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| Sunday, 5 October 2003 |
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Sigiriya : Rumblings over a very fragile rock by Jayanthi Liyanage The last time I went to Sigiriya, I did not climb the Rock. Having set my feet on its awe-inspiring heights on a previous visit, I decided to go in search of the enigma of its surroundings.
For, if ever a historical monument in Sri Lanka could evoke so much marvel, intrigue and a sheer sense of wonder, it would be Sigiriya. The strangely calm breeze, which had seen over 1,500 years slipping into sunset. A land which had tragically borne the crumbling of a 17 centuries old citadel city. And the nightfall of a civilisation. Much, much greater than us - in art, architecture, tiered gardening, engineering and hydraulic technology. All of which is now lost to us over the time horizon. If only we could decipher the mute whispers of the wind, the earth and the trees which have stood for centuries. As I stole, with a heightening sense of mystery, along the peripherals of Sigiriya, by its moats, ramparts and gardens of water which inspired internationally read masterpieces such as Sir Arthur C. Clarke's "Fountains of Paradise", one solitary thought remained. However much you tread on this paradoxical piece of land, you will not grasp even one third of its secrets. All of it - never. Sigiriya. In its sheer unfathomability, we see its allure. In the challenge it poses for the mind, we realise what makes us dream, and seek the past and the future, for knowledge and wisdom. In its vandalism, the myopia of mankind. Never will the mist guarding the enigma of this rocky throne and its extraordinary bulwark of water gardens wholly fade away. Nor will controversy.
From the days of King Kassyapa and beyond, to later days of archaeological breakthroughs and hypotheses of archaeologists Dr. Senerat Paranavitana and Dr. Raja de Silva, debates and disputes have persisted in disturbing its baffling tranquillity, somewhat recorded only in the ancient chronicle, Mahavamsa. The more recent was the fracas erupted over the now-freezed concept paper on "An after Sun Set Walk in Sigiriya Water Gardens," tendered to the Ministry of Tourism by Svein Sturla Hungnes and Stein-Roger Bull. Two players to the issue, Ministry of Tourism (MT) and Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Education and Human Resource (MCEHR), assure that this project, submitted through the Tourism Cluster with aid expected from the US-AID, had only survived at concept level and not been accepted. At a meeting held with the Ministers of Tourism, and Cultural Affairs, Education and Human Resources, together with other relevant officials, its designers had been asked to revert with a new idea - which they have not done todate. Notwithstanding this assurance, the press reported of a campaign to collect a massive number of public signatures, protesting against the idea, which the campaign interpreted as placing a universally treasured historical monument in peril. We failed to get a comment from two of the three stakeholders to the issue : Central Cultural Fund (CCF) and UNESCO. Director-General of CCF, which was to fund and implement the project, declined comment. A source at MCEHR, which reiterated that its involvement occurs only if the stakeholders approve of the project, also revealed that CCF had not submitted the concept to UNESCO, under whose purview Sigiriya comes as a World Heritage monument. Trying to reach the local head of UNESCO, we were told he was away in Paris. Dr. H.W. Wijayapala, Director-General, Department of Archaeology (DA), the third stakeholder, considered the custodian of Sigiriya in accordance with the Antiquities Ordinance, emphasised that the DA supported the project paper to promote cultural tourism. "We did not oppose the proposed concept but asked to make suitable changes to it. We also asked for a committee to be appointed, comprising historians and archaeologists, to evaluate such proposals," he said, adding that to his knowledge such a panel had not been appointed so far. Dr. Wijayapala also clarified that an Archaeological Impact Assessment, called for in the case of large hotel or reservoir projects, was not necessary for concepts of this nature. "We are open to anybody who ask permission to carry out a project in Sigiriya, even within the 400M protected radius around the Rock. But we check whether such a project has the potential to harm the monument and the surrounding environment." Yet, the source from MCERH stressed that regulations require that whatever project implemented in Sigiriya needed to be outside the preserved perimeter of 400M from the Rock and that no activity was permitted on the Rock itself. There is no debate that MCEHR intends to protect Sigiriya, the source said. "One cannot compare a project like Red Fort in India to Sigiriya which is seen in a different perspective. Even the previously proposed 'Sound and Light' project had to be dropped even after the Cabinet approval. The amplified sounds, the deafening crescendo of music and the explosive lights conceptualised in the draft of the After Sun Set Walk could damage Sigiriya, a very fragile rock which the archaeological reports state as already peeling off. The mirror wall is almost scratched off by undiscerning visitors. We want to discourage visits to the Rock as its carrying capacity is limited." "The argument is that Sigiriya should be left undisturbed," the source said. "It is better left shrouded in mystery as that is what the tourists come to see. It is one of the world monuments which is not purely religious and conveys varying values to different people. For architects and archaeologists, its a treasure trove of unearthed history, culture and traditions. Sigiriya's wonder is its Water Gardens, the technology of which no one knows yet. Though small, our country is full of surprises, derived from a very ancient history, and we cannot discredit that by enacting stories which may not be true." "What is necessary is to provide facilities, toilets, shelter and information booklets to the tourists to tell them more about Sigiriya, and provide a replica of frescoe caves to those unable to climb the Rock. CCF has now proposed an exhibition center and a research and rest centre near the current office complex, for the benefit of tourists and interested persons." DA needed to be strengthened with funds and security personnel for guarding Sigiriya, the source added. George Michael, Additional Secretary to MT, confirmed that the "Evening Walk Show" had been halted at the concept level. "That natural wild life in Sigiriya should not be disturbed by activities in inner moats and gardens is a valid argument." Sigiriya's status as a sanctuary of nature and wildlife could deem intrusions a violation of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. "We had a request from Director-General of CCF that, if implemented, the programme be limited to the international tourists only." But what guarantee that a nightly quota of 400 tourists, 170 participants and technicians, and electric trains along the moats, as conceptualised in the design, would not wreak harm similar to that wreaked by the domestic tourists? "Some elements are trying to create disturbance by misinterpreting the concept," the Additional Secretary said. "Any one can develop a concept. But it doesn't mean that it is going to happen. Sigiriya is an icon of Sri Lanka and no heritage will remain if people looted it. The idea of the Prime Minister was to benefit the fringe communities of Sigiriya by delaying the tourists who climb and Rock for an additional day, by providing them a historical perspective in entertainment, so that guides, taxi drivers, vendors of souvenirs and those who offer lodging to the tourists could earn an income." He also added that the concept designers were widely experienced in the field, having developed a similar concept for Pyramids in Egypt. "Any way, the project will not take place now," he confirmed. The episode boils down to just one mighty question. No matter how urgent is the country's present need to generate revenue and benefits to the citizenry through promoting tourism, should not we find ways of doing it in a manner which would not jeopardise and belittle a heritage of over a thousand five hundred years in age? Is not this extraordinary and still unexplained historical grandeur and hydraulic wonder a sufficient enigma in itself, to lure the discerning eco and culture tourist? |
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