• Latest
  • Trending

The politics of entrusting archaeological functions to the Defense Secretary

May 25, 2020
Women’s collective seeks action against MP who allegedly assaulted Puttalam Quazi

Women’s collective seeks action against MP who allegedly assaulted Puttalam Quazi

March 29, 2023
Cryptocurrency

Central Bank reiterates significant risks associated with using and investing in cryptocurrency

March 29, 2023
Sri Lankan workers

New employment scheme with Saudi Arabia sparks hope among Sri Lankan workers

March 29, 2023
Bus fares to be decreased

Bus fares to be reduced

March 29, 2023
moon samples

New source of water found in moon samples from China mission

March 29, 2023
Population

World ‘population bomb’ may never go off as feared – new study

March 29, 2023
Fuel. Image credits - Wassim Chouak / Unsplash

Fuel price reduced in Sri Lanka

March 29, 2023
Legacy of Sri Lankan leftist leader Philip Gunawardena

Legacy of Sri Lankan leftist leader Philip Gunawardena

March 29, 2023
Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo celebrates 52 nd. National Day

Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo celebrates 52 nd. National Day

March 29, 2023
Sri Lankan Muslim Community invites all to join them for Iftar

Sri Lankan Muslim Community invites all to join them for Iftar

March 28, 2023
Exchange Rate

Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

March 28, 2023
Role of Diasporas in the contemporary world

Role of Diasporas in the contemporary world

March 28, 2023
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Thursday, March 30, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Women’s collective seeks action against MP who allegedly assaulted Puttalam Quazi

    Women’s collective seeks action against MP who allegedly assaulted Puttalam Quazi

    Cryptocurrency

    Central Bank reiterates significant risks associated with using and investing in cryptocurrency

    Sri Lankan workers

    New employment scheme with Saudi Arabia sparks hope among Sri Lankan workers

    Bus fares to be decreased

    Bus fares to be reduced

    Fuel. Image credits - Wassim Chouak / Unsplash

    Fuel price reduced in Sri Lanka

    Legacy of Sri Lankan leftist leader Philip Gunawardena

    Legacy of Sri Lankan leftist leader Philip Gunawardena

    Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo celebrates 52 nd. National Day

    Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo celebrates 52 nd. National Day

    Sri Lankan Muslim Community invites all to join them for Iftar

    Sri Lankan Muslim Community invites all to join them for Iftar

    Exchange Rate

    Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    moon samples

    New source of water found in moon samples from China mission

    Population

    World ‘population bomb’ may never go off as feared – new study

    India - Sri Lanka

    Travel to India in 50$?

    Manchester United. Image credits - Javid Naderi / Unsplash

    Qatar’s Al Thani submits new US$6 billion bid for Manchester United

    Ramadan. Image credits - Andrew Lancaster / Unsplash

    Ramadan 2023: Fasting hours and iftar times around the world

    Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin

    China calls on Western lenders to ease debt pressure on developing countries

    Canada sees record population growth in 2022 from immigration

    Canada sees record population growth in 2022 from immigration

    Ukraine

    IMF staff reaches agreement with Ukraine for $15.6 bln program

    The Weeknd

    The Weeknd is the world’s most popular artist, Guinness World Records says

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    The gran who couldn’t: Indu Balachandran’s latest book is for readers of all ages

    The gran who couldn’t: Indu Balachandran’s latest book is for readers of all ages

    The Weeknd

    The Weeknd is the world’s most popular artist, Guinness World Records says

    Naatu Naatu has millions of views on YouTube and is a viral sensation over social media

    Watch: Oscar winning song Naatu Naatu

    Naatu Naatu has millions of views on YouTube and is a viral sensation over social media

    Indian song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from ‘RRR’ wins Oscar award for best song

    Naatu Naatu has millions of views on YouTube and is a viral sensation over social media

    Naatu Naatu: The RRR song primed for Oscar history

    Keanu Reeves

    11 of the best films to watch in March

    Netflix. Image credits - Souvik Banerjee @rswebsols / Unsplash

    Netflix cuts prices for subscribers in more than 30 countries

    Backstreet Boys

    Backstreet Boys to perform in India after 13 years

    Roald Dahl books

    Roald Dahl books rewritten to remove language deemed offensive

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    moon samples

    New source of water found in moon samples from China mission

    Happy. Image credits - Lesly Juarez / Unsplash

    The world’s happiest countries for 2023

    Nepal. Image credits - Toomas Tartes / Unsplash

    Nepal bans solo trekkers throughout the country

    Air quality drops to ‘unhealthy’ level in Colombo

    Air quality drops to ‘unhealthy’ level in Colombo

    Scientists discover enzyme that turns air into electricity, providing a new clean source of energy

    Scientists discover enzyme that turns air into electricity, providing a new clean source of energy

    Toblerone chocolates

    Toblerone chocolates to lose “Swissness” criteria

    Significant increase of overweight and obese individuals in Sri Lanka

    Significant increase of overweight and obese individuals in Sri Lanka

    Vistara airlines to resume operations to Sri Lanka

    Vistara airlines to resume operations to Sri Lanka

    International airlines suspend some US flights over 5G uncertainty

    Saying no to inflight meals can help our planet

    Sri Lanka

    Where are 2023s tourists to Sri Lanka coming from?

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    Whatsapp. Image credits - AARN GIRI / Unsplash

    WhatsApp for iOS gets text detection feature: What is it and how to use

    Nokia

    Nokia changes iconic logo to signal strategy shift

    Selena Gomez and Kylie Jenner

    Selena Gomez dethrones Kylie Jenner on Instagram

    Facebook. Image credits - Solen Feyissa @solenfeyissa

    Facebook & Instagram to test monthly subscription service priced at $11.99

    Whatsapp. Image credits - AARN GIRI / Unsplash

    New features introduced in Whatsapp’s latest update

    Microsoft has announced a new version of Bing

    Microsoft unveils new Bing with ChatGPT powers

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Women’s collective seeks action against MP who allegedly assaulted Puttalam Quazi

    Women’s collective seeks action against MP who allegedly assaulted Puttalam Quazi

    Cryptocurrency

    Central Bank reiterates significant risks associated with using and investing in cryptocurrency

    Sri Lankan workers

    New employment scheme with Saudi Arabia sparks hope among Sri Lankan workers

    Bus fares to be decreased

    Bus fares to be reduced

    Fuel. Image credits - Wassim Chouak / Unsplash

    Fuel price reduced in Sri Lanka

    Legacy of Sri Lankan leftist leader Philip Gunawardena

    Legacy of Sri Lankan leftist leader Philip Gunawardena

    Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo celebrates 52 nd. National Day

    Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo celebrates 52 nd. National Day

    Sri Lankan Muslim Community invites all to join them for Iftar

    Sri Lankan Muslim Community invites all to join them for Iftar

    Exchange Rate

    Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    moon samples

    New source of water found in moon samples from China mission

    Population

    World ‘population bomb’ may never go off as feared – new study

    India - Sri Lanka

    Travel to India in 50$?

    Manchester United. Image credits - Javid Naderi / Unsplash

    Qatar’s Al Thani submits new US$6 billion bid for Manchester United

    Ramadan. Image credits - Andrew Lancaster / Unsplash

    Ramadan 2023: Fasting hours and iftar times around the world

    Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin

    China calls on Western lenders to ease debt pressure on developing countries

    Canada sees record population growth in 2022 from immigration

    Canada sees record population growth in 2022 from immigration

    Ukraine

    IMF staff reaches agreement with Ukraine for $15.6 bln program

    The Weeknd

    The Weeknd is the world’s most popular artist, Guinness World Records says

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    The gran who couldn’t: Indu Balachandran’s latest book is for readers of all ages

    The gran who couldn’t: Indu Balachandran’s latest book is for readers of all ages

    The Weeknd

    The Weeknd is the world’s most popular artist, Guinness World Records says

    Naatu Naatu has millions of views on YouTube and is a viral sensation over social media

    Watch: Oscar winning song Naatu Naatu

    Naatu Naatu has millions of views on YouTube and is a viral sensation over social media

    Indian song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from ‘RRR’ wins Oscar award for best song

    Naatu Naatu has millions of views on YouTube and is a viral sensation over social media

    Naatu Naatu: The RRR song primed for Oscar history

    Keanu Reeves

    11 of the best films to watch in March

    Netflix. Image credits - Souvik Banerjee @rswebsols / Unsplash

    Netflix cuts prices for subscribers in more than 30 countries

    Backstreet Boys

    Backstreet Boys to perform in India after 13 years

    Roald Dahl books

    Roald Dahl books rewritten to remove language deemed offensive

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    moon samples

    New source of water found in moon samples from China mission

    Happy. Image credits - Lesly Juarez / Unsplash

    The world’s happiest countries for 2023

    Nepal. Image credits - Toomas Tartes / Unsplash

    Nepal bans solo trekkers throughout the country

    Air quality drops to ‘unhealthy’ level in Colombo

    Air quality drops to ‘unhealthy’ level in Colombo

    Scientists discover enzyme that turns air into electricity, providing a new clean source of energy

    Scientists discover enzyme that turns air into electricity, providing a new clean source of energy

    Toblerone chocolates

    Toblerone chocolates to lose “Swissness” criteria

    Significant increase of overweight and obese individuals in Sri Lanka

    Significant increase of overweight and obese individuals in Sri Lanka

    Vistara airlines to resume operations to Sri Lanka

    Vistara airlines to resume operations to Sri Lanka

    International airlines suspend some US flights over 5G uncertainty

    Saying no to inflight meals can help our planet

    Sri Lanka

    Where are 2023s tourists to Sri Lanka coming from?

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    Whatsapp. Image credits - AARN GIRI / Unsplash

    WhatsApp for iOS gets text detection feature: What is it and how to use

    Nokia

    Nokia changes iconic logo to signal strategy shift

    Selena Gomez and Kylie Jenner

    Selena Gomez dethrones Kylie Jenner on Instagram

    Facebook. Image credits - Solen Feyissa @solenfeyissa

    Facebook & Instagram to test monthly subscription service priced at $11.99

    Whatsapp. Image credits - AARN GIRI / Unsplash

    New features introduced in Whatsapp’s latest update

    Microsoft has announced a new version of Bing

    Microsoft unveils new Bing with ChatGPT powers

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
NewsIn.Asia
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

The politics of entrusting archaeological functions to the Defense Secretary

Archaeologist Jagath Weerasinghe say it is part of the Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist agenda to reclaim the multi-ethnic Eastern Province as a Sinhala-Buddhist habitat

Editor by Editor
May 25, 2020
in Politics, Sri Lanka, Top Story
Reading Time: 5 mins read
5 0
A A
21
SHARES
Share on WhatsApp

By P.K.Balachandran/Daily Express

Colombo, May 25: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision to entrust the survey and preservation of archaeological sites in the ethnically-mixed Eastern Province to a Presidential Task Force headed by the Defense Secretary, appears to have a political objective.

Ostensibly taken at the instance of the Buddhist Advisory Council (including the Mahanayakes) the decision taken at a meeting on May 22, seems to be aimed at ensuring the hold of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) on the Sinhala-Buddhist constituency in the Lankan parliamentary elections to be held in a couple of months.

ADVERTISEMENT

Giving the task to the Defense Secretary, who is a former Major General, conveys the political message that any decisions taken by the Task Force will be enforced in military style. This gives the Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist lobby confidence that the Gotabaya government means business. This lobby believes that a manifest show of toughness is called for because Tamil nationalists (not just the pro-LTTE Eelamists) consider the North and East as their “Traditional Homeland” which had been encroached upon by the Sinhala-Buddhists in the post-independence period through systematic “colonization”.

Tamil militants had fought, albeit unsuccessfully, a 30-year war for a Homeland free of other ethnic groups. The Sinhala-Buddhist majority is apprehensive about a resurgence of the Tamil separatist movement and are anxious to reclaim what they consider to be their historical habitat which, in their view, was taken by force by Tamil speaking invaders from South India.
And it is on the Eastern Province that their eyes are set because it is here that the Sinhala-Buddhists have a foothold, forming as they do, a third of the total population.
Significantly, President Gotabaya said that several parties had voiced concerns regarding the destruction of historical monuments in the Eastern province, thus underscoring the need for tough posturing.

The Context

In a report in The Nation of October 7, 2012, Sandun Jayawardana quoted Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera as saying that “99.99 percent” of archaeological sites in the East were Buddhist and that these were under threat from different quarters. He further said that there were over 10,000 such archaeological sites in the Eastern province, but “less than 1,000” had been identified.

Jayasundara quoted Jayalath Kulasinghe of the Department of Archaeology as saying that historical records indicate that a Jaina temple was built at the site of the present Koneswaram temple in Trincomalee, and that in the 5th Century AD, King Mahasen destroyed it and built a Buddhist temple there. Ellawala Medhananda Thera also maintained that a Buddhist temple named “Gokanna Viharaya”, built by King Mahasen, was located at the site where the Koneswaram temple now stands. “Invading armies from South India destroyed this temple, and built a Hindu kovil on top of it,” he claimed. But the Tamil consider this preposterous. They believe it is of the Ramayana era and has been in concrete from since the 7th Century.

According to Dr.Jagath Weerasinghe, Senior Professor of Archaeology at Kelaniya University, the government’s decision is part of a long-standing Sinhala-Buddhist “nationalistic” project to establish, through archaeological excavations, that the multi-ethnic Eastern province was once a Sinhala-Buddhist habitat which was appropriated by outsiders like Tamils and Muslims, over time.

This Sinhala-Buddhist majoritarian project has been around since the 19th.century under British rule, he said. But it was given teeth by Valisinghe Harischandra’s campaign to get Anuradhapura as a “Sacred Site” in the 1930s and 40s. The pioneering Sri Lankan archaeologist Senarath Paranavithana’s efforts to bring nationalism into Sri Lankan archaeology coincided with Harischandra’s campaign.

Sociologists Kalinga Tudor Silva and Shahul.H. Hasbullah of Peradeniya University have said that the idea in enunciating the concept of the ‘Sacred Site’ was to make archaeological sites a mono-ethnic and mono-religious space where minorities and “the ethnic other” are not welcome. They point out that the Anuradhapura Preservation Ordinance (of 1942) which followed Harischandra’s campaign, resulted in the relocation of non-Buddhist religious establishments (churches, mosques and kovils) from the Sacred City of Anuradhapura to a new town.

Silva and Hasbullah observe that: “Religious intolerance and ethnic hatred are not so much processes emanating from the ethnically heterogeneous periphery, but rather a top-down hegemonic process whereby some members of the urban elite with a rather superficial and partial understanding of the reality at the ground level, use their influence over mass media and bureaucratic, political and legal machineries to reconstruct what they perceive as the legitimate past.”

The Tamils charge that ever since Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948, successive Sinhala-dominated governments have been launching agricultural “colonization” projects to encroach on areas dominated by the minority Tamils and Muslims both to change the population pattern and to claim historical rights to those lands. If the Tamils claim that the North and East of Sri Lanka constitute their “Homeland” or “historical place of habitation”, the Sinhala-Buddhists are hell bent on disproving it and also physically reclaiming these land, using their lawmaking powers, the Archeological Department and also force.

The Department of Archaeology has been used to find evidence of ancient Sinhala-Buddhist settlements in these areas. “Sri Lankan archaeologists are given to drawing political conclusions from their findings. They readily and instantly, from the pit itself, link the articles unearthed to nationalistic concerns of the present day. This is not scientific archeology. Seniors in the professions, who are imbued with such nationalism, pass it on to the younger generation,” said Prof.Weerasinghe.

He said that an ethnic bias is common among Tamil archeologists too. The Kelaniya academic also charged that excavations and studies are funded by organizations and persons with a political agenda which vitiate the approach and findings.

Recently, there was a row between Sinhalese Buddhists and Tamil Hindus over a bid by the Department of Archeology to excavate and erect a Buddhist Stupa at the site of a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha near the Hot Springs in Kanniya in Trincomalee district on the instruction of the then President Maithripala Sirisena. The move to build the stupa was in utter disregard of a court injunction. The Association of Hindu Priests in Muttur alleged that after the end of war, Saivite temples were being destroyed and encroached on. It cited the Kankuveli Agathiyar Sivan Temple, Kallady Neeliamman Temple, Killiveddy Thirumangala Sivan Temple, and Kooniththeevu Maththalamalai Kundrathu Kumaran Temple in Mutur as examples.

Renowned Tamil historian and archaeologist Dr.S.Pathmanathan told Daily Express that since the British left in 1948, archaeology in Sri Lanka is vitiated by rank discrimination against the Tamils. When he was Professor of History in Peradeniya University, Dr. Pathmanathan had complained that archaeological projects that could show an ancient Tamil presence in Sri Lanka were not approved.

“What was encouraged by the government were projects that would show early Sinhalese Buddhist presence in what the Tamils say is their homeland. The Kanniya Stupa project is only the latest in the on-going effort at make the North East a Sinhala-Buddhist habitat,” Pathmanathan said.

Conflict With Muslims

Referring to the controversial archaeological site at Digavapi in Oluvil, Kalinga Tudor Silva and Shahul H. Hasbullah said that Muslim farmers around the site were afraid of losing their lands because of the project. They also resented the strong arm tactics of the government, which sent police from outside to claim the site instead of using local personnel. The archaeologists, who appeared later, were Sinhalese.

Such methods are against the ethics of archaeology said Prof.Weerasinghe. “Archaeology is a cooperative venture with the local people. Their cooperation is necessary for a successful excavation and study to come to scientifically arrived conclusions,” he said.

(The  picture at the top shows President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointing Maj.Gen Retired Kamal Gunaratne as Defense Secretary) 

Related Posts

Women’s collective seeks action against MP who allegedly assaulted Puttalam Quazi
Politics

Women’s collective seeks action against MP who allegedly assaulted Puttalam Quazi

March 29, 2023
Cryptocurrency
Around South Asia

Central Bank reiterates significant risks associated with using and investing in cryptocurrency

March 29, 2023
Sri Lankan workers
Around South Asia

New employment scheme with Saudi Arabia sparks hope among Sri Lankan workers

March 29, 2023
Bus fares to be decreased
Around South Asia

Bus fares to be reduced

March 29, 2023
Fuel. Image credits - Wassim Chouak / Unsplash
Around South Asia

Fuel price reduced in Sri Lanka

March 29, 2023
Legacy of Sri Lankan leftist leader Philip Gunawardena
Around South Asia

Legacy of Sri Lankan leftist leader Philip Gunawardena

March 29, 2023
  • Electricity

    Power cut schedule for today in Sri Lanka: Uninterrupted power supply

    60155 shares
    Share 24084 Tweet 15030
  • Registration open for National Fuel Pass

    6636 shares
    Share 2692 Tweet 1644
  • Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

    1798 shares
    Share 726 Tweet 447
  • WATCH : Yohani’s first live performance in India

    789 shares
    Share 328 Tweet 192
  • Power interruption schedule released: Check your area power cut time

    742 shares
    Share 320 Tweet 176
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2022 All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
  • Around The World
  • Breaking News
  • Business
    • Exchange
  • Climate Change
  • Governance
    • Crime
    • Diplomacy
    • Defense
    • Human Rights
    • Politics
    • Strategic Affairs
  • Lifestyle
    • Books
    • Entertainment
      • Arts
      • Cinema
      • Gaming
      • Music
      • Movie
      • Series
      • TV
    • Health
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
  • Culture
    • Ethnicity
    • Gender
  • Development news
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Coronavirus
  • History
  • National
  • Offbeat
    • Media
    • Music and arts across South Asia
  • Recommended
    • Headlines
    • Highlights
    • Top Picture
    • Top Story
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Cricket
      • LPL
      • IPL
    • Tennis
    • Formula 1
    • NBA
  • Tech
    • Instagram
  • United Nations
  • Weather
  • World
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
  • Videos

© 2022 All rights reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

eskisehir escort -

https://www.vudols.com/

- Sağlık Personeli - mersin escort - Antalya korsan taksi