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| Sunday, 2 May 2004 |
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Giniwella temple mural controversy: Concern for tradition or personal politics? by KAMINIE JAYANTHI LIYANAGE What went wrong with the painting of murals at Giniwella Temple in Ahangama?
What drove matters to such a head that we are informed by the Ahangama Police that the Dayaka Sabha of the temple has persuaded Ven. Meegoda Kalyanatissa Thero, Chief Incumbent of Giniwella Viharaya, to retreat to a temple in Kelaniya and bring in a new incumbent Buddhist priest from there? What was the nature of unsuitability of the newly drawn murals from the temple norms, that, as Ahangama Police informs, the new Nayaka Thero has undertaken to have a new set of murals painted over the entire periphery walls (pita malaya where the ones in dispute were drawn) of Budu Ge (the Shrine Room of the Buddha), in conformity to the local temple traditions (vihara sampradaya)? The new murals, which had been damaged by an unidentified hand on the night of April 15, had been an undertaking of three Dutch artists for the Giniwella Temple, involving an expense of nearly four million in Sri Lankan rupees. According to a young Thero (who did not want his name disclosed) we met at the Giniwella Temple, the artists Noella Roos, Rachel Dieraerts and Noella's father, Eddie Roos, who is an artist of international repute, had visited the Temple several times and offered to paint murals over the repaired and vacant peripheral walls of the Budu Ge, depicting the Dalada Perahera and the arrival of Therini Sangamitta with the sacred Bo Sapling in Lanka, after an extensive study of ancient temple murals in the South, including Mulkirigala, the oldest known temple murals in the province.
"Previously, the pita malaya too had borne Kandyan era murals similar to the ones which are in the Budu Ge. But several years ago, the pita malaya walls crumbled and the Nayaka Hamuduruwo had to have the walls repaired and then the Nayaka Hamuduruwo considered the need for new murals," said the Thero. The Giniwella temple premises, or the Navamuni Se Kathaluwa Purana Viharaya, which houses the only nine dagoba structure found among local Buddhist temples, has been an attraction for both the local and the foreign visitor. The adjacent Ranwella Temple, previously part of the Navamuni Se Purana Vihayara, holds the added attraction of an octagonal Vihara Ge containing renowned ancient murals. The 15th night scooping out of certain parts of the Giniwella paintings could have been a by-product of dissension among a section of villagers over a perceived non-conformity of the murals to the accepted vihara traditions, familiar to the Lankan Buddhists. Concerns are raised about a possible element of personal politics and public anger directed against the temple priests and the safety of the Dutch artists. Sanne D. Kaasjager, Second Secretary, Trade Promotions and Economic Affairs, Cultural, Public and Press Affairs, Royal Netherlands Embassy, comments, "The Embassy, as one of the co-funders, is aware of the circumstances surrounding the Dutch-Lanka project to decorate one of the Buddhist temples in Kathaluwa. We note with concern that factual inaccuracies appeared in the press and other major news channels immediately after the incident. The embassy will continue to follow the situation and trusts the local law enforcement to take the necessary action."
The Thero at the Giniwella Temple shared similar sentiments when he said, "Where our temple is concerned, the only outcome of the defacement of murals and the subsequent adverse media publicity has been ill-fame for both the temple and Buddhists and we want the public to be aware of the correct facts." "The project involved local artists as well," said Burt Van Halteren, spokesman for the project. "The Nayaka Thero was with the artists every step of the way." The murals did not contain nude figures, said Van Halteren, perhaps only sketches perceived as such. In the aftermath of this spate of media publicity, the Thero at Giniwella temple raises quite a few questions. He points out that the Dutch artists had completed their sketches over a year ago and had returned this February to do the finishing touches. "When the Dutch artists began drawing the murals, print media reported it. Why were not the objections raised then? The authorities and the villagers had ample time over a year to observe the paintings and voice their objections. Why did not the relevant authorities at the Archaeological and Cultural Departments visit us and give their advice then?" "I too felt misgivings at the unsuitability of certain paintings for the viharaya," said the Thero. "One depiction shows two females embracing. A certain element of coarseness was there and the attire of certain figures was not appropriate." The eye of the artist had perceived differently from what the laymen and the pious devotees beheld. Before the defacement, Kalashoori S.P. Charles, Curator, National Museum, had visited the temple and had been happy with the Dutch art work. "They are fine artists," opined Kalashoori Charles when the Sunday Observer asked for his comments. "Generally, art within a temple must show a certain discipline though I do not see a deep lack of it here." "As an artist, I would say that these new murals are of a very high standard with rhythm, dynamism and liveliness but with more of the style shown by the European artist Michael Angelo," said the Presidential Award winning artist, Walter Kulasooriya of Visiki Art Gallery, who had offered to do the murals previously but had stepped aside when the Dutch artists came forward. "The Nayaka Thero, though of senior years, is a broadminded priest. But these murals are different to the Buddhist traditions familiar to our eyes and their attire could have been changed. They say there had been nude figures but I understand some of these have now been painted over. Had the Dutch artists been made more aware of our traditions, this could have been avoided. But why have even the traditional perahera drummer faces been scooped out?," he questioned. Another question raised is who could have had access to the Budu Ge keys, one of which had been in the custody of the Theros and the other two in the hands of the Dutch artists. For the Budu Ge had not been broken in when the defacement was done. Dickson Ranawaka, Officer-in-Charge, Ahangama Police Station, informed us that a suspect had been arrested and released on bail as there was no substantial evidence against him. Ven. Meegoda Kalyanatissa Thero, Viharadhipathi of Giniwella Temple was not available for comment. Can the blame for this interrupted project be passed onto the relevant state authorities on grounds that they did not extend their supervision in time? According to an official from the Archaeological Department of Galle, the only structures of the Purana Viharaya which are registered as "monuments" under the Antiquities (Amendment) Act of 1998 No. 24 are the Giniwella Temple's nine dagobas, the thorana (entrance) to the dagobas and the Ranwella Temple's octagonal Vihara Ge containing ancient murals. The Commissioner of Buddhist Affairs, Ministry of Buddhist Affairs, informs that in temples which are not gazetted under the above Act or Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance of 1931, the chief incumbent, the resident sangha and the Dayaka Sabha can make their own decisions in the affairs of the temple. "Some temples do not have a Dayaka Sabha and the bikkhus take their own decisions as appropriate," said the Commissioner. "The Buddhist Affairs Ministry is made aware of their affairs only if the AGA Office of the area, the Chief Incumbent of the temple or the Dayaka Sabha notify us. Kathaluwa Giniwella Viharaya does not come under the 1931 ordinance." The ministry had not been informed of the decision to paint murals and the Commissioner became aware of the mural defacement only when the incident was reported to him. Although he has not visited the site, he has asked for a report from the Habaraduwa AGA office and awaiting its receipt. "The murals under controversy had been drawn on new walls constructed around the Budu Ge. But, we should have been informed of the decision to repair," said the official from the Galle Archaeology office. "We became aware of the defacement incident only when the Police notified us. The Police took us along to see the murals and we saw that they were not ancient murals but paintings drawn in a modern dimension which did not look suitable for a temple as some of the figures were attired in modern dresses, strapped frocks and flimsy clothing. There were also figures which looked like couples." Commenting on the queries in media why they did not take any action regarding the matter, she said, "If these modern pictures had been painted over ancient murals we could have taken some action. In the present situation, action has to be clarified by our Colombo Head Office." A last word on the issue can be taken from the remarks of artist Kulasooriya, "Had the authorities, the sangha, the artists and the laymen got together at the first instance, and had the Dutch artists been made more aware of the Sinhala Buddhist culture, these Dutch Buddhist murals could have set off a new tradition of Buddhist murals similar to what George Keyt created at the Gothami Viharaya and what Solius Mendis created at Kelani Viharaya." But an inadequacy in bridging cultures, and perhaps a tinge of personal politics, resulted otherwise. |
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