped with letters of introduction to make a personal appeal to the owners, Wickrema-singhe set about his work with great enthusiasm.
This task of collecting and identifying old palm leaf manuscripts was initially pioneered by Mudaliyar B. Gunasekara (the Government’s Chief Translator), who had visited remote temples and amassed some valuable ola leaf manuscripts for the Museum Library collection.
Corbet recognizing Wickrema-singhe’s keenness for widening his linguistic skills appointed him to the post in the Museum Library. Making rapid progress in such studies, by 1887, Wickremasinghe was appointed Assistant Librarian at the Colombo Museum.
Corbet encouraged his protege to compile a comprehensive catalogue of the manuscripts of Pali and Sinhala literary works and to search out such works in temples and residences of officials likely to have them.
It was about this period about 1885 that H.C.P. Bell (who was in 1890 appointed the first Archaeological Commissioner and Head of the Archaeological Survey of Ceylon) was stationed in the Southern Province and encountered the 20-year-old Wickrema-singhe, who was later to be appointed first editor of the journal Epigraphica Zeylanica of the lithic inscriptions of the whole island.
By 1887, Wickremasinghe had compiled a “List of the Pansiyasapanas Jata; the 550 Birth stories of Gautama Buddha”that involved studying many such documents in temples across the island. That was published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Ceylon Branch (Vol X. No 35 of 1887, pp205-218). Subsequently this valuable work was published as a 16-page booklet co-authored by Reinhold Rost, Chief Librarian at the India Office Library who was well known among Orientalists and Lankan Buddhist.
In 1889, Wickremasinghe enrolled as a member of the Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch) and by 1890, published his next major work, the Nikaya Sangarahawa or Sasanawataraya which was the history of Buddhism in India and Ceylon.
Corbet was duly impressed by Wickremasinghe’s work and both advised and encouraged him to travel abroad. He was partly responsible in obtaining a post for him at the Library of the British Museum, London.
At the British Museum, London, Wickremasinghe undertook the onerous task of publishing a catalogue of the Sinhala, Pali and Prakrit manuscripts in the Museum collection.
In 1900, the British Museum published his work on Sinhala literature deposited in the British Museum Library, listing some 1000 books. By 1901, the list amounted to 2000 titles according to another catalogue listed by Wickremasinghe.
Invited by the staff of the German University, Erlangen, Munich and Berlin, Wickremasinghe spent part of his time from 1890-1895 there. During his time in Germany, the Royal Asiatic Society Ceylon Branch in 1894 requested Wickrema-singhe to search for manuscripts from Sri Lanka in Holland. But by 1895, he left Germany for England.
In 1899, he was invited by H.C P. Bell, the Head of the Archeological Survey of Ceylon, to serve as Co-Editor of the newly founded journal Epigraphica Zeylanica. Bell confirms the above in his Annual Report 1893-94.
Wickremasinghe by now was employed at the Indian Institute at Oxford University.
The years 1899-1910 were busy for this Sri Lankan scholar, who was sought after by renowned institutions such as the University of London, where he was a Lecturer in Tamil, Telugu and other South Indian languages. By 1909, it is recorded that he was a Reader in Tamil and Telugu at Jesus College Oxford.
By then he was considered most suited to be the external Examiner for the other British Universities in Sinhala, Pali and Sanskrit. He wrote and edited Tamil Grammar Self Taught, (1906), Tamil Self-Taught, and Sinhalese Self -Taught (1916), and Malayalam Self Taught (1916). In 1928, he contributed the Cambridge History of India Chapter III.
Wickremasinghe undertook all these tasks simultaneously while lecturing to students all over England and Scotland and continuing to provide valuable data and analyzing them at the request of the Govern-ment in Sri Lanka for over 20 years from 1903-1927.
But in spite of all his efforts he was very poorly treated by the authorities here. Although collaborating with Bell for almost 20 years on the publication of Epigraphica Zeylanica, their relationship was strained, as seen in this letter Wickremasinghe wrote;
“Allow me to submit respectfully my protest against the antagonistic attitude you continuously take towards my work in spite of my endeavours to work with you harmoniously, paying regard to your official position as Head of the Department. It seems I can in no way please you and now I note with regret the want of the consideration which you showed me when I was your assistant fifteen years ago.”
It had been reported by his own colleagues that no one could work with Bell as he was also belligerent and offensive to his staff.
By 1929 before he returned to Sri Lanka due to failing health,
Wickremasinghe had earned his Doctorate.
Wickremasinghe died in 1937 and so did his former boss H.C.P. Bell but both remained unrecognised and ignored by the wider public.
One senior member of the Judicial service who paid tribute to what Wickremasinghe achieved in his lifetime is Sir Gerard Wijeyekoon, who comments on Wickremasinghe’s remarkable career in his wonderful and anecdotal biography Reco-llections (1960?):
During the time Corbet was in the Colombo Museum, Wickremasinghe was also there as an assistant. It was Corbet who induced him to go on a Scholarship to Berlin, and study archaeology. He got a scholarship for three years, and went to Berlin. He joined the Berlin University. Although he did not know a word of German, when he went there, in six months he picked up the language so well that he was able to follow the lectures in German, and converse freely in German. He was very good at languages.
He had a remarkable career at the Berlin University, got his degree and came over to London and joined the British Museum. When I went to London in 1898, he was in the British Museum and he was also doing work for Ceylon as an Epigraphist for which he was paid by their Ceylon Government.
I stayed with him for 2 years in the same house in London close to the Museum, and I learnt from him much information about the work he was doing. He was offered the Assistant Archeological Commissionership of Ceylon, and to work under H.C.P. Bell at Anuradhapura. His reply was that he would take up the post of the Assistant Archeological Commissionership if he was allowed to remain in Colombo, and do his work, and also if he was given a guarantee that he would succeed Mr. Bell as Archeological Commissioner.
This the Ceylon Government was not prepared to do.
So, he gave up the idea of coming to Ceylon. During that time, he did much work at the British Museum and there came in contact with many distinguished archaeologists and Orientalists in Europe. When a lectureship fell vacant at Jesus College, Oxford he applied for this post and secured it. He was highly recommended by Professor Monier Williams, and Professor Rhys David.
He took up residence at Jesus College and remained there for some years until he came to London and became Professor of Sanskrit, and Pali at the London School of Oriental Studies. In all these appointments Corbet was of great assistance to him, and Wickremasinghe was always full of Corbet. Owing to old age he retired from the London School of Oriental Studies and returned to Ceylon where after about two years, he died.
He was also an Examiner in Sinhalese, Pali and Sanskrit for several Universities’ always. Lived well in England and was happy to entertain visitors from Ceylon, in his house at Putney.
Even after a century and a half of Epigraphical studies of Sri Lanka’s archaeology no serious biographical account of his contribution has been forthcoming either from the Department of Archaeology or the National Museum.
Even more sad is that neither the current staff or scholars of the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology have contributed in such vein and Don Martino de ZilwaWickremasinghe remains unknown, unsung and
largely ignored.
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