Chryshane Mendis | Sri Lanka Archaeology

Truth behind the Prison cell of the last King in Colombo Fort

The Prison cell of the last King of Kandy, King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha in Colombo fort is a somewhat well-known monument. Although most individuals working in the Fort area do not notice it, it is a famous destination for tourists. It is situated within the premises of the Ceylinco House building down Janadipathi Mawatha (Queen’s Street) at the turn off to Bank of Ceylon Mawatha. The aim of this article is to see if this is really the prison [...]

July 30, 2018 By Chryshane Mendis Chryshane Mendis, Colonial Heritage, Exploration, History Ceylinco House, Chryshane Mendis, Colombo Fort, Colonial history, Prison cell, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe 18 CommentsRead more...

ICOMOS – Sri Lanka felicitation ceremony for Dr. Roland Silva and Prof. L. Prematilleke

The felicitation ceremony for Dr. Roland Silva and Prof. P.L. Prematilleke organized by ICOMOS – Sri Lanka was held recently on the 24th of March 2018 at 10.00 am in the Auditorium of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, Colombo 07. This was held to honour the services of Dr. Roland Silva and Prof. P.L. Prematilleke, two past presidents of ICOMOS – Sri Lanka, for their unique and valuable contribution to the protection and conservation of Sri Lanka’s heritage.

June 28, 2018 By Chryshane Mendis Events Dr. Roland Silva, Heritage Conservation, ICOMOS, Prof. P.L. Prematilleke 0 CommentsRead more...

Important Inscriptions of Sri Lanka: Part 01

Inscriptions are an important source of information of the past in any civilization, and in that, Sri Lanka is fortunate to have a very large number of inscriptions from the earliest years of the Sinhalese civilization down to the Kandyan times. These various inscriptions, inscribed on stone and metal have aided the historian well, in complimenting and supplementing the already voluminous literature works. Sri Lanka’s inscriptions vary from scribbling of few words, to donations to clergy and to royal [...]

June 22, 2018 By Chryshane Mendis Epigraphy, History, Inscriptions Badulla pillar inscription, Bhuvenekabahu IV, Gadaladeniya, Horabora pillar inscription, Panakaduwa, Udaya IV, Vallipuram Gold Plate inscription, Vasabha, Vijayabahu 4 CommentsRead more...

Archaeological Sites around Dimbulagala: Part 02

By Chryshane Mendis

Pulligoda
Pulligoda is a small cave containing paintings of the Anuradhapura period situated on a small rock outcrop several hundred meters from the base of the south face of the Dimbulagala Mountain. To arrive here, one must travel pass the Dimbulagala Rajamaha Viharaya and after passing the tank, take the first large gravel road to the left leading to the area of Millana. About 300 meters down this road one would find a sign board to the left [...]

June 21, 2018 By Chryshane Mendis Archaeological Survey, Exploration, History Ancient paintings, Dimbulagala, inscriptions, Kosgaha Ulpatha, Molahetiwelagala, Polonnaruwa, Pulligoda 4 CommentsRead more...

Sailing Ships and Temple walls

As stated at the beginning of the paper, the work so far carried out is not conclusive. There remains much to be done. For example, it would be useful to compare this graffiti with the drawings of ships shown in Dutch period maps of Ceylon, India and Indonesia. In addition, any dates arrived at with regard to the wall paintings on which the graffiti had been drawn, would have to be taken into consideration. In conclusion it is wished [...]

June 19, 2018 By Chryshane Mendis Colonial Heritage, Maritime Archaeology, Research Paper Dutch ships, Kandy, Natha Devale, Sail ships, Somasiri Devendra 0 CommentsRead more...

Whatever happened to the King’s mother?

By Somasiri Devendra and Prof. Sarath Edirisinghe
Questions, and an Answer
Signature of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe

Like so many good things, what follows is a spin-off from the “Ceylankan”.
Last year Devendra wrote to the Editor of the “Sunday Times” voicing a question that had vexed him for long, and the Editor was kind enough to carry my query, as follows:
“On re-reading Andrew Scott’s piece on the ‘Capture and exile of the last king of Kandy’ in the ISLAND of February 4th, [...]

June 19, 2018 By Chryshane Mendis Colonial Heritage, Description:, History Kandy, Last King of Sri Lanka, Prof. Sarath Edirisinghe, Somasiri Devendra, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe 1 CommentRead more...

Archaeological Milestones in Sri Lanka: Part 02

This article series would sum up some of the most important events in the journey of Sri Lankan Archaeology, milestones which changed the way we think of the past, the way we know the past and the way we see and protect the past. Milestones in Sri Lanka archaeology would include important discoveries to institutional and policy establishments, which, has helped the field to progress to the present and helped expand our understanding of the past.

June 17, 2018 By Chryshane Mendis Archaeological Survey, Events, Excavation, Exploration Archaeology Survey of Ceylon, H.C.P. Bell, Kegalla, Sigiriya 1 CommentRead more...

Archaeological Sites around Dimbulagala: Part 01

Dimbulagala is a large isolated mountain situated in the North Central Province, east of Polonnaruwa. Its history dates back to the early historical period of Sri Lanka and was home to a Monastic complex during the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa periods. Dimbulagala is presently most famous for the Dimbulagala Rajamaha Viharaya and its late chief incumbent the Ven. Sri Seelalankara Thero who had served the people of Dimbulagala for decades but was murdered in 1995 by the LTTE.

April 16, 2018 By Chryshane Mendis Archaeological Survey, Chryshane Mendis, Exploration, History Dimbulagala, Mara Vidiya, Namal Pokuna, Pandukabaya, Sundera Maha Devi 0 CommentsRead more...

Archaeological Milestones in Sri Lanka: Part 01

By Chryshane Mendis

Research into the field of Archaeology in Sri Lanka dates back to over 125 years, having being initiated by the British administration in the late 19th century. Archaeology as a professional discipline began in the early 19th century in Europe and as a result of our colonization by the British, the discipline found its way to the island from early on. Since then the archaeological field in Sri Lanka has been dominated first by the foreigners and [...]

April 12, 2018 By Chryshane Mendis Ancient Technolog, Archaeological Survey, Epigraphy, Field Archaeology inscriptions, J. Pole, Mahawamsa, Prehistory, Sri Lanka Archaeology, Stone tools, Turnour 0 CommentsRead more...

Prehistory of Sri Lanka 7 : the Pleistocene flora and fauna of Ratnapura

At 65,610 km2 Sri Lanka is one of the large islands in the Indian Ocean and during the Pleistocene epoch studies have shown that the island was joined to the mainland of the Indian Subcontinent. Due to the cold temperatures of this epoch the scattered glaciers caused the water level to fall and thus much of the places under water today was land during this time. Due to the drop in sea levels Sri Lanka and India was combined [...]

December 29, 2017 By Chryshane Mendis Prehistory Chandima Ambanwala, Kalum Nalinda Manadendarachchi, P. E. P. Deraniyagala, Pleistocene, Prehistory, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka 0 CommentsRead more...

january, 2019

10jan16:0018:00FeaturedA Special Lecture on A multidisciplinary study of Homosapiens evolution in South Asia: re-evaluating “anatomically modern”

Event Details

A Special Lecture on

A multidisciplinary study of Homosapiens evolution in South Asia: re-evaluating “anatomically modern”

by
Prof. Sheela Athreya
Professor of paleoanthropology at Texas A&M University in the U.S.

at PGIAR
on 10^th January 2019
at 4 pm

All are welcome

Specialty:

Middle and Late Pleistocene Hominin Evolution and Systematics; Postcolonialism in Biological Anthropology; Human Biological Variation, Craniofacial Biology; Quantitative Methods

Current Research Projects:

My research focuses on human evolution in the Middle and Late Pleistocene. I look at patterns of morphological variation within and among populations of this time period to understand the evolutionary history of our own species, Homo sapiens. I have explored questions of phylogeny and systematics using quantitative assessments of craniofacial morphology, and use the results to understand which evolutionary forces, including population dynamics and interactions, shaped regional populations of H. sapiens.

For several years I conducted work in Gujarat, western India surveying sites associated with the Toba volcanic super-eruption. This research, funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society, focused on paleoenvironmental reconstruction of western India before and after the eruption. I have also participated in the Narmada Basin Paleoanthropology Project in the central Narmada Valley of Madhya Pradesh, in excavations at Lower and Upper Paleolithic sites in France, and at a Harappan site in western India. I have also conducted research in museums throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa looking at the original fossils of most Middle Pleistocene specimens.

My current research is an NSF and Wenner-Gren funded project examining the burials from the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh, Central India. This is a UNESCO world heritage site initially excavated in the 1970s and 1980s by the late V.S. Wakankar of Vikram University. I am working with a multidisciplinary team to reconstruct early Homo sapiens evolution in India using a combination of morphological, genomic, and archaeological data. Our work aims to decolonize the study of our evolutionary history by moving beyond the “Out of Africa” model and building regional models, using local voices and data, that are more appropriate for South Asia.

Related to this, I teach and publish on critical issues of voice, inclusivity, diversity, representation, and postcolonialism in science more broadly, and biological anthropology specifically.

Time

(Thursday) 16:00 - 18:00

Location

Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology

407 Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 00700

Organizer

Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology0112 685 217 Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 00700

Calendar GoogleCal

10jan17:3019:00FeaturedBattle Strategies and Firearms of Sinhalese during European Occupation

11jan10:0012:00A Special Lecture on Manifestation of Stone in Art And Architecture by Choodamani Nandagopal

Event Details

A Special Lecture on

Manifestation Of Stone In Art And Architecture

Choodamani Nandagopal

Renowned Art Historian and

UNESCO Fellow

in the PGIAR

on 11^th January 2018

at 10 am

All are welcome

PROF. CHOODAMANI NANDAGOPAL Renowned Art Historian and UNESCO Fellow

Choodamani Nandagopal

Prof. Choodamani Nandagopal, a renowned Art Historian of International repute. with Doctorate from Mysore University. She is awarded four International and two National Research Fellowships, including the first scholar to receive the UK Visiting Nehru Fellowship at Victoria & Albert Museum London, UNESCO Silk Road Fellowship at Paris, UNSW Senior International Fellowship Sydney and University of Exeter Visiting Professor Research Fellowship UK. Her first National Fellowship was from ICHR. The government of India has conferred to Dr. Choodamani, the prestigious Tagore National Fellowship recently for 2019 – 21 at National Museum Delhi.

Dr. Choodamani is an academician of high repute in Art History and Cultural Studies served as Academic Head and established Art History and Research Department at Chitrakala Parishath. She was Academic Head of IGNCA Southern Regional Centre Bangalore, set up Dept of Cultural Studies at Manipal University and Jain University. She is an author of 20 International publications and 7 Kannada publications. She has published 70 research papers to her credit and invited as a key-note speaker in International conferences. Guided 17 Ph.D. scholars, and 20 M Phil candidates. Her recent publication is ‘Ritual Enactment in Temple Tradition published by Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts New Delhi.

She is known in the academic circle of Sri Lanka, invited first by the Govt of Sri Lanka to conduct a workshop on Temple Architecture, later member of Association of Asian Heritage, at the conference on Ananda Coomaraswamy and several conferences organized by Kelenia University. She delivered the lecture on Coomaraswamy at the Peradeniya University in 1999. A paper on ‘Cultural Interface between India and Sri Lanka’ is published in the International Conference Publication by ICCR and National Museum. At present, she is on her research project ‘ Anuradhapura and Amaravati Cultural Interface’ sponsored by India-Sri Lanka Foundation.

Time

(Friday) 10:00 - 12:00

Location

Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology

407 Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 00700

Organizer

Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology0112 685 217 Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 00700

Calendar GoogleCal

Author - Chryshane Mendis

Event Details

A multidisciplinary study of Homosapiens evolution in South Asia: re-evaluating “anatomically modern”

All are welcome

Specialty:

Current Research Projects:

Time

Event Details

Battle Strategies and Firearms of Sinhalese during European Occupation

Time

Event Details

Manifestation Of Stone In Art And Architecture

All are welcome

Time