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...

read more...

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...

read more...

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...

read more...

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...

read more...

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...

read more...

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...

read more...

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,...

read more...

Ancient city wall of Polonnaruwa damaged by earth removing machines

(April 20, 2010) The ancient city wall of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka has been damaged by certain elements in a development activity in the heritage city. Reports from Polonnaruwa said that the damage to the city wall has been done by construction machinery...

read more...

A programme to trace all archaeological sites of Sri Lanka

(March 09, 2010) A programme is underway in Sri Lanka to trace the archaeological sites island wide. The Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Wimal Rubasinghe said that 250,000 such sites have already been identified. Investigations are ongoing to identify further sites. The identified archaeological sites have been listed officially....

read more...

Maritime Museum of Sri Lanka opens in Galle

(February 27, 2010) Newly established one and only Marine Archaeological Museum in Galle built under a special grant of Rs. 177 million by the Netherlands Government will be opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on March 4, 2009. The Marine Archeological...

read more...

Lanka to recover stolen artefacts

by Don Asoka Wijewardena (The Island) (February 22, 2009) Urban Development and Sacred Area Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that Sri Lanka would officially appeal to a number of museums in several countries as well as private collectors to return cultural and religious artefacts and statues spirited away from the country. He said that...

read more...

Sri Lanka to look into ways to get back the historical monuments taken away from the country

(February 20, 2009) Archaeology professor Roland Silva, the chairman of a committee appointed to propose ways to get back the archaeological monuments that have been taken away from Sri Lanka, handed over the report of the committee to the Minister of Urban Development and Sacred Land Development Dinesh Gunawardhana on February 19. The Minister...

read more...

Buddha was in Gujarat, says Lankan scholar

(January 16, 2009) While M S University's department of archaeology and ancient history may have grabbed global attention with its possession of Lord Buddha's relics, but few might know that in his lifetime Lord Buddha had visited Gujarat.This startling piece of information was given by professor Anura Manatunga from Sri Lanka, who presented his paper...

read more...

Sri Lanka's world heritage cities threatened to be removed from UNESCO list

(January 14, 2010) Communication Promotions Officer of Sri Lanka Ministry of Tourism Lesley Uduwavidana says that in a discussion between Executive Director of the UNESCO and the Managing Director of Sri Lanka Tourism Marketing Promotion Bureau, he understood that Sri Lanka's World Heritage cities are at risk of being removed from the UNESCO list. The...

read more...

Struggle for gender equality of Buddhist monks of Sri Lanka

(January 14, 2009) A leading Buddhist priest of Sri Lanka, Ven. Inamaluwe Sumangala Thero lodged a complaint against the state Commissioner of Buddhist Affairs regarding non-safeguarding quality of the female Buddhist monks. The Thero complained to...

read more...