Samson's final moment

Check this video on Youtube.
Samson's final moment

Samson finally had to succumb to his kidney failure. It got worse when his longstanding partner, Hippo, died of old age. Samson's death came to pass exactly one week after Hippo's. My family observed him breathe his last, after much struggle with the damaged kidney. Even at death, Samson does not look it - he simply looks as if he is in a deep slumber.

Tony brings Julius Caesar in print

William Shakespeare should be the widest known English playwright to the local gallery. How could one man have been privileged with such fame for centuries? Scribes from all walks of life share one theory: Shakespearean themes are but universal. Running your eye on century-old writings is nevertheless no plain sailing. Only a few in the local intelligentsia got enough nerve to establish the Bard in the local scene. Tony Ranasinghe perches high in that dovecote.

Julius Caesar does not stand close to Hamlet or Othello or Macbeth. Its duration is relatively shorter and do not contain the natural Shakespearean features. But still it is one of the most referred creative works in socio-politic analyses. In his 167-page introduction, Tony spells out the Elizabethan era and Shakespeare to the Sinhala reader; an excellent as well as thoroughgoing effort for the sake of especially the Sinhala-only reader, probably a theatre enthusiast.

Tony was born in a period when both the Holy Bible and Complete Works of Shakespeare were made compulsory by the British rulers in Ceylon.

"When it comes to Shakespeare, I was quite an eager beaver in my schooldays. I used to read all his plays, if not, at least anything else written on him. Hamlet captivated me most." Septuagenarian Tony recalls his heydays.

There are times, even now, Tony sits back to enjoy his journey with the 16th century poet. Anything to come by.

"In fact I reduced the duration of the play. I thought it might not go for the Sinhala audience. Julius Caesar is a craftsman-like job, but it provokes cheers only from the serious theatre enthusiasts."

The play wraps up the story of conspiracy against Roman dictator Julius Caesar bringing in elements such as patriotism and honour. Ernest Schanzer in his 'Problem Plays of Shakespeare' attempts to justify why it is problematic:

"Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare's most controversial plays. Commentators have been quite unable to agree on who is its principal character of whether is has one; on whether it is a tragedy and, if so, of what kind; on whether Shakespeare wants us to consider the assassination as damnable or praiseworthy; while of all the chief characters in the play contradictory interpretations have been given."

As Schanzer aptly suggests, Julius Caesar is a problem play, more than a tragedy, comedy or tragicomedy. It questions the age-old recipe of political thinking. When Brutus takes the lead role in the conspiracy against Caesar, the former genuinely feels it is for the benefit of the society though his behaviour is naturally put into question by the subsequent turn of events signaling signs of impending doom.

When Bandula Withanage produced 'Merchant of Venice' in Sinhala as Venisiye Velenda, it would have been no play at all had not Tony starred 'famous' Shylock. It should have been the most famous local work for its commonplace features such as subplots and comic characters. It proved its unmatched mettle when the gallery was not much interested in other Shakespeare productions such as 'Midsummer Night's Dream' by both Tony and Bandula.

"I really wanted to produce and play live roles. Unfortunately I grew up old, passing that stage before long."

The good old days of Tower Hall, recollects Tony, saw plays such as Othello, Macbeth and even Anthony & Cleopatra produced on the local stage. It offers fresh historical evidence on the way Shakespeare had been remodeled on the local stage.

Shakespeare had no academic credentials. What he read sharpened his style. He knew people from all pillars of the earth - it could have been a beggar, prostitute, lawyer, mayor or a professor - and he could get closer to them in writing. What he had used as contemporary in his times now seems quite old world. Tony apparently had challenges in translating a centuries-old inscription. Which mode should be ideal: idiomatic, conversational or classical?

"I don't think it is right to go into extremes. You should make use of all these modes. Then only you can achieve what you need."

"The script was not something like this when I first brought up Caesar on the stage. I made several changes in the translation before it went to press. I am very grateful to Prem Dissanayaka for publishing this. I will keep tabs on the sales and think of following up with publishing the rest of my translations of Othello, Measure for Measure, Much Ado About Nothing and Twelfth Night."

Shakespeare remains too refined to translate for some scholars. How do you translate, for instance, Hamlet's famous quote: 'to be or not to be, that's the question'! Hamlet, Tony points out, is the most famous play which will go on steadily even though other plays might be extinct. "True, you cannot translate something so refined. But most of these plays are translated into Japanese, German and a host of other languages too. I am not sure whether it is an irony or not."

The best way, I think, is to perform the Shakespeare. They are written to be staged and performed rather than to be read in leisure. "But at the same time we should be careful not to go for adaptations. If you remodel him into a Kandyan set up, Shakespeare will be lost. We should always go for originals, especially because our Sinhala audience is not much familiar with the plot outlines." The 16th century poet gradually invaded the silver screen and then the small screen. But Tony is still in love with the stage.

"That is where you get the essence. You get a live feedback, then you are motivated to give life to the characters."

It's simply like painting for Tony. Everybody believed painting will be gone forever with the advent of photography. But painting evolved with more and more branches like impressionism and expressionism. Stage did, and continue to, refresh the audience. How could have Shakespeare stolen the show when there were other men like Christopher Marlowe, Ben Johnson and Thomas Kid too in the scene? William Shakespeare was a man who was smart to figure out the pulse of the commoner, because he was one himself. The surge of hardships in life, which were constantly at the ready, helped him sidestep his genius contemporaries.

When Tony translated the biography of Dilip Kumar, it was a sentimental experience to him.

"Dilip Kumar has an unsurpassed flair for acting. But as time passed by he was stuck to that, so people got a little bored of him. You know an actor should be updated and should never outshine the character he is given. For example you can never see Marlon Brando or Lawrence Olivier as a carter. Because they outshine the character."

This work is only a first step, Tony says, and someone should do a more brilliant translation. Shakespeare is quite old world, I may be repeating, but doesn't modern English use many of his expressions? Quite a paradox, or is it not?

Et tu, Brute? - Then fall, Caesar!

http://www.dailynews.lk/2009/06/17/art01.asp

Schindler's List: tracing the roots

Elitist writers at Galle Literary Festival (GLF) have one ‘golden rule’: do not give interviews to no-homework journalists. Quite contrarily I could approach Thomas Keneally with the ‘no homework’ confession, because he was glad to welcome someone with a vacant mind - at last! The Sydney-born Nobel and Booker winner hence had an uninterrupted audience.

The sunset in Galle Fortress lifted Keneally’s spirits to head out with his much-talked ‘Schindler’s List’, which was earlier published as ‘Schindler’s Ark’.

“In 1980 I was in a luggage store waiting for my flight. Over a small talk, I found out that its owner is a Schindler survivor. I wasn’t familiar with this name, but Leopold Pfefferberg, the Schindler survivor, gave out some important information about him. I came to know that Oskar Schindler is famous for his Holocaust activities. I was established as a writer by then, and that made Pfefferberg have faith on me. Later we were on our way to Poland to unearth more materials.”

Most of his works are far more fiction. Except for ‘Schindler’s List’ (1982) and ‘Searching for Schindler’ (2007), he admitted. Oskar Schindler is alive with his real name in 1989, and the 2007’s work ploughs on with the Keneally-Pfefferberg journey in search of Schindler’s list. The novel on Oskar Schindler earned Steven Spielberg his first Oscar award for being the Best Director as well as the Man Booker Prize for Thomas Keneally.

Listless people ask Keneally what his fav is. For him Schindler’s has raked in fortune, but ‘Towards Asmara’, a novel on conflict of Eritrea, is one of his favs. Which didn’t perform well like Schindler’s.

“Enough of Schindler’s. Now tell me what do you think about famines?” I was stunned with this abrupt question. I did not need to answer his question on purpose and he took the hint.

“What I believe on famines that they are not natural or god made, but man made. They are political. Politicians need to create them, so they can get benefits from them.”

What an interpretation? And he goes on, “Well, we have exceptions like Tsunami in your country, which are, of course, natural disasters.”

“I have seen many famines myself including Ethiopian famine. You see, I was born with the World War – Australia was never invaded, thank God. But I know the pain of war. And how people suffer from famines. War and famines are both man-made ones to gain benefits.”

Then suddenly he changes the subject to families.

“I love studying families. I have seen families in Bengal, Ireland and Ethiopia in particular. I have written many novels on those families. I fancy seeing them as one entity.”

Family subject tempted Keneally to talk about his own.

“My father was a good storyteller, but he could easily get depressed. In my early childhood I wanted to be a priest, but soon I lost interest when I got disillusioned with the religious system. I took up studies of law, and that was when I started writing my first novelist. I was a schoolteacher and university lecturer for sometime until novel made my destiny.”

Love came to Keneally’s life when his mother was in sickbed. He felt love when he saw Judy who nursed his mother. Finally as in any other story, Thomas Keneally, a young novelist was marrying a beautiful young woman. Change was going to happen in his life.

“Literary festivals are essential for countries like Australia and Sri Lanka. Australia is a country located a little close to Sri Lanka. But Australia comes to know about Sri Lanka through festivals held in either London or New York. When Sri Lanka has a literary festival we can have direct contacts with you.”

Keneally has also acted in a handful of films. He had a small role in The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (based on his novel) and played Father Marshall in the Fred Schepisi movie, The Devil's Playground (1976) (not to be confused with a similarly-titled documentary by Lucy Walker about the Amish rite of passage called rumspringa).

In 1983 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). He is an Australian Living Treasure.

“I am a strong advocate of the Australian republic, meaning the severing of all ties with the British monarchy, and published a book on the subject Our Republic in 1993. Several of his Republican essays appear on the web site of the Australian Republican Movement.

Keneally is a keen supporter of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles rugby league football club in the NRL.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2009/02/10/fea10.asp

Heads that ruled...

“Social upheavals have at least one advantage,” writes down E R Sarachchandra for an anthology of Sinhalese literature, “they provide rich material for literature.” The late professor seems exact in his analysis since post-independent politics is plump with upheavals offering a host of rich materials for literature.

To have the white lords driven away home was a mistaken prophesy back then. The whites of course said bye, but their spirits stayed on – at least in the country’s politics. What D S Senanayaka had enjoyed as the first premier under a dominion was not what Sirimavo Bandaranaika had in her third official term. What was Ceylon in 1948 became Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka towards 1972 and that explains the difference between dominion and republic; Lanka had the British monarch as its head of state and it became a republic with an self-governing constitution in 1972. Things geared high up towards the open of 1978 when President became important with more powers than the premier ever had. Before the1978 power-shift premier had been heading the government, hence was the highest local authority.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Dudley Senanayaka enjoyed three terms in office. Politics was windfalls for widow Bandaranaike, but she marked her position down history: being world’s first woman Prime Minister and the first ruler of republican Sri Lanka. With J R Jayawardene charter stirring up Sri Lankan history with open economy policy and full-powered executive presidency, the premiership was confined to a ceremonial rank. Exceptions were, nevertheless, unforeseen till 2002 when President and Prime Minister with the majority camp were from two different parties. Constitution had to be reworked and rethought.

Mrs. B was not the only one to sit back with windfall of her husband’s death. Dudley Senanayaka became premier following his father’s death, Wijayananda Dahanayaka following S W R D Bandaranaike’s and D B Wijetunga following Ranasinghe Premadasa’s.

Mirigama representative Don Stephen Senanayake knew his onions thanks to his experience in pre-Independent State Council. Senanayaka had a balanced diplomatic relations with Britain. He refused knighthood but maintained good relations with Britain. Dudley Senanayaka is well respected for his frank politics who stressed on nationalist economy. The landmark of Sir John Kotalawala – famously nicknamed as Bandung Donkey for his political faux pas in Indonesia – is his introduction of country to the United Nations. Despite his Oxford credentials Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike is ironically famous for nationalistic movements. His tenure is well remembered along the political corridors for his drastic changes and for being the first high-up political victim of daylight murder. His successor Wijeyananda Dahanayaka was not too lucky to remain in the office for long. Junius Richard Jayawardene moved to a presidency with executive powers before long. Ranasinghe Premadasa should be the very first one from a modest family to reach premiership, which was naturally followed by executive presidency. As in Dahanayaka’s becoming acting Prime Minister D B Wijetunga became acting president following the death of President Premadasa. He is well known for his simple attitudes as both premier and president. Ranil Wickramasinghe is the youngest cabinet minister who held the premier post twice: first following Wijetunga’s ascension into presidency and second going along election triumph. The second tenure was short-lived as the President Chandrika Kumaragunga dissolved the Parliament. Chandrika Kumaratunga’s victory was inevitable as she brought hope as the daughter of two Prime Ministers. As J R Jayawardena she did not want to be happy with premiership, and aimed at being the world’s fourth woman President, which was no hurdle in the least. Mahinda Rajapakse won a hard battle for premiership over a few other opponents. He was the unanimous choice of the party first for the opposition leadership, second for the premiership and later for the presidency. Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka is well known for his nationalistic attitudes along with anti-terror campaign.

Family links are commonplace in the premier lineage: the first trio and Bandaranaike trio. The turn of events seem all the same. Governor General Lord Soulbury had chosen Dudley Senanayake as his father’s successor over his cousin Sir John Kotalawela, who – quite a paradox – succeeded him as the third premier. Sirimavo Bandaranaike entered the scene following his husband’s death making the stage for their daughter to be in. Ranil Wickramasinghe entered the cabinet as the nephew of President J R Jayawardena.

English episode in Ceylon

“Political disturbances may arise out of small matters, but are not therefore about small matters.”
- Aristotle

Sri Lanka cannot speak high of a still and smooth sovereignty before the European intrusion in 1505; the isle had been fragile for takeovers by its giant-built immediate neighbour, India. However the European involvement was a turning point ushering into a new terrain of culture. The most remarkable chapter in European invasion is the English period, told with a surge of aesthetic complexity in politics and culture.

The English enjoy a well-reputed notoriety far more than their predecessors, Portuguese and Dutch. The English was never happy with their commercial empire set in the coastal area as predecessors, and soldiered on inwards. But it was no cakewalk on a country with geography, climate and warfare beyond the ken. The English landed in 1798 but could take up the whole kingdom only in 1815.

King Sri Wikrama Rajasinha’s rule was constantly scoffed at by his own chieftains. The king descended from a Tamil ancestry and had issues with his personality before the massive popularity the chiefs had. The king cashed in on his power to trample down the rise of chieftains. A complete English rule, however, was the last idea of the chieftains. They had the wishful thinking of enthroning a Sinhala king with the protectorate-type British contribution. The chieftains’ move – for some it is a betrayal – thus drew a halt to the Sinhala royal lineage with its last bastion Rajasinghe taken as a prisoner.

The English had the premeditated benefit of colony management practice which was obviously undersupplied in Sinhala rulers; this outweighed the brilliant military techniques and offensives the Sinhalese were equipped with. Forget about natural disadvantages, but the British could make the best use of chieftains’ negative opinions in outmaneuvering the Sinhalese military strategies. The 1815 achievement, so to say, was naturally in spades for the English. Captain Elmo Jayawardena offers a classic portrayal in his ‘The Last Kingdom of Sinhalay’:

“This was the land, thought the Englishman, of temples and prayer, of a religion that spoke of tolerance and harmony. People have lived here so long, thousands of years. Simple tenants in the land of their forefathers; civilized in culture and rich with tradition. That was before the New World opened and the white men came. All this will coon be finished. Men will rise with the cry of freedom and they will be ruthlessly crushed. When the guns become silent and the smoke clears, the land would have been destroyed beyond recognition. That was inevitable. It was the law of the empire, the way of the colonizer, to take what he wanted, regardless of cost and totally oblivious to the devastating consequences.”

With Ceylon being just one colony in the ‘infinite empire’, Britain enjoyed the supremacy of global power. They held the control of one-quarter of the world’s population by 1922; no wonder ‘the sun never set on the British Empire’. This was the best territory for the British to spread the influence of their political and cultural legacy.
The English, all the same, had many issues to handle with the Ceylon rule. Many English Kalinga Maghas naturally did not wish the preservation of Sinhala culture. However their attempts to crush down the Sinhala culture was never to become a reality. Apparently they had to shake hands on preserving the Sinhala culture in Kandyan convention, which had the backing of Kandyan chieftains as well.

While some rulers were harsh destroying the Sinhalese culture, some had other tactics. They built many Christian schools and made various high-up positions available for local Christian converts.

However the British rule was not up to the satisfaction of the locals. A passage in ‘The Revolt in the Temple’ sketches out the frustration:

“The Chiefs were disappointed and discontented. The Sangha was even more dissatisfied. The ascendancy of a Christian government in the Kandyan provinces constituted a distinct menace to Buddhism. The projected establishment of an English Seminary at Kandy for the Western education of the children of the Chiefs further inculcated the fear of proselytism. The politic patronage of a Christian government was hardly a satisfactory substitute for that of a Buddhist King, nor could the former take the intimate part in Buddhist rites, ceremonies and processions which the latter had naturally performed. It was with difficulty that the Sangha was induced to bring back to Kandy that most sacred symbol of Buddhism, the Tooth Relic. The Sangha was never fully reconciled to the new regime….”

1817 rebellion is the upshot of Sinhalese disappointment over the British governance. The British ruling was forewarned on a rebellion against them towards the close of 1816. One Duraisamy was gathering the support of masses for a rebellion that showed signs of success. Duraisamy’s claims to the throne had a royal weight as was exposed in a trial later on. The British carried out the massacre of the 19th century by wiping out the all able bodied Sinhalese men from the Kandy.

The English employed another shrewd technique of causing ethnic uproar. A Malay appointed as a Muhandiram, a high Sinhalese rank, raked in seeds of ethnic violence earning wrath on the British rule. The Muslim Hadji governed the Badulla area with his army who razed villages in numbers at their own will.

Sinhalese in the meantime had to worry about the Sacred Tooth Relic too; whether invaders lay hands on the sacred object or not. In nature the English had no reason to grab some locally-considered-sacred object, though ironically they seem to have trusted royal claim possibility with the possession of the Sacred Tooth Relic. As the rebellion marched on, Ven. Wariyapola Sri Sumangala shifted the Sacred Tooth Relic from its original place to Hanguranketha, a hard ground. Many rebellions were to follow up in areas such as Matale, Dumbara, Denuwara, Walapane and Hewaheta.

As mentioned elsewhere, the Sinhalese had the advantage of familiar climate and geography over the rivals. Sinhalese found it easy to gun down many soldiers in the British Forces. The British had to summon troops from India to curb the rebellion. The English gazette notification had offered a reward of 2000 Rix dollars to the head of each rebel: Wilbawe, Kiulegedara Mohottala, Butawe Rate Rala and other rebel leaders. The British, at last, could arrest most of the rebel chiefs. Properties of 18 rebel leaders were taken away. Pilimatalawe was exiled to Mauritius Islands.

Keppetipola and Madugalle were captured and beheaded before the Dalada Maligawa. The British introduced this move to humiliate the ‘traitors’, but it turned out a moment of pride for the patriot to give up life dedicated for a worthy cause in a well-revered place.

Although the English officially said bye to the country in 1948, their style and rhythm still haven’t gone out of fashion. The country remained a dominion: from 1948 to 1972 Ceylon had a British monarch as its head of state. Even the Bandaranaike revolution in 1956 could hardly rework the social strata. English is considered far more superior in Sri Lanka. Many English-speaking locals still sidestep the Sinhala-only crowd.

Aristotle plainly set the record straight with his statement; the English episode was fuelled by a conflict that seemed small but it spread far and wide with its own style, which is not a small matter.

Hark the Koha's call!

Our elders say it’s time to celebrate the New Year, when the Koha cries out loud. Ornithologists tell us that it’s their breeding season to charm mates, which has nothing to do with any festivity. Twitchers have something to say too: Koha makes that sound mostly from March to August. Koha’s mating call, in Sri Lankan culture, beckons us to rejoice over the prosperity in April.

It’s not so hard to locate the Koha when you trawl the Google with keywords ‘Asian Koel’. Koel belongs to Cuckoo family; most of the cuckoos have migrated from Singapore to settle down here. The Asian Koel is quite welcome, because we like to hear its call to feel the Avurudu stepping in.

Towards March’s end we can see scarlet coloured Erabadu, erythrina indica blossom to lure the Koha to make his announcement. Who knows, possibly the songbird knows its voice has such a melodious tone to charm the would-be significant other. You may hear its sound, but still as ornithologists say, its sight might be thin on the ground. Because Koha is such a coy creature. It’s sometimes seen settled down in deserted areas with its partner. The countries of its residence are mostly India, South China, Australasia. The male koel sings to charm the female and the female sings at a stretch to stay away from other males. Once settled down, they need space to themselves, after all.

Koel has a bad name for its nestling habits. Ornithologists call the poor creature a brood parasite. Which means he never builds his own nest but lays eggs on others. Its hosts - the victims, of course - are always Jungle Crow and House Crow in Sri Lanka, because their eggs look quite similar on the surface. A koel egg is grayish green with red-brown flecks. The crow egg however has a brighter brown colour. The koel is born with that knack for making the maximum of the other bird’s charity. It has a very good sense of nests; it lays only one or two eggs in some nests and seven or eight in most. For the koel, doing away with the crow’s eggs is easy as pie. Koel’s eggs hatch much earlier than those of the crow’s. It’s a menace for the crow, but pity, it can’t help. Sometimes the crow will fly far away never to come back. So the koel has more free time to think big on other affairs. But, credit where credit is due, some koels are believed to build their own nests close to those of crows.

Nowadays it turns out to be a different kettle of fish. The number of koels has gone up, but their breeding is not much spotted because of the lack of crow nests. Crows on the other hand have a good reputation for their weather expertise. With this long remain of the dry weather, the crows sense a food shortage, hence they have to think better of nestling.

The folklore sees the koel as a weather bird too. Some twitchers believe rain and the koel’s call have a link. But then again ornithologists argue this call is purely for the sake of breeding season and nothing else.

Just like the crow, the koel can eat up anything it comes by. It can be an insect, egg or a fish, but adults are mostly frugivores, creatures fed on fruits. They in fact help trees produce more fruits chasing away other creatures.

The koel is called as ‘nightingale’ in India mainly because of its call sweet to ears. The male koel mostly seem as black as a crow, but it’s mixed with glossy blue. The female is more towards being brown. Underside of the both birds are striped white. Other birds of the family differ in complexion.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2009/03/27/fea30.pdf

Story behind Sinharaja

Sarath Kotagama, first professor of ornithology in Sri Lanka, is one living witness behind the Sinharaja as a World Heritage Site. He recalled his experiences as far back as 1970s.

“The Government appointed a committee to probe whether this rainforest was appropriate to be designated conservation. The committee concluded that the scientific evidence is inadequate to make Sinharaja conservation. We had to prove Sinharaja’s value scientifically. It was the starting point of many challenges ahead.”

The Government was willing to provide all the facilities. But Sinharaja turned out versatile for scientists of many disciplines. The research was on the top gear and scientists stumbled upon many a rare feature in Sinharaja.

“One such discovery is magnet diversity. It was in fact news to the world. Your compass does not show directions properly because of the magnet diversity. And we further discovered that the forest is the habitat for many endemic flora and fauna. Finally we ended up with more than enough evidence to influence the Government to go ahead.”

The team worked day and night for months. Many university students were on the job. In the end it did not become just another conservation site; 1978 saw it being designated as International Man and Bio-Sphere Reserve, and Sinharaja reached its pinnacle when it was declared as UNESCO World Heritage site in 1989. Sinharaja is surrounded by 22 villages, and the residents used to take whatever they want from the forest.

With World Heritage site declaration, their opportunity became illegal. A World Heritage site might go unattended, and sometimes gets damaged by the natural force - man. Villagers alone can harm the forest. Professor Kotagama and his team had to take up this challenge too.

“We employed many youngsters from the village for many conservation tasks. We made them feel the priceless value of this asset.”

Shortcomings, however, were incessant. The World Heritage Site became more of a picnic for the average tourist than something to be preserved. They didn’t know – or may be didn’t care - the damage they do to the nature by littering. Not only the villagers, then, the whole mass had to be made aware of the value of this asset; something you can’t achieve overnight.

“We prepared an action plan on how to make people aware. Seminars work out a very little. People mug up what lecturers say, leave, and nothing happens afterwards. So we thought about giving them hands on experience. We thought it’s practical to start with school-goers.”

A team of scientists pulled out all the stops – once and for all – for a period when Bull dozer and Timber Jack were a common sight to the villagers – because Sinharaja was just another plot of land for commercial logging back then.

The Sigiriya dispute

Sigiriya has so many disputes to offer. The foremost dispute is the purpose on which it is built. Scholars entertain diverse opinions on the purpose it is built. Some opine that King Kassapa built it as a military fortress to protect from his brother Mugalan. Some maintain it was a meditation monastery.

However as Dr Senarat Paranavithana categorically points out, artistic remains give the lie to the belief that the Sigiri was a military fortress. He explains that it was nothing but a resplendent fortress built for King Kassapa’s comforts.

“The palace on the summit of the rock, the gallery and the ornamental features on the hill-side, were of no use for purposes of defense, and it was not to protect himself from enemeies, as some modern writers aver, that Kasyapa built this unique residence and took up his abode there. As the Chulavansa categorically states, Sigiri was built as a replica of Alakamanda paradise on top of Mount Kailasa; and Kasyapa resided there as the embodiment of Kuvera on earth.” (Dr Paranavithana’s Sinhalayo)

He has been posthumously criticised for this view on Sigiri. Professors A Liyanagamage and Siri Gunasinghe provide a scholarly backing to Paranavithana’s concept. They maintain that evidence in Mahawamsa is not strong enough to convince the theory of Sigiri as a military fortress. As Gunasinghe mentions, Mugalan had been away in India for 18 years and posed no threat to him.

Nishantha Gunawardena a historian living in America exposes a Chinese record from 527 CE of a letter sent by Kassapa to the Chinese court which indicates that he kept good diplomatic contacts with outer world rather than being stuck down in a fortress. He also accepts the fact that the chronicles contain loopholes. He observes that the chapter 40 in the sequence of Kassapa’s legend is missing in Chulavamsa mysteriously. Some scholars believe that this chapter never existed.

Dr Paranavithana comes across another story in inscriptions about the two sons of Dhatusena, which maintains that Kassapa did not actually kill his father. The story explains how Kassapa fulfilled his father’s wishes by building a strong rock fortress. Prof Gunasinghe also supports the idea that Mahavamsa was wrong in labeling Kassapa as a patricide.

Scholars also entertain the theory that the frescoes have Ajantha influence. Prof Gunasinghe sees no convincing evidence to prove this theory, though he observes similarities between Ajantha and Sigiri frescoes. This theory sprang up because Ajantha frescoes were discovered and were already discussed when Sigiri frescoes came to the scene.

Scholars have different opinions about visitors and the scribes. Prof Paranavithana suggests most of them were just ordinary visitors whose writings portray the period they lived in. This period shows a high literacy rate in the then society.

Gunasinghe’s logic is that Kassapa should be understood to see Sigiri in a proper insights. Sigiriya is a work of genius, which is obviously human. Kassapa is not the man chronicles want us to think he is. Gunasinghe raises the point that Kassapa reigned the Anuradhapura kingdom while he had a passionate life at Sigiriya in his leisure.

Kassapa is introduced as a patricide in Mahawamsa. However Gunasinghe’s theory is that the Mahawamsa authors did it on purpose for two reasons: Kassapa’s mother is low-born and for that matter the Mahavihara clergy did not have a good attitude about him.

On the chronicle narration of Dhatusena’s torturing his own sister, Gunasinghe raises the question as to how a great ruler as disclosed in chronicles itself would have ever done any such thing. And the reasons the chronicles lay down are not material evidence for it says that Dhatusena did so because her son had whipped his wife, Dhatusena’s daughter.

The frescoes have sparked disputes too. Some take them as celestial maidens, while some take them as Kassapa’s concubines. Dr Paranavithana believes it is a result of court ladies and other terrestrial beauties of the time handing down the job of painting them to painters. Dr. Gunasinghe disputes this theory saying that the frescoes are mere human imaginations like Kalidasa’s Megha Duta

Rediscovering Edith Holland

Edith Holland does not seem much a household name for the world audience, let alone Sri Lanka. She is put to the backbenches of the history even on the Internet, since Google hardly produces effective results. Holland may still be cornered in an over-the-hill library.

I discovered Holland first in my father’s bookshelf. I was mesmerised by her writing as a teenager. For today’s reader however, the language may seem old world. At a later stage I thought it better to preserve this valuable book for younger generation. Her archaic language is left as it is, since it deals with a particular era.

Studying Edith Holland, though resources are quite inadequate, is important, since it reflects the Western viewpoint of the Buddhism. The Western interest in Buddhism can be traced as far back as the 16th century when the Europeans first occupied the Asian region, especially Sri Lanka.

The European opinion on Sri Lanka was quite negative that they took the country for a land of primitives. They tried the maximum to implant their culture and religion which is Christianity. Luckily the theory fighters on Buddhism were – though not abundantly present – were sharply witted. Ven Migettuwatte Gunanda pioneered this clan. What is famously known to have taken place at Panadura is the reconnaissance of Buddhism in the face of Christianity’s challenge. Colonel Henry Steel Olcott’s arrived in Sri Lanka. Sir Edwin Arnold authored ‘The Light of Asia’. So to say, the Buddha was born in India, and paradoxically his teachings were expanded in the neighbouring country, Sri Lanka.

It is common belief that the European monks enter priesthood out of genuine interest on the religion, whereas in Sri Lanka most of the priesthoods are a result of ‘force’, as some interpret. Most of the British monasteries are headed by White monks. This also resulted in Allan Bennett who arrived in Sri Lanka in 1898 and to return as Ananda Metteyya, the first English monk.

Of all the English scholars Rhys Davids deserves a special appreciative mention, since they translated the whole Thripitaka into English. Davids’ version is a little ancient and the three canons are again translated into modern English by several monks. However the full translation still comes under the authorship of Davids.

When we look at Holland’s we see an alienated outlook on Buddhism. It is quite visible in the way Holland starts Chapter 2.

“The people in India have always been religious, their religion is very real to them, and has a great influence over their lives.”

These lines indicate Holland’s attempt to introduce the background of Buddhism to the Western world. This is partly because Asian countries such as India and Sri Lanka much lesser known to the Western audience.

Holland elucidates her interpretation in the Christian perspective:

“Though they never had the opportunity of coming to a full knowledge of God, enough light was given them to enable them to lead noble lives and to guide them into the paths of truth and self denial.”

A closer look at Sidney Stanley’s illustration show the influence of Christian arts. The king and the people are always drawn in the way most of the Christian stories are illustrated.

What is most admirable in Holland’s work is that she rarely interprets what took place in antiquity except for in the first three chapters. She lets the events flow like a novel, which makes a reader unfamiliar with the Buddhism interesting on the religions.

What most of us know about Buddhism is confined to certain events and are in dark over most of the teachings save fundamental ones such as five precepts. Holland gives out the teachings by building up situations. Some have a close relation to Christianity though not equal. Best example is the situation where Ajatasatta admits he has sinned and the Buddha says what he has to suffer will be a little less but would not be totally absent. Holland sometimes has a tendency to use Christian related words like ‘sinned’ which is unavoidable since she must have been brought up in a non-Buddhist environment.

Monumental inaction

With Chandani Kirinde

Even though the Archaelogical Department has declared many places in the country as protected monuments, an investigation by The Sunday Times revealed that most of these places remain neglected and are facing ruin.

The absence of markings proclaiming their status as protected sites and lack of regular inspection have led to some of these places being destroyed or left to deteriorate.

More than 600 sites have been gazetted upto 2002 as protected monuments under the Antiquities Ordinance which gives powers to the Cultural Affairs Minister to declare them so, if in his opinion "any ancient monument on any land other than Crown land is in danger of destruction or removal, or damage from neglect or injudicious treatment, and that it is in the public interest that such monuments should be protected." Places that are more than 100 years old can be included in such a declaration.

Despite the requirement that officials in regional offices of the Department visit the sites that are declared ancient monuments from time to time, this does not happen regularly. A shortage of staff and insufficient funds have hindered the work of the Archaeological Department. Apathy among members of the public to safeguard such places has also not helped. Archaeology is not taught as a subject in schools but is limited to university curricula. An official in the Archaelogy field said it was necessary to inculcate an early interest among the future generations to ensure these ancient monuments are not destroyed.

Among the ancient monuments gazetted in Colombo is the General Post Office building in Fort but the interior of the building has been neglected for several years and hardly any restoration work has been carried out on it. The building is now confined to the high security zone area.

Another place is the Obeysekara "Walawwa" in Rajagiriya which was gazetted as a monument in 1992 but has been neglected since the death of its last owner in 2001. Since then, it is alleged that some people have occupied the house illegally and there is an on going legal battle regarding the property. It is alleged that the place is being used as a car sale centre.

The house which is over 150 years old is said to have been the abode of famous personalities such as a former Governor of Ceylon Sir Edward Barnes, Ananda Coomaraswamy and Anagarika Dharmapala. It was purchased by Donald Obeysekera at the beginning of the last century. Relatives of Mr. Obeysekera charge that some of the valuable ancient wooden beadings in the house have been removed and that it is being gradually destroyed paving the way for its final demolition They also say that there are loopholes in the relevant legislation as it does not make it mandatory for the Archaeological Department to notify such a declaration to the appropriate Land Registry which in turn would make relevant buyers and notaries aware of the restrictions and encumbrances on such property they wish to purchase.

An official of the Land Registry in Colombo, confirmed there was no such legal requirement and said they go by the documents submitted by a notary for registration.

Keerthi Vishvamatha, Additional Director General of the Archaelogical Department told The Sunday Times that the Department does not buy land, so there was no necessity to notify the Land Registry.

"What we do is just declare it as a protected area and get it gazetted. The land belongs to its real owner. We do not buy the land, nor pay any compensation. But we do not let them do any renovations without our permission," Mr. Vishvamatha said.

Under the Antiquities Act, no person can carry out any work of restoration, repair, and alteration or addition in connection with any protected monument except with the authority of the Archaeological Commissioner.

Another ancient building in Colombo-which houses one of Sri Lanka's leading Buddhist schools-was declared an ancient monument by the Archaeological Department in 1999, but now they are in a dilapidated condition.

Sir Henry Steele Olcott, a pioneer in founding schools for children to do their studies in a Buddhist atmosphere once lived in this building. It was put up in the 19th century and now it is in a decaying state. The President of Parama Vignanarta Buddhist Association, S. P. Weerasekara told The Sunday Times that the building belongs to the Association.

"The Archaeological Department has promised to restore the building but they say they do not have funds," Mr. Weerasekara said. He said the Archaelogical Department will carryout the repairs next year with funds provided by the association. "Although the building has been declared a protected site by the Archaeological Department, they put off the repairs till the Association came up with the funds," Mr. Weerasekera charged.

A boutique owner now illegally occupies one part of the building and the Association has gone to courts against the boutique owner. As the case is pending, the boutique owner continues with his work. Meanwhile the usual passing of the buck continues with the Archaeological Department charging that it was the Parama Vignanarta Buddhist Association that had rented out the building to some people while the association says that the building had been occupied forcibly.

The Shailabimbaramaya in Galle is another such site, that requires urgent repairs. The 100 ton, Buddha statue in the temple is believed to have been brought from India. The temple also has some ancient inscriptions and paintings, but these are fast deteriorating because the roof of the building is crumbling. Residents in the area say that the Archaelogical Department had brought some tiles to the premises in 1997 and they were still lying there untouched and unused.They also charge that some inferior quality wooden planks had been brought to the premises early this year, but there was no sign of any restoration work. The Archaelogical Department defends its move saying they have putoff the restoration work till they find the exact matching wood.

There also appears to be a sense of disinterest on the part of the public but this is mainly because of a lack of knowledge regarding the value of these archaelogical sites. The Department has now decided to put up new signboards at these archaelogical sites with a warning that those who damage those places would be prosecuted.

Department officials also say that it is not possible for them to oversee all the ancient sites, but will take action if they get to know of any serious damage to any of the sites.

"Some people say ancient buildings such as the Rajamaha Viharas are totally neglected. We cannot be responsible for all of them. We attend to it depending on the merits of each case," Mr. Vishvamatha explained.

Commenting on the Grand Oriental Hotel in Fort, he said although it was a protected site, there were no regular checks on whether authorities were abiding by the requirement of not making any structural changes to the building. He also said that the Department had the power to take legal action against those who flout the law regarding any declared site.

Protected sites
In the Colombo district, 33 places have been declared as protected monuments by the Archaeological Department. These include the old railway station in Fort which is being used as a railways store house, the Dutch museum in Pettah, the GPO, an ancient tunnel in Kotte in the premises of the Kotte Ananda Shastralaya, the wall round the Fort, the Old Standard Chartered Bank building as well as the Walker's Building in Fort. A total of 324 sites were gazetted in July this year by the present Minister of Cultural Affairs and National heritage Vijitha Herath.

Under the Antiquities Act, once a gazette notification is issued, time is granted for objections to be filed by those who own or occupy the buildings so named as protected sites. Even though objections to the latest list had to be made by September 15 this year, an extension has been granted due to the large numbers of objections that have come from the residents of the Galle Fort.

The new list gazetted includes several buildings in the Kandy town including the Queen's Hotel and the Empire Hotel buildings. The old church within the Methodist church yard in Rawatawatta as well as the jubilee post in Nugegoda are gazetted as well.

http://sundaytimes.lk/041017/news/18.html