NEWS

Destructive Treasure Hunting at Sri Lanka’s Buddhist Sites Rife

By Buddhistdoor International BD Dipananda
Buddhistdoor Global | 2015-05-05 |
Reclining Buddha in Danagirigala, with damage to the eye and pillow. From newindianexpress.comReclining Buddha in Danagirigala, with damage to the eye and pillow. From newindianexpress.com
Damaged stupa in Danowita. From archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.hkDamaged stupa in Danowita. From archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.hk
Reclining Buddha in Nurwarakanda with damaged chest, navel, and pedestal. From archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.hkReclining Buddha in Nurwarakanda with damaged chest, navel, and pedestal. From archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.hk
Destructive treasure hunting at cultural heritage sites in Sri Lanka has been rife in recent years, with government laws and measures to safeguard the ancient heritage a dismal failure. A report published on 15 March this year in The New Indian Express recounts some of the latest tales of woe. In 2005, for example, one eye of the reclining Buddha statue in Danagirigala was pulled out, with the hunters even making a hole in his pillow, while the chest, navel, and pedestal of a reclining Buddha in Nurwarakanda were drilled into. In 2012 and 2013, the floors of caves were dug up, the residences of former chieftains were torn down, and monks’ dwellings were razed to the ground. Sri Lanka is home to more than 250,000 cultural sites.
 
“The perpetrators were hoping to find gold, silver, precious stones or ivory based only on folklore about great riches. . . . It has no scientific basis,” said Senarath Dissanayake, director general of Sri Lanka’s Department of Archaeology. “The problem is that many people cannot distinguish between fact-based history and mythical epics,” commented Udeni Wickramasinghe, the head of the department’s special unit in charge of preventing the destruction and looting of antiquities. In the case of the Nurwarakanda Buddha, the would-be thieves apparently thought that Buddhist monks had hidden their valuables inside.
 
According to the Sunday Observer, the concept of hidden treasure derives from local history, which states that during foreign invasions, Sri Lanka’s kings placed valuable treasure in certain secret locations; monks in charge of a temple’s valuables also reportedly hid them during periods of anarchy or invasion. However, the Department of Archaeology stated that as yet, there is no proof that any of these treasures were hidden inside statues or artifacts. They also observed that treasure hunting was on the rise following the liberation of Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern lands after the war.
 
The Sunday Observer article further reported that according to Udeni Wickramasinghe, the treasures would most likely already have been stolen during Sri Lanka’s 180-plus foreign invasions. In the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa eras, invaders from India took large amounts of treasure consisting of gold and valuable stones back to their countries, depositing them in their temples and palaces.
 
According to The New Indian Express, more than 4,000 cases of such destruction have been filed over the past 20 years. “The trend is a consequence of the fact that people no longer have morals and ethics,” said Senarath Dissanayake. “People who are greedy forget their religion,” noted former member of parliament Venerable Ellawala Medhananda, who has written several books on archaeology. “I am so sad that our rich national culture is being destroyed. Unique things are being lost.”
 
Meanwhile, Dinithi Wijesuriya wrote in a paper that “The present society is a highly commercialised one. As a result of this ideology, and the major roles played by commercial ideas, selling of antiques may be seen as a veritable avenue for a higher income” (Academia.edu).
 
According to The Sunday Times, in 2012, attempts to strengthen existing laws on looting were being made, with a cabinet paper prepared by the Ministry of National Heritage submitted for approval. The amendments would then be drafted and presented to parliament.
 
See more
 
Hunting the treasure hunters (The Sunday Times)
 
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