A tribute to an eminent archaeologist

Saturday, 7 March 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

With the passing away of Senake Bandaranayake early this week, Sri Lanka has lost a distinguished archaeologist, academic, researcher, administrator and diplomat. His contribution in unearthing the rich cultural heritage of Sri Lanka was enormous. Luckily he has left behind published works, articles written to numerous journals, papers read out at seminars and conferences, and above all a host of students whom he taught at the Kelaniya University and the Post-graduate Institute of Archaeology of which he was founder director. I first met Senake in the early 1960s when I went to UK on a Commonwealth Press Union Fellowship. I stayed at Senake’s home in Holland Park, London. His parents had moved over in their retirement (his father was a senior police officer) and Senake, their only son, was then at Oxford University.

We used to meet when he came home for the weekend in his Volkswagen car. He was in regular touch with his relation Susil Siriwardena who had come back to Sri Lanka after studies. I remember them exchanging letters in Sinhala (quite a strange happening between two youngsters attending British universities), having been enthused by the national resurgence following the victory of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and Sinhala becoming the official language. Senake continued his post-graduate studies at Oxford from where he obtained his B.Litt. degree on completion of a dissertation on ‘The Vaulted Brick Temples of Polonnaruwa’ (1965) followed by a D.Phil. degree seven years later. In 1974 he published his first major work, ‘Sinhalese Monastic Architecture’. By then he had worked as Associate Editor of the WCOTP/UNESCO Art Series, ‘Man Through His Art’ and was a lecturer at the Institute of South Asian Archaeology, University of Amsterdam. ‘Sri Lanka – Island Civilisation’ Having returned to Sri Lanka, he joined the Vidyalankara campus (later Kelaniya University) and continued his research earnestly. I treasure one of his early publications, ‘Sri Lanka – Island Civilisation’ (1978) with captivating photographs to support the text. Christain Zuber, an internationally-acknowledged photographer, travelled the length and breadth of Sri Lanka to collect pictures for the book. In its introduction, Senake referred to the historical records that indicate that Sri Lanka was not only a rich and beautiful country but was also the seat of one of the small but important historical civilisations of Asia. “The ruins of great monasteries and capital cities, colossal man-made lakes, numerous inscriptions and a large body of ancient literature still survive as testimony to the achievements of Sri Lankan people over a period of two thousand years and more. They show that from about the third century B.C. to a

bout the sixteenth century, Sri Lanka took its place with other countries of Asia, amongst the most advanced and developed nations of the pre-modern world. Throughout the period it had evolved its own distinctive and independent culture and economy, while keeping in close contact and being open to ideas and exchanges with the countries of the Indian Ocean region and beyond,” he summed up. After discussing the environment, the people, history, culture and religion, Senake touched on the modern transition to give the reader a capsuled picture of the country’s progress over the centuries in lucid language. Quotations from publications by renowned scholars added veracity to the story. ‘The Rock and Wall Paintings of Sri Lanka’ I also treasure his exhaustive publication on ‘The Rock and Wall Paintings of Sri Lanka’ (1988). By then Senake was Director of the Post-graduate Institute of Archaeology – University of Kelaniya, Visiting Professor in Archaeology – University of London, and the Archaeological Director of the UNESCO-Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Projects – Sigiriya and Dambulla. The 300-page publication had over 260 pictures taken by the well-known photographer Gamini Jayasinghe. The book was acknowledged as the first study presenting an overview of the entire tradition of rock and wall paintings in Sri Lanka from its early historical origins to its contemporary traditional manifestations. The analytical and descriptive text was accompanied by photographs and line -drawings detailing the selected paintings. Two articles in the UNESCO publication, ‘The Cultural Triangle’ (1993) by Senake on ‘Sigiriya – City, Palace and Royal Gardens’ and ‘Dambulla – The Golden Mountain temple’ provide comprehensive information for the international readership. Senake, who was later Director-General of Central Cultural Fund, also served as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to France and the UNESCO, and as Ambassador to India and Bhutan. Professor Seneka Bandaranayake’s valuable contribution in his chosen field will be greatly appreciated by generations to come.