News
Dr. Deraniyagala passes away
Former Director General of Archaeology, Dr. Siran Upendra Deraniyagala, a prehistorian known for his work across the world, passed away yesterday. He was 79.
In 1968, Deraniyagala discovered ancient human burials in the Fa Hien Cave.
He was born on March 1, 1942, in Ratnapura, to parents Dr. P.E.P. Deraniyagala, former Director of National Museum, a giant in his own right, and Prini Molamure. Siran Deraniyagala completed his schooling at S. Thomas’ College Mount. Lavinia. He received his BA and MA degrees in Architecture and Sanskrit at Cambridge University and went on to do postgraduate studies in archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology in London. At the Institute he qualified with distinction and was awarded the prestigious Gordon Childe Prize, as one of two best all-round students in all fields of archaeology.
In addition to the academic degrees, was awarded honoris causa degrees by many leading universities in the world. When he was awarded the Degree of Doctor of Letters in recognition of his services to the field of archaeology at the 2001 General Convocation of the University of Peradeniya, Dean of the Faculty of Arts of that university Prof W.M. Sirisena said the following in the conferral presentation speech that Dr. Deraniyagala joined the Archaeological Survey Department of Sri Lanka in 1968 as Assistant Commissioner in charge of scientific excavations. He also said: “Following this, Dr. Deraniyagala reoriented excavation and research strategies of the Department that were until then carried out on an ad hoc basis.
He introduced a research design, plans for infrastructure and human resource development in the excavation division and in 1969 undertook the epoch-breaking excavation at the Citadel of Anuradhapura.
This was the first scientific stratified excavation undertaken in this country and it set the pattern to the next generation of field archaeologists in Sri Lanka.
The excavation at the Citadel in fact revolutionized much of traditionally accepted theories on the emergence of civilization in Sri Lanka.
It conclusively pushed back the beginnings of the earliest village culture, the introduction of metals and plant and animal domestication in this Island to 1000 BC. Dr. Deraniyagala’s investigations in the past two decades at the Citadel have revealed that this is one of the largest urban archaeological sites in pre modern South Asia.
This site now functions as a promising state-of-the-art research and training centers for archaeology in South Asia.
During his tenure as Assistant Commissioner Dr. Deraniyagala commenced a systematic reinvestigation of the prehistoric technology and culture of Sri Lanka.
He pioneered a new research strategy and lunched a long-term study of this significant period in our history hitherto little understood and little known.
Deraniyagala then proceeded to the USA for his doctoral research at Harvard University and in 1988 his magnum opus; The Prehistory of Sri Lanka: an Ecological Perspective was completed.
This monumental work on cultural palaeo-ecology totalling over 1500 pages, has been hailed by Harvard professors as a landmark in the archaeology of South Asia as a whole, which has incidentally transformed their concept of Sri Lankan prehistory.
In 1992 his thesis was published as Memoir 8 of the Archaeological Department and is acclaimed as one of the primary source books on South Asian prehistoric archaeology.
Dr. Deraniyagala’s tenure as Director General of Archaeology (1992 to 2001) has been one of the most significant epochs in modernizing Sri Lankan archaeology in the state sector.
He prepared an agenda restructuring theoretical, applied and management archaeology at the professional level by coordinating several ‘thrust’ programs for this purpose.
Dr. Deraniyagala was responsible for the introduction of a radical shift in the Antiquities Ordinance in 1998 and it vested greater power with the Director General of Archaeology and formalized Archaeological Impact Assessments.
Dr. Deraniyagala has disseminated his knowledge by publishing over 40 research articles in some of the most prestigious learned journals in the world.”
National People’s Power (NPP) councilor Vraie Cally Balthazaar has been elected as the new Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).
Councilor Balthazaar received 61 votes while Riza Zarook of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya obtained 54 votes at the election.
Aligned with the 2025 National Poson Festival, the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat spearheaded several environmentally conscious initiatives during Poson Week, including maintaining cleanliness in areas surrounding the Atamasthana (Eight Sacred Places). Key waste management measures included the establishment of permanent, covered enclosures for biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste receptacles near the Atamasthana and Mihintale. Dedicated plastic bottle collection bins were strategically placed alongside general waste bins and in collaboration with Ceypetco, discarded barrels were repurposed as waste containers.
Significant support came from sponsors including the Irrigation Department, ARPICO, Rambewa Mechanical Engineering Works, the Cargills and Keells Group (for plastic containers), Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka (for plastic collection bins), and Ceypetco and the Sri Lanka Army (for waste bins).
Additional safety and awareness initiatives included placing waste bins near bathing areas and bridges adjacent to major reservoirs (Tissa Wewa, Basawakkulama Wewa, Nuwara Wewa, Mahakanadarawa Wewa, Nachchaduwa Wewa, Bulankulama Wewa and Kunchikulama Wewa) to reduce littering. Warning signs were installed at hazardous locations and lifesaving personnel and naval craft were deployed during the Poson Week.
Waste bins for bridge areas were supplied by Phoenix Industries and ARPICO, while informational signage around the Sacred City was sponsored by AIA, Ceylinco and Sri Lanka Insurance. Overall coordination was managed by the Anuradhapura Municipal Commissioner.
A Clean Sri Lanka coordination centre established within the Poson Zone facilitated awareness programmes for schoolchildren and the general public on themes such as environmental stewardship and intergenerational responsibility. These efforts involved Provincial and District Secretaries and institutions including the Post-Harvest Technology Institute. Additional programmes were held targeting public officials and citizens focused on national food security, financial literacy and ethical public service.
Environmental sustainability projects carried out during the week included canal cleaning in collaboration with the Irrigation Department, Provincial Irrigation Department and the Department of Agrarian Development and a tree-planting initiative titled “Environmental Security” in partnership with the Forest Conservation Department and school communities.
Personality development and leadership workshops were also conducted. A full-day session was held on 7 June 2025 at St. Thomas’ College, Anuradhapura (7:30 AM to 7:30 PM), sponsored by Perera & Sons, the Anuradhapura Lions Club and the Dream Force Sri Lanka Society. Similar workshops were conducted at Maithripala Senanayake Vidyalaya and Swarnamali Balika Vidyalaya.
On 11 June 2025, a morning awareness session for rural farmers was held, covering Post-Harvest Technology (presented by C.R. Gunawardana, National Post-Harvest Management Institute) and Financial Management (presented by Duminda Disanayake, Central Bank of Sri Lanka), featuring a special address by MP Susantha Kumara Navaratne.
On the morning of 12 June 2025, the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat and the Anuradhapura Municipal Council jointly conducted a waste removal drive at the Basawakkulama Wewa tank bund, extracting plastic, polythene and other refuse. Participants included venerable monks from the Sri Lanka Bhikkhu University Bhikkhu Student Association, Anuradhapura Mayor N. Karunaratne, the Association President and lay devotees. That afternoon, the Secretariat’s Music Therapy programme began at the Surapura Open Air Theatre, Anuradhapura, attended by over a thousand personnel from the armed forces, police, Civil Security Department and state institutions.
A special lecture was also delivered by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Madhura Gunawardana.
[PMD]
A special workshop on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the public service into a more productive and efficient entity was held on Sunday (15) at Temple Trees.
Titled “AI for Transforming Public Service,” the workshop was attended by officials of the Presidential Secretariat. It aimed to serve as an initial orientation for a major government initiative, the digitalization of the public service, by raising awareness and preparing officials, while also fostering a positive perception of artificial intelligence within the public sector.
Dr. Hans Wijesuriya, Senior Advisor to the President on the Digital Economy, delivered the keynote address. Sanjaya Karunaseena, Executive Director of the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka, also presented a brief address. Subsequently, Harsha Purasinghe and Samisa Abeysinghe, board members of ICTA, conducted awareness sessions incorporating practical demonstrations.
The event was also attended by the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage and several other senior officials from the Presidential Secretariat.
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