Features

Terra cotta army in Xian and working in Vietnam

Published

3 years ago

2023/09/24

(Excerpted from Memories that Linger: My journey through the world of disability by Padmani Mendis)

I first heard of Xian when the famous Terra Cotta Army was discovered here in 1974. I was at Guys Hospital in London at the time, studying to be a teacher of physiotherapy. This was world news. Little did I think that I would one day actually see this spectacle. And here I was, taken on a tour of the site by an official from the Provincial Department of Civil Administration. He was born in this city. The people of Xian were proud of their cultural heritage. Our guide took his time explaining to Susan (my co-worker) and me the story of the discovery.

He said we were standing near the Mausoleum of the first Emperor of China by the name of Qin Shi Huang. The Emperor’s tomb has never been excavated. One day in 1974 while some farmers were digging a well near here, they found lots of pieces of pottery, including what appeared to be pieces of terracotta statues of soldiers and of horses and so on. The government took note of this and had Chinese archaeologists explore the site.

We were seeing what they found. Figures of a whole army that had been buried apparently surrounding the Emperor’s tomb as if to protect it. We gazed at the statues amazed. They were life-size, but heights varied. Each face was different with different features and expressions. They were dressed in different uniforms and had different hairstyles and head gear; this he said indicated their rank. Some were standing, others were kneeling with bows and arrows poised. And still others with bows and arrows by their side.

Only three of the pits on the site had been excavated. In the first pit there were more than 6,000 figures, and he said this was the main army. We paid more attention to the second pit. This had soldiers both as cavalry units with horses by their side and others as foot soldiers. We even saw chariots like those they would have gone to war with. And to think that these dated back to more than 200 years BC.

This was spectacular. But we found Xian itself a rather drab uninteresting city. Free market reforms had hardly touched it as yet. Tourism was yet to invade. Our hotel had seen better days. My husband visited here ten years later, and what he described to me was an amazingly different city.

Xian had been the capital of successive dynasties after its first Emperor Qin, and this was now showcased. Some of their mausoleums, tombs, old city walls and towers, ancient pagodas and other sites had been restored. It was now a “must visit” on any tourists’ itinerary or youngsters bucket list.

After Xian I stayed another three days in Beijing so I could experience some of its wonders. I chose not to join organised tours and went solo so I had time to drink it all in. It was relaxing spending time strolling along the Great Wall thinking of the many emperors who had a hand in the building of it from the time BC and the numerous wars it would been the focus of, the enemies it would have kept out and those that it did not.

Time was also spent at the Forbidden City, much more recent in comparison, built in the 15th century by the Ming Emperors. It remained as the residence of subsequent emperors and as the political centre of China until as recently as 1912. I had thought that the Forbidden City dated much further back. Two other sites I did not want to miss were the Ming Tombs and the Summer Palace. To visit both on one day I took an organised tour.

The Ming Tombs, although not as ancient as I had thought they were, was important not to miss out on simply for the fact that so many of the great emperors had been buried there. Only one of the 13 tombs had been excavated. We did not enter it. Instead, we walked around the parks and on part of what is called the Sacred Way. There were huge sculptures and lots of carved arches. Altogether very pleasant and relaxing. And it was good to know that we were at this historical place.

Our visit to the Summer Palace in a way was similar. We walked around a lot seeing the lakes and gardens landscaped in beautiful surroundings. The names of the three gardens in the complex were interesting – translated, they meant ‘perfect brightness’, ‘elegant spring’ and ‘eternal spring’. The Chinese have very meaningful names for everything.

I visited Beijing twice more to participate in meetings. On each occasion I spent time at the Great Wall and the Forbidden Palace. I did not go back to the Ming Tombs and the Summer Palace again.

Memories of Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) that I have recalled until now I realise quite suddenly, come mostly from work which I have carried out for WHO. But there are other great CBR growers that I had the privilege of assisting in their goal of reaching disabled children and adults in the southern hemisphere. The first of these was Sweden. I have in Geneva recalled the Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA. Among others are Radda Barnen or RB later also known as Swedish Save the Children.

Then of course, in academia, that which had the earliest and greatest impact was ICH or the International Child Health Unit of Uppsala University. There was also the Norwegian Association of the Disabled more popularly called just NAD. Yes, the Scandinavians were into CBR in a big way. Then came the Japanese. This was through JICA or the Japan International Cooperation Agency. They were conscious of the situation of disabled people in our part of the world. And they were keen on playing a part in changing that situation.

Radda Barnen or RB, Sweden in Vietnam

Soon after Vietnam won their war against the USA, the country was in a desperate state with the loss of lives and physical destruction the Americans had left behind. Yet unknown were the long-term effects the Vietnamese would face from the chemical warfare used by the mighty enemy. I am sure the immediate effect of what the chemical warfare did was familiar all around the world.

Many images of a forlorn people on their barren land were featured in the World Press and on television. Images of massive environmental destruction are still vivid in my mind. Perhaps in yours too. And six decades later we still hear of infants being born with severe disease and disabilities. Because those chemicals still persist in Vietnam and continue on their seemingly unending path of destruction.

But one thing the Americans could not destroy was the Vietnamese spirit. Fighting a war using purely indigenous strategies and tools with no generous donors fattening their own arms industries by supplying weapons for mass-scale slaughter. Supplying these in their own interest. The war they were forced into brought the Vietnamese people together to fight together. And even when the Americans were long gone, the Vietnamese people stayed together to rebuild their lives, their communities, their country.

It was at this time that Radda Barnen, or RB, asked me whether I would go to Vietnam, VN for short, to help them start CBR. The incredible Olaf Palme, Sweden’s Prime Minister, had stepped in to help VN at a time when the rest of the world treated her as an outcast for her victory over the Americans.

The two countries had a bilateral agreement, with the former assisting in the development of VN’s Timber Industry and Health System, two of Sweden’s strengths. It was in this context that RB was in Hanoi with a programme directed at improving child health through Primary Health Care or PHC. VN had no other development partners at that time. The Dutch came in later, in a small way at first.

My Introduction to Vietnam

Radda Barnen, RB, had offered to include children with disabilities in their cooperation package. The health authorities wished to have an institution built for disabled children. RB talked to the authorities about the possibilities that CBR would offer. Their response was negative; the health people preferred the known, an institution.

Discussions went on for over a year before VN’s Health Ministry was persuaded that CBR may be a better option. Suited both to Primary Health Care and to their culture. In the context of the task that needed to be done of working closely with local people to introduce CBR to them, RB felt that it may be more prudent to send a fellow Asian to do the job with them rather than a Swede.

Having carried out a joint feasibility study, Dr. Anders Norman, who had spent many years for RB in VN, stopped over in Colombo on his way home to Stockholm from Hanoi to brief me about the task. When I greeted him at the Colombo airport, the look of surprise on his face was obvious.

Later, after we got to know each other I asked him about it. He said, “You know, in VN they believe that wisdom comes with age. And you looked so young. I wondered how they would respond to you. Now I know you, I have no concerns on that score.” I was in the fifth decade of my life.

And so it was that over the next 10 years and more I had the great good fortune to get to know these fascinating people, the Vietnamese, and their indomitable spirit. Together with that spirit and the war they fought, the Vietnamese had acquired exceptional organisational skills. They had systems in place to reach their people from the centre to the periphery. And this is what was surprising in a communist system, that at the same time they had systems from the periphery to the centre. I was of course most familiar with their health and their social welfare systems which grew from needs of their people at the grass roots.

Vietnam was a discard also because it had a communist government. Whatever ideology one may attach to the word “communism”, the system I found in VN was not the usual one that is associated with communist political systems. There was indeed a rigid hierarchical structure from the Central People’s Committee of the Communist Party in Hanoi, through those in the province and district to the Commune People’s Committees in every town and village.

These formed the government at each level and must conform to party principles and toe the party line. Deviation from this was not possible. But within the practice of those principles, I found that each People’s Committee was remarkably autonomous and could do their own thing for their members, VN’s citizens.

The beginning of CBR in Vietnam

Thus it was that CBR blended in smoothly within VN’s political administration and through that, its development. Within the People’s Committee at each level, one member was responsible for health and social welfare including employment. In the city of My Tho, Ba (meaning Mrs.) Nguyen was that member. She was my hostess in Tien Giang province and soon became my friend. She was the link between the Provincial People’s Committee and all the district committees with the Central Committee in Hanoi. She facilitated logistic support from Hanoi.

Each district made their own plans for CBR implementation, and within those plans so could reach peripheral People’s Committees. Health and Social Welfare Departments implemented those plans with the resources they commanded. And what is more, the Vietnamese people made this system work. They knew it was to their own benefit. This was obviously a remnant from having fought the war. It was by working together and for each other that they had overcome adversities.

In every community, many had been injured and left with impairment. Wherever possible, people had overcome the consequences of these and were active, contributing members of their communities. Take for example, the loss of limbs and other physical injuries, extremely common in VN because the war was fought on the ground, often face to face.

It was quite amazing for me to find so many amputees among the colleagues I worked with in government and among participants on my courses. So also, people who had parts of their bodies paralysed by poliomyelitis. More often than not these disabilities were not ever seen or noticed. They were not an issue. Some had improvised appliances, others had learned to adapt to living without them and get on with whatever it was they had to do.

Vietnam had also a consciousness and sensitivity about disability. It started within the family and extended into their community. Every member had to contribute whatever they could, and so also members who had disability. This was important for their sense of self-worth on the one hand and for the growth and development of their family on the other. Now when CBR brought them access to technology which enabled those members with disabilities to function and participate more effectively, it was welcome.

The WHO Manual in Vietnamese was an essential tool which they could use themselves. They had but few rehabilitation professionals in the country. When disability was extreme, community members supported the family to provide the care that was called for. In the villages, disabled people were encouraged to come together to share common problems and discuss possible issues. The seeds of what would grow into Disabled People’s Organisations were planted.

And so, the Vietnamese authorities requested RB for increasing support year by year to reach more parts of their country with CBR. First in the south in Tieng Giang, located in the Mekong delta and not far from Ho Chi Minh City. Here they made Cai Lay district a model for learning and teaching.

Then to the central region, to the ancient city of Hue and to Da Nang which had been occupied by American forces for a short while. The authorities then said to Radda Barnen, “Can you help us with the North? We have nothing there.”

So that was how it came to pass that I was with them walking the villages of Hai Hung and in Vinh Phu, where often I was the first foreigner even older children had seen. Radda Barnen support for disabled people was holistic, so there was interaction with the health referral system and physiotherapy and the employment and education sectors as well in Hanoi and in the provinces. And always, always linking with Peoples Committees for socialisation and inclusion.

Mr. Binh

With my memories of Vietnam come always to mind one individual – Mr. Binh. The community workers wanted me to meet Mr. Binh on one of my follow-up visits to their village. Mr. Binh had had a stroke. Since then, he had been confined to bed all day and all night for nine long years. This is how the community workers found him some months before, inside his tiny, dark, single-roomed home.

His wife left by his bedside all that he would need for the day while she went out to work. She left at dawn and returned after dark. After they found him, the community workers brought a few of his neighbours to Mr. Binh. They talked about his situation and how together they could help Mr. Binh. The neighbours were willing to do what they could.

Together, the workers and the neighbours first put up two bars by Mr. Binh’s bed. They helped him to stand up for some time each day. Then to take a few steps. Gradually Mr. Binh very cautiously learned to walk. As he did so, the neighbours and the workers extended the length of the bars to the door and then beyond. The day Mr. Binh walked out that door was the first time in nine years that he had seen the sun shine. But when I spoke with him, Mr. Binh told me that the greatest benefit CBR had brought him was the friendship and interest of his neighbours. They would now pop in ever so often for a chat and to help when needed.

My experience in Vietnam brought home to me the wise words of the great Ho Chi Minh, philosopher, visionary, and poet, a strength and inspiration to the Vietnamese people and to many of us in the developing world:

“By its very nature a stone will not budge by itself.

But when many people join hands,

a stone, however big and heavy can be moved aside.”

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Features

Building a sustainable future for Sri Lanka’s construction industry

Published

1 day ago

2026/05/8

Thilina Walpola

Sri Lanka’s construction industry has long been a central pillar of sustainable development. From roads and bridges to homes, schools, and hospitals, construction shapes the country’s physical landscape and supports economic progress. As the nation continues to rebuild and modernise, the demand for construction materials and infrastructure keeps rising. However, this growth also brings a significant environmental cost. Cement, steel, bricks, aggregates, and timber all require energy, resources, and transportation, contributing to carbon emissions and environmental damage. If Sri Lanka continues with traditional construction practices, the long-term impact on the environment will be severe.

The encouraging news is that Sri Lanka has many opportunities to adopt more sustainable construction practices while still maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety. Sustainable construction does not mean weaker buildings or lower standards. It means using sustainable materials, reducing waste, improving design, and choosing methods that protect the environment. Many countries have already moved in this direction, and Sri Lanka has the potential to follow the same path with solutions that are practical, affordable, and suitable for local conditions.

A promising option

One promising option is the use of Compressed Earth Blocks (CEB), which are different from the concrete blocks commonly used in Sri Lanka for the past 25 years. CEBs are made from soil mixed with a small amount of stabiliser and pressed using machines. Unlike traditional fired clay bricks, CEBs do not require high-temperature kilns, which consume large amounts of firewood or fossil fuels. This makes CEBs a low-carbon alternative with a much smaller environmental footprint. In Sri Lanka, CEBs are already used in eco-resorts, community housing projects, and environmentally focused developments. They offer good strength, durability, and thermal comfort, making them suitable for many types of buildings. By expanding the use of CEBs, Sri Lanka can reduce energy consumption, lower emissions, and promote locally sourced materials.

Recycled aggregates also offer significant potential for sustainable construction. These materials are produced by crushing concrete, demolition waste, and construction debris. In Sri Lanka, recycled aggregates are already used in road construction, particularly for base and sub-base layers. They are suitable for non-structural building work such as pathways, garden paving, drainage layers, landscaping, and backfilling. Using recycled aggregates reduces the need for newly quarried rock and aggregates, decreases landfill waste, and lowers transportation emissions. With proper quality control and standards, recycled aggregates can become a reliable and widely accepted material in the construction industry.

Timber and sustainability

Timber is another important area where sustainability can be improved. In the past, timber for construction was often taken from natural forests, leading to deforestation and loss of biodiversity. Today, this approach is no longer sustainable. Instead, the focus must shift to legally sourced timber from managed plantations. Sri Lanka’s plantation-grown teak, jak, and kubuk can provide high-quality, legally sourced timber for construction while protecting natural forests and supporting rural economies. Using plantation timber ensures that harvesting is controlled, trees are replanted, and the supply chain remains legal and ethical.

Beyond materials, sustainable construction also involves better design and planning. Buildings that are designed to maximise natural ventilation, daylight, and energy efficiency can significantly reduce long-term operating costs. Simple design improvements such as proper orientation, shading devices, roof insulation, and efficient window placement can reduce the need for artificial cooling and lighting. These measures not only lower energy consumption but also improve indoor comfort for occupants. Sri Lanka’s tropical climate offers many opportunities to incorporate passive design strategies that reduce environmental impact without increasing construction costs.

Waste reduction is another key component of sustainable construction. Construction sites often generate large amounts of waste, including concrete, timber offcuts, packaging, and soil. By adopting better site management practices, recycling materials, and planning construction sequences more efficiently, contractors can reduce waste and save money. Proper waste segregation and recycling can also reduce the burden on landfills and minimise environmental pollution.

Promoting sustainable construction

Public projects such as schools, hospitals, and government buildings can play a leading role in promoting sustainable construction. When government projects adopt greener materials and designs, the private sector follows. This creates a positive cycle where environmentally responsible choices become the industry standard. Public sector leadership can also encourage local manufacturers to produce sustainable materials, improve quality standards, and invest in new technologies.

Sri Lanka also carries a proud and remarkable history in construction, with achievements that continue to inspire the world. The engineering brilliance behind Sigiriya, the advanced urban planning of Polonnaruwa, the precision of the Aukana Buddha statue, and the sophisticated water management systems of ancient tanks and reservoirs all demonstrate the deep knowledge our ancestors possessed. These historic accomplishments show that innovation is not new to Sri Lanka; it is part of our identity. As the world moves toward 2050 with increasing sustainability challenges, Sri Lanka can draw strength from this heritage while embracing modern technologies and sustainable practices. With the combined efforts of skilled professionals, industry experts, academic researchers, and strong government support, the country can introduce new systems that improve efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and strengthen resilience. By working together with determination and sharing knowledge across generations, Sri Lanka’s construction industry can build a future that honours its past while leading the way in sustainable development.

Foundation of sustainable development

Sri Lanka’s construction industry has always been a foundation of sustainable development. Today, it also has the chance to take a leading role in sustainability. By choosing sustainable materials, reducing waste, improving design, and supporting responsible sourcing, the country can build a future that is both modern and environmentally responsible. Sustainability is essential for Sri Lanka’s long-term goals of reducing carbon emissions and limiting the impacts of global warming. As Sri Lanka moves forward, the construction industry must embrace sustainability not only as an environmental responsibility but also as an opportunity to create stronger, smarter, and more resilient buildings for future generations. Sri Lanka has the talent, the heritage, and the technical capacity to shape a more sustainable future, and with the right national direction, the construction industry can become a model for the region. If professionals, policymakers, and communities work together with a shared vision, the country can transform its construction sector into one that protects the environment while supporting long-term progress.

About the Author: P.G.R.A.C. Gamlath Menike,

BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying (University of Reading, UK), MSc Quantity Surveying (University College of Estate Management, UK), MCIArb, Doctoral Student, Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, is a Senior Quantity Surveyor: Last Project (2022 -2025) Hong Kong International Airport Terminal 2 Construction Project, Gammon Engineering Construction (Main Contractor).

By P.G. R. A. C. Gamlath Menike

Features

Palm leaf manuscripts of Sri Lanka – 1

Published

1 day ago

2026/05/8

Thilina Walpola

Palm leaf manuscripts

Palm leaf manuscripts have been in existence in Sri Lanka since ancient times. The two oldest palm-leaf manuscripts found in Sri Lanka today are the Cullavagga Pâli manuscript of the H. C. P. Bell collection, which is held at the Library of the National Museum, Colombo, and the Mahavagga Pâli manuscript in the University of Kelaniya collection. Photocopies of both are available at the Library of the University of Peradeniya. Both are dated to 13 century. Cullavagga manuscript has wooden covers richly decorated in lac with a design of flowers and foliage.

Karmmavibhâga

However, the oldest known Sinhala palm leaf manuscript in the world is the Karmmavibhâga which was found in a Tibet monastery in 1936 by the Indian scholar Rahul Sankrityayan. Rahul Sankrityayan, (1893–1963) former Kedarnath Pandey, was an Indian polymath, who searched out rare Buddhist manuscripts on his travels abroad. Sankrityayan visited Sri Lanka as well. Vidyalankara Pirivena is mentioned.

Sankrityayan visited Tibet several times to collect manuscripts from the Buddhist monasteries there. In May 1936 on his second visit to Tibet, Sankrityayan visited the Sa-skya monastery. The Chag-pe-lha-khang Library in this monastery was specially opened for Sankrityayan.

He stated in his autobiography that when the clouds of dust which greeted this rare opening of its doors had subsided, they beheld rows of open racks where volume on volume of manuscripts were kept. “After rummaging around, I came across palm-leaf manuscripts. They were not wrapped in cloth, but were tied between two wooden planks with holes through them.” Sankrityayan found several important manuscripts he had been looking for, in that collection.

Sankrityayan catalogued fifty-seven manuscripts bound in thirty-eight volumes. The thirty-seventh volume was written in the Sinhala script. Sankrityayan records that this volume contained ninety-seven palm- leaves each of which measured 18 1/4 by 1 1/4 in. (46 x 3 cm.) and that there were seven lines of writing on each folio.

According to Sankrityayan, these Sinhala texts originally belonged to a Sri Lankan monk called Anantaśrî who had come to Tibet in the time of ŚSrî Kîrttidhvaja (Kirti Sri Rajasinha). Analysts noted that Sankrityayan does not give the source of this information and the manuscript makes no mention of Anantaśrî.

Sankrityayan had taken with him to Tibet, one Abeyasinghe, (Abhayasimha) to help him with copying manuscripts. They made hand-copies of the important manuscripts. Abhayasimha had copied about 250 to 350 strophes each day. But he fell ill due to the extreme cold and was sent home in June. Abeyasinghe had written letters home during his stay in Tibet.

Photographs of the manuscripts found during Sankrityayan’s expeditions in Tibet are preserved at the National Archives in Colombo. There is also a copy in Vidyalankara pirivena library The Historical Manuscripts Commission In its 1960/1961 report, drew attention to this manuscript, known as Sa-skya Codex, describing it as “a unique document.” (Annual Report of the Government Archivist 1960/61, 1963)

Sinhala scholar P.E.E. Fernando examined photographs of the Sa-skya Codex at the request of the Historical Manuscripts Commission and assigned it to the 13th century. The Historical Manuscripts Commission, dated it to either twelfth or the thirteenth century.

The Historical Manuscripts Commission observed that this manuscript was of great value for the study of the development of the Sinhala script. Ven. Meda Uyangoda Vimalakîrtti and Nähinne Sominda in their edition of the Karmmavibhâga published in 1961 agreed that the Sa-skya Codex represented an early stage in the evolution of the Sinhala language.

Mahavamsa

The Mahavamsa is considered a unique historical document. There is nothing like it in South Asia, and probably all Asia, with the exception of China. Mahavamsa provides a historical account of events, with emphasis on chronology and dating. This, it appears, was rare at the time.

However, Mahavamsa is not a political history, though that is the popular perception of it. It is a religious history. It was written to record the introduction and entrenchment of Buddhism in the country. Other Buddhist countries, such as Cambodia, Burma and Thailand value the Mahavamsa for this reason. They held copies of the Mahavamsa and used events from it in their temple frescoes.

But Mahavamsa is also an important reference source for reconstructing the political history of Sri Lanka. Political and social facts are included in the Mahavamsa narrative when describing religious events, and this makes the Mahavamsa important for historians. This tradition of history writing, beginning with the earlier Sihala Attakatha and Dipawamsa, it is suggested, started in Sri Lanka in 2^nd or 3^rd BC.

Today, the Mahavamsa has become a major source of historical information, not only for dating kings, temples and reservoirs, but also for reconstructing ancient Sinhala society. The fact that Kuveni was seated beside a pond, spinning thread has been used to indicate that there was water management and textiles long before Vijaya arrived. Dutugemunu (161-137 BC) paid a salary to the workers building the Maha Thupa. This shows that money was used at the time.

Copies of the Mahavamsa have been treasured and looked after in Sri Lanka for centuries. They have been copied over and over again. The manuscripts were held in temple libraries because the subject of the Mahavamsa was the entrenchment of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

The Mahavamsa manuscripts did not pop up suddenly during British rule as people seem to think. The British did not ‘discover’ the Mahavamsa. It was there. When the British administration started to take interest in the history of the island, the sangha would have directed them to the Mahavamsa, in the same way that they directed HCP Bell to the ruins in Anuradhapura and the Sigiriya frescoes. HCP Bell did not discover those either.

The British administrators saw the value of the Mahavamsa and copies were sent to libraries abroad. The Bodleian library, Oxford has a well preserved Mahavamsa manuscript, taken from Mulkirigala, which Turner used for his translation. Cambridge has two Mahavamsa manuscripts. The two copies at India Office library, and the copy in East India Library are probably in the British Library today. The Royal Library, Copenhagen, has a copy, consisting of 129 sheets, 12 lines to a leaf, written in good handwriting.

In Sri Lanka there are several copies of the Mahavamsa in the Colombo Museum Library. One copy, known as the ‘Cambodian Mahavamsa ‘is in Cambodian script. University of Peradeniya has at least three copies.

It is interesting to note that the Mahavamsa was known to the Sinhala elite and some had copies in their private libraries. The Historical Manuscripts Commission of the 1930s said in its first report that five copies of the Mahavamsa and a 19^th century copy of the Dipawamsa were found in private collections.

The temple libraries had many copies of the Mahavamsa. Some were of very high quality. Wilhelm Geiger had looked at the copies held at Mahamanthinda Pirivena, Matara and Mulkirigala vihara. Asgiriya, Nagolla Vihara and Watagedera Sudarmarama Potgul vihara, Matara, are three of the many libraries that held copies of the Mahavamsa.

Sirancee Gunawardene examined the copy at Mahamanthinda Pirivena, Matara, very closely. She says that it is a very old manuscript. According to its colophon, the manuscript was first copied 400 years ago. It is in a very good state of preservation. It has 232 folios. Each 50 cm long 6.25 wide. Nine lines on each side, in Pali metric verse.

The writer of the manuscripts said that his version was an improvement on the copy. He wrote, “I will recite the Mahavamsa which was compiled by ancient sages. [their version] was too long and had many repetitions. This version is free from such faults, easy to understand and remember. It is handed down from tradition, for arousing serene joy and emotion’ .

The Mahamanthinda manuscript records the continuous history of 23 dynasties from 543 BC to 1758 AD. It refers to the principle of hereditary monarchy as 39 eldest sons of reigning monarch succeeded their fathers to the throne. It highlights the fact that fifteen reigned only for one year, 34 for less than four years, 22 kings were murdered by their successors, 6 were killed during battles, 4 committed suicide, 11 were dethroned.

Mahawansa as a World Heritage document

An ola manuscript of the Mahavamsa, held in the Main Library of the University of Peradeniya has been recognised by UNESCO as a part of World Heritage. UNESCO announced In 2023 that it has included the Mahavamsa as one of the 64 items of documentary heritage inscribed in the UNESCO’s Memory of the World International Register for 2023. The manuscript is dated to the early 19 century.

The certificate declaring the Mahawansa as a world heritage document was handed to the Chancellor of Peradeniya University by UNESCO Director General, who visited the University in 2024 specially to do so. She also unveiled a plaque marking the declaration.

The story began much earlier. The National Library of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Buddha Sasana had jointly appointed a 6-member committee headed by Prof Malani Endagamage, to find the best preserved copy of the Mahavamsa in Sri Lanka. This would have been in 2000 or so. For two years, this team had examined copies from over 100 temples nationwide.

Temples around the country yielded copies, crumbling to well-preserved, reported Sunday Times. There was one from the Ridi Vihara that almost made the cut, but four other copies were shortlisted. One from the Dalada Maligawa, Kandy and three manuscripts from the Main Library of the University of Peradeniya. Three academics from the University’s History Department, Professors K.M. Rohitha Dasanayaka, Mahinda Somathilake and U.S.Y. Sahan Mahesh examined the three Peradeniya manuscripts

Dasanayaka said, “We poured over the copies together, and it became clear that one copy stood out. While the other two had numerous inconsistencies, this one, written in a curvy hand, was neat and beautiful. After more than two centuries, the manuscript was still very attractive, with a ‘flaming cinnamon orange’ cover and elegant lettering.

The first section of the manuscript ends with Mahasen (274–301 AD), written by the monk Mahanama. The second part ends at 1815. The author is given as Ven. Thibbotuwawe Buddharakkhita but he was dead by 1815. The final part was probably done by an acolyte. He has done a very neat job, seamlessly adding his bit, concluded Dasanayake.

This manuscript was acquired by the Library of University of Peradeniya when K. D. Somadasa, was the Librarian (1964 – 1970). It is held in the Main Library and its Accession Number is 277587.

National Library & Documentation Services Board of Sri Lanka, which administers the National Library of Sri Lanka submitted a nomination to UNESCO on behalf of this manuscript. UNESCO responded positively to the application.

UNESCO said the Mahavamsa was recognized as one of the world’s longest unbroken historical accounts, presenting Sri Lanka’s history in a chronological order from the 6th century BCE. The authenticity of the facts provided in the document has been confirmed through archaeological research conducted in Sri Lanka and India.

It is an important historical source in South Asia, said UNESCO. It was the first of its kind in South Asia, initiating a mature historiographical tradition. It has contributed singularly to the identity of Emperor Asoka in Indian history. The existence of a number of manuscripts of the Mahavamsa in several countries as well as the transliteration and translation of the text to several Southeast Asian and European languages stand testimony to its immense historical, cultural, literal, linguistic and scholarly values, .” UNESCO press release said.

Further, UNESCO found that this manuscript was correctly conserved at the University Library. The university and its library maintained high standards in safeguarding the palm-leaf manuscripts, preventing deterioration, declared UNESCO. (Continued)

REFERENCES

https://archives1.dailynews.lk/2021/02/25/local/242520/ola-leaf-mahavamsa-be-declared-world-heritage

Sirancee Gunawardana Palm leaf manuscripts of Sri Lanka . 1977 p 41,44-47 , 253 290 292, ,

N. E. I. Wijerathne Methods, Techniques and Challenges in Deciphering the Sa-skaya Codex. Vidyodaya Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (2025), Vol. 10 (01) https://journals.sjp.ac.lk/index.php/vjhss/article/view/8571/6001

First report of the Historical Manuscripts Commision.1933 SP 9 of 1933. p . 53, 95, 96

https://journals.sjp.ac.lk/index.php/vjhss/article/view/8571/6001https://www.austriaca.at/0xc1aa5572%200x00314cc3.pdf

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https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230910/plus/in-search-of-the-perfect-mahavamsa-531513.html

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by KAMALIKA PIERIS

Features

A new Sherlock Holmes novel

Published

1 day ago

2026/05/8

Thilina Walpola

Tales of Mystery and Suspense – 1

“The House of Silk” is set in a grim Victorian winter, and moves from Baker Street to a luxurious suburban villa, from dingy pubs to elegant London clubs, from a correction school for boys high on a hill to Dr Silkin’s House of Wonders, which provided noisy low life entertainment. Holmes and Watson went there in search of the House of Silk, a name they had heard when looking into the death of one of Holmes’ Baker Street irregulars (slum children who ferreted out information for him) .

I do not think highly of sequels to books written by highly regarded writers, though I must admit that this dislike is based on just a few samples. But while in England I was given by my former Dean, with a forceful recommendation, a book about a Sherlock Holmes mystery, supposedly written by Dr Watson. I began on it soon after I got back home, and found it difficult to put down, so I suppose I will not look on Anthony Horowitz as an exception to my rule. I may even look out for his efforts at continuing the adventures of James Bond, though I suspect Fleming’s laconic style will be less easy to emulate.

“The House of Silk” is set in a grim Victorian winter, and moves from Baker Street to a luxurious suburban villa, from dingy pubs to elegant London clubs, from a correction school for boys high on a hill to Dr Silkin’s House of Wonders, which provided noisy low life entertainment. Holmes and Watson went there in search of the House of Silk, a name they had heard when looking into the death of one of Holmes’ Baker Street irregulars (slum children who ferreted out information for him). They had asked Holmes’ brother Mycroft for help in finding what and where this was, but he had warned them off, having been himself told by someone very senior in government that it might involve those in very high positions, and further inquiries might prove dangerous.

Needless to say, Holmes does seek further, and is lured to an opium den where he is drugged, to be found outside with a gun in his hand and the body of a girl beside him, the sister of the murdered boy Ross. A passer-by swears he had seen Holmes fire the shot, and the owner of the opium den and a customer swear that Holmes had taken too much opium and left the den in a demented condition. A police inspector who had been passing promptly arrests Holmes and Watson, and even their old acquaintance Inspector Lestrade finds it difficult to get access to him.

Watson eventually gets to see him when he is in the infirmary, after he has been told by a mysterious man that Holmes was going to be murdered before his case could be taken up. The man said he had earlier tried to get Holmes to investigate the House of Silk by sending him a white silk ribbon, such as had later been found tied round the hand of the murdered boy. But, as a criminal himself, he said, he could not reveal more, though he himself was horrified by the business of the House of Silk, which gave criminality a bad name, which is why he wanted it all stopped.

Holmes escapes from the infirmary, with a little help from the doctor whom he had once assisted earlier, right under the nose of the nasty Inspector Harriman. He then joins up with Watson, and having with the help of Lestrade overcome the men designed to kill him at Dr Silkin’s House of Wonders, he sets off, with an even large posse of policemen, to the House of Silk.

After much suspense, the habitues of the House of Silk are arrested, the Inspector having broken his neck in the course of a chase downhill, having fled when his misdeeds were exposed. The mastermind claims that he will not face a trial because of the important people involved, but instead falls down a staircase while in prison and breaks his neck. One of the noblemen involved commits suicide, but another, and the medical man who had sworn he saw Holmes kill the young lady, get off without charge.

But then we revert to the original story, which had involved an art dealer who came to Holmes because he was being followed by someone he thought was an American gangster out for revenge. This was because he had shipped some pictures to an American buyer, and these had been destroyed when a train was held up by an Irish gang and the coach with the safe in it dynamited. The buyer and the dealer had got a private agency to investigate, and this had ended with the gang being killed in a shootout, though one of the twins who led it had escaped. The buyer had subsequently been killed, and Mr Carstairs feared that the twin who survived had followed him to England.

Holmes and Watson went to Carstairs’ house, where they met his wife, whom he had met on the boat back from America, and his sister. Their mother had died some months earlier, when gas had filled her room after the flame had gone out. It transpired that there had been a break in, and some money and a necklace stolen from a safe, and it was in tracing these, through a pawnbroker, that Holmes and Watson had found the American murdered in the hotel where he had been staying.

The leader of the irregulars had come to tell Holmes that they had traced the man to the hotel, and Ross had been left on guard. He seemed terrified when Holmes and Watson and Carstairs turned up, but said he had seen nothing. When the boys had been dismissed, and the room opened up, the man was found dead, the murderer obviously having gained entrance through a window.

Holmes assumed the boy had seen someone he recognized, but he could not be traced, until he was found dead, horribly tortured. The silk band around his wrist then led Holmes to pursue the House of Silk. One of the boys at the school where Ross had been mentioned that he had a sister at a pub, and she, when confronted, asked in fear if they were from the House of Silk and then, having lunged at Watson with a knife, ran off – herself only to be found dead outside the opium den, which prompted the arrest of Holmes.

After the drama at the House of Silk, Holmes and Watson go to the Carstairs household, where he explains exactly what had taken place, identifying the murdered man as not a member of the gang but the head of the private agency which had investigated them. As my Dean told me, Horowitz then ties up all the loose ends with consummate skill, connecting with a fine thread all the malefactors, of various kinds.