Date:15/05/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/05/15/stories/2003051503161200.htm

National

`Archaeologists must control heritage sites'

By Our Special Correspondent

Sudharshan Seneviratne. — Photo: T.A. Hafeez

CHENNAI MAY 14. There is nothing wrong in enlisting the assistance of the private sector in maintaining or managing sites of archaeological importance but the ultimate control over such sites should only rest with archaeologists, according to Sudharshan Seneviratne, Professor and Head of the Department of Archaeology in the University of Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Voicing concern over the reported move of "privatisation of archaeological sites" both in his country and in India, Prof. Seneviratne, in a talk with The Hindu, says even some archaeologists in the island-nation are advocating privatisation. But, "if the archaeological sites are handed over to the private sector, you won't be sure of the originality of artefacts from such areas", he notes, hoping the Sri Lankan Government would not go ahead with the plan.

Referring to his experiences of managing `Jetavana' (a Buddhist monastery site of 3rd century A.D. to 10th century A.D.) in Anuradhapura, one of the UNESCO-World Heritage Sites, he says, "the monument has turned out to be a money-spinner. We charge entry fee in dollars. It is self-sustaining. So, if such sites are self-funded, what is the need for handing them over to the private sector", he asks. He also hastens to add that there should be accountability on the management of finances.

Emphasising the need for professionalism in archaeology, Prof. Seneviratne says since the mid-1970s, archaeological departments in universities have been serving as feeders for the archaeological department in the Government. One major heritage site is given to every archaeological department. Students get hands-on experience also. As done in the case of doctors, those wanting to be practitioners need to be certified by the Sri Lanka Council of Archaeologists, of which Prof. Seneviratne is vice-president.

On the Jetavana project, the 54-year-old Professor, who is also the Archaeological Director of the heritage site, says an interactive museum will be established in addition to the preservation and conservation of the 200-ft-tall Stupa. "Our idea is that both visually and mentally, people should get interwoven into the historical process," he says. More importantly, Prof. Seneviratne, who obtained his Ph.D. for his thesis of "social base of early Buddhism in southeast India and Sri Lanka: 3rd century B.C. to 3rd century A.D" at Jawaharlal Nehru University, says the concept behind the project is that the site should be owned by the next generation.

Prof. Seneviratne, here to give a series of lectures, is exploring the possibilities of collaborative programmes with Indian educational institutions, particularly from this part of the country.

Delivering a talk on the philosophical and social role of early Buddhism in south India at a meeting organised by the Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission in Southern India and the India-ASEAN-Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said apparently, Buddhism and Jainism had a similar social appeal in the south and the far south. They were in the main urban-based or situated near production-distribution centres, resource areas or along trade routes. They could also be viewed as vehicles of acculturation in south India and this aspect had a direct bearing on the social acceptance of these ideologies. Buddhism functioned more as a social ideology and religion in the south (than as a philosophy).

Pointing out that material and social change in south India clearly had its impact on the Buddhism, he said, "the contribution made by this region to the sophisticated redefinition of Siddhartha Gautama's doctrine is yet to receive proper assessment".