Stop building car park and a toilet complex in Deepa Udyana, Polonnaruwa

(October 12, 2010) Lanka Jathika Sangha Sabhawa, an organization of Buddhist monks urge the Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa to reconsider the construction of a car park and a toilet facility on historical land in Sri Lanka’s ancient city Polonnaruwa.

The place demarcated for the development is identified as ‘Deepa Udyana’, an ancient park. The monks say that a part of the ruined park was destroyed in road development and the remainder is the only memorandum of the historical monument.

They point out that this place was restored by two ancient kings of Polonnaruwa at the beginning of the second millennium. They also argue that the land is rich with bio diversity and a wetland belonged to the catchment areas of reservoir Parakrama Samudraya.

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Sri Lanka's highest level pre-historic burial ground in Haldummulla

(August 28, 2010) Sri Lankan archeologists have discovered a pre-historic burial ground from Haldummulla in Badulla district.

Prof. Raj Somadewa of Archeological Post Graduate Institute of Kelaniya University that led the research team for excavating the burial ground says that it is over 3200 years old.

The ancient cemetery found 4000 feet above the sea level is the pre-historical burial ground so far found from the highest ground of the country, he said.

The archeologists have excavated very ancient stone tools from the corpse chests found in the burial ground.

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Illegal constructions in Sigiriya halted

(May 24, 2010) The Director General of the Department of Archaeology of Sri Lanka Dr. Senarath Disanayaka has instructed the Central Cultural Fund officials to suspend the controversial constructions in world heritage site Sigiriya.

Media and activists criticized the construction of a system of sewage with toilets and latrines near the ancient lion’s mouth entrance to the rock fortress. The Director General of Archeology suspended the construction until a re-evaluation is carried out regarding the construction plan. He said that the construction was approved following a series of consultation of relevant authorities and experts.

The construction of Central Cultural Fund cafeteria was permanently halted by the Director General, Department sources said.

These decisions were taken when the Director General visited Sigiriya yesterday with his officials.
Sigiriya is a rock fortress with beautiful paintings and graffiti belonged to a time as far as 5th century AD and it is one of the major tourist attractions of the island.

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Archelogical excavations near Jethawana dagoba of Sri Lanka lead to a society before the dagoba was built

(May 24, 2010) Sri Lanka Department of Archeology has unearthed ruins of an ancient society that believed belong to first and second centuries AD from Jethawana temple area in Anuradhapura.

A 42-milligram blue sapphire and many ancient artifacts have been recovered in excavations near ancient Jethawana Stupa.

A waterway build before the construction of the dagoba, a workshop and raw material were also explored in the excavations carried out near the almsgiving hall in Jethawanarama temple, Archeological Department sources say.

Beads of various shapes, locally made glass and clay beads, raw materials for production of beads, eight Roman coins, animal bones, graphite, transparent polished quartz, raw iron, a furnace copper was melted and parts of furnaces are also among archeological findings.

The excavations were commenced in February this year and the blue sapphire was recovered on May 17.
Archeologists guess the ruins belong to first and second centuries AD. They are to be subjected to carbon testing, said the Chief Research Officer of the Jethawana Project Thusitha Mendis.

The excavations are carried out under the guidance and supervision of Dr. Piyathissa Senanayaka, the Director of Archeology of Jethawana Project. "A series of research excavations were carried out in the area under the Jethawana Project that commenced in 1981. Our aim was to find more historical facts about the Pre-Jethawana period. We commenced excavations in the east of the Chethiya this year. We found the archaeological remains of a workshop and a water supply system of a period prior the reign of King Mahasen who built the Jethawana Cheithya. The blue sapphire was among the artifacts discovered in the site of the workshop. Judging from the structure of the bricks and other building material used by the builders of the workshop we have decided that it dates to the 1st century AD. However, these artifacts are to be subjected to carbon dating," he said.

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Frescoes in Sri Lanka's Sigiriya threatened

(May 09, 2010) A controversy has erupted in Sri Lanka due to a insect menace in Sigiriya ancient rock fortress. While the archaeological authorities are busy in wiping out these insects that harm the world famous frescoes, media and environmentalists charge that the environmental imbalance caused by the removal of wasps from Sigirya may cause increase of the insects harmful to frescoes.

However, the allegation of the environmentalists is yet to be proven. Few months back the archaeological authorities used chemicals and fire to wipe out the wasps from Sigiriya. Environmntalists criticized this action as a violent move.

Wasps lived in Sigiriya for eons of years and when they were disturbed by the visitors, the wasps attacked causing panic and injury to visitors.

The new attack of insects was immediately followed by the removal of wasps from Sigiriya. The officials of Archeological Department are using chemicals to wipe out these insect.

The Director General of Archeological Department Dr. Senerath Disanayaka said that the chemical used is the same that was used around 100 years ago when the same insect was spread and it was not harmful to frescoes.

A councilor of local government Pradeshiya Sabha of Dambulla in the Central Province of Sri Lanka recently focused attention of the authorities to provide security and protection to world famous frescoes in Sigiriya that are threatened by weather and other causes.

The Pradeshiya Sabha Councillor Saman Bandara Moremada pointed out at the monthly meeting of the council that the frescoes in a cave in Sigiriya have been damaged by insects. He also said that the curtain that covered the frescoes from sun had also worn out exposing the frescoes to weather.

The main gate of the cave is also broken and the monkeys that enter into the cave in the night might damage the frescoes, the councilor also pointed out. He criticized the authorities for not taking timely action to protect the site.

Sigiriya was declared the 202th World Heritage site at the summit of UNESCO held in 1982.

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Historic ruins excavated

24 APRIL 2010
By Hirtan Priyankara jayasinghe (Daily Mirror)

The ruins of an ancient building were found on Thursday during the ongoing excavations in Pallama Sri Nandimitra Navavangu Rajamaha Vihara to lay the foundation for a new building. The Chief Incumbent of the temple the Ven. Pothuthukkulame Deerananada Thera believes that the row of granite steps and the moonstone discovered beneath the temple grounds belong to the Anuradhapura period.

The moonstone was about 6ft long and the row of steps was 8ft wide. A granite vessel which had probably been used to grind medicinal herbs was among the artefacts found at the site.

According to tradition, Nandimitra Rajamaha Vihara is said to have been built during the reign of King Dutugemunu (137-161BC) .The Ven. Thera said the Archaeological Department would be requested to carry out further excavations.

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Sri Lanka uses ground penetrating radar mechanism in archeology

Ibbankatuwa

(April 22, 2010) Sri Lanka Department of Archeology says it has successfully finalized a pilot project of using ground penetrating radar mechanism to explore the underground archaeological monuments.

The technology was used in Sigiriya, Ibbankatuwa and Digampathaha archaeological sites to trace the historic monuments, constructions and artifacts that are hidden in soil. Sigiriya is an ancient rock fortress believed constructed in the first millennium AD. It is famous for frescoes and is also one of major tourist attractions of Sri Lanka. Ibbankatuwa and Digampathaha are believed cemeteries of pre-historic age.

The Chairman of the National Geological and Mines Bureau Dr. A. Wijayananda says that the use of ground penetrating radar mechanism will be a major breakthrough of Sri Lanka’s archaeology.

Japan has provided aids for the project to use ground penetrating radar mechanism in archaeology.

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