Monumental treatise on rock paintings and engravings
- By Reviewed by Hemantha Situge
- Sunday, 10 March 2013 00:00
Rock Paintings and Engraving Sites in Sri Lanka by Prof. Raj Somadeva published by the Post Graduate Institute of Archaeology (PGIAR) of the University of Kelaniya was launched in the latter part of last year is a monumental treatise that covers wide gamut on rock paintings and engravings sites (RPE) in Sri Lanka that hitherto remained systematically and scientifically unrecorded. The book is dedicated to emeritus Professor Senake Dias Bandaranayake who inspired Prof. Somadeva in many ways.
This magnum opus falls into two chapters. First chapter the project contains fifteen parts. It is replete with 129 figures, seventeen sites are elaborated with photographs. The Rock Paintings and Engraving Sites project was funded by the Ministry of Culture and Art Affairs. The Second chapter is co-authored by Profs. Wasantha S. Weliange and R.A.L. Osborne entitled “Some Biological Aspects of Conservation and Management of Sri Lankan Cases”, which contains 12 figures, 4 maps and sixteen plans.
The chapter one falls into fifteen parts. The first nine are viz. Preamble, Mystery of Research, Documentation, Methodology, Study of RPE, a prolonged pressimism. Prehistoric hunter gathers and Vedda Aborigines, Physiographic context, The contents. Technology, the tenth part Signs Symbols and Metaphors reading the icons are categorized into these parts. They are: Why Colors? Intertexuality Vs. Intericonocity and “Dots for water”. The eleventh to fifteenth parts of the book are: Artistic quality, The lines: Non Figurative intricacy Dating, Summary and The Sites. There are fifteen sites that are richly illustrated, photographically documented in this magnificent systematic study on RPE’s. The chapter one contains a useful account of references that is used in writing in the said account.
The co-authored chapter two comprises into nine parts. They are: Introduction, caves and rock shelters, sunlight in caves, microbial world in caves, caves as underground biological hotspots, Sri Lanka caves, caves painting or rock art, threats to the prehistoric paintings and scientific study of Sri Lanka’s caves. The chapter two also contains a separate account of references utilized in the said text. The entire monumental treatise runs into 236 pages. The project RPE whilst the research and photography is done by Raj Somadeva himself Nayomi Kekulawala as his associate together with the field team has shouldered this tedious task. They are D. Gamlath, I.M. Indika, S. Chandrakumara, K. Edirisinghe, A Samanmalee, P. Ranasinghe, D. Jayaratne and A. Tilakasiri.
At page 26 of this book Prof. Somadeva states that “The first attempt at recording RPE sites in Sri Lanka goes back to the last decade of the 19th century CE. H.C.P. Bell has reported his observations on the painted rock surfaces of two sites in Polonnaruwa District (Konnattegodagalage (fig 1.1 and fig. 1.2) and the Batticaloa District (Arangodagalge in the village Kohombalava in 1897).” Dr. Siran U. Deraniyagala’s path breaking study entitled Prehistory of Sri Lanka Vol. I (Part 1 & 2) (1988) 2004 published by the Government of Sri Lanka.
Gamini S.G. Punchihewa in his book titled “Souvenir of a Forgotten Heritage” 1990 has provided some sketches on Veddha art from the Hamangala, Illukpitiya Rock caves in Damana Divisional Secretary Division located in found in eight miles from Ampara. The only cave recorded found in Prof. Somadeva’s book is from Damana is Malayadikanda cave from the Register of Archaeological Monuments (ROAM) detailed out in pages 147 to 152. This is another possible RPE site, a salient omission by Prof. Somadeva in this full-fledged publication based on RPE sites in Sri Lanka.
The pre-historical excavations done in Alawala Pothgullena in District of Gampaha in 2007 where the lower jaw remains of a 17,000-year-old hog deer commonly known as Sinhalese Wilmuwa discovered by Prof. Gamini Adikari and Jude Perera amply supports Prof. Somadeva’s insights that the local hog deer is no longer an introduced species.
At page 120 of the book Prof. Somadeva categorically states Fig. 1.59 ‘Probably a female tusker accompanying her baby engraved on the interior walls of the cave Doravaka kande’ This finding is baseless, cannot be considered as authentic and accurate as the Ceylonese elephant does not have a female tusker.
At page 42 Prof. Somadeva states that: “57 individual RPE sites have so far been reported in Sri Lanka Map 1.2. A list of these of there is shown in table below”. I find that only 24 sites were visited during the present project (vide: at P. 108) RPE project field survey was done only for a period of two years But none of these RPE sites are recorded by Global Position System (GPS). Out of the 57 individual RPE sites reported in Sri Lanka the status of 33 RPE sites are still not known. Though ascertaining their present status of RPE falls within ambit of chapter two of this book none of the authors of the splendid work have delved into the aspect of taking appropriate measures to save these RPEs for posterity as a national project. This system of recording is a crying need of the hour. Another pertinent factor which is overlooked by the writers of this work are the use of diacritical marks in identifying the Sinhalese toponymy or place names or Sinhalese words of the RPE sites cited in the book.
The aspects of study on petroglyph’s have not been adverted to in this study on RPE’s by Prof. Raj Somadeva. “So any one couldn’t give exactly meaning to petroglyph but the common idea of that is a symbolic language.” [Williams D. Lewis] The word petroglyphs is used in this book only in one occasion.
RPE project launched by the PGIAR under auspices of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Arts has stimulated and alarmed further serious research on Petroglyphs that found in caves in every nook and corner that has remained long overdue.The project RPE is a gift for posterity. Raj Somadeva’s Rock Paintings and Engraving Sites in Sri Lanka has carved a niche in the annals of prehistory of Sri Lanka.
hemantha.situge@gmail.com
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