Vandals destroy archaeological sites, artefacts:

Treasure hunting goes on unabated in remote areas

By K.K. Kariyakarawana

A cracked moonstone -treasure hunters had attempted to seek for treasure beneath the moonstone

A Buddha statue was destroyed beyond recognition

A stupa which was not spared by treasure vandals

An artefact destroyed

Treasure hunting or the craze for valuable antiques of a bygone era is not uncommon in Sri Lanka. It has been happening for generations. Hundreds of foreign invasions throughout the centuries proved that their intentions were not only to gain power or prosperity for the country but also to gain the wealth of a rich, archaeological history we owned. Possessing various Ola leaves stating details of secret locations of where treasures are hidden in remote areas or in dense jungles, various rituals were being performed to propitiate guardian deities offering even human sacrifices to obtain this wealth from time to time.

Armed

In Sri Lanka’s history, instances of treasure hunting was commonly reported in the most remotest locations such as dense forests, barren lands, in rocky caves or in ancient archaeological cities. Most of the cases reported to the authorities have revealed that groups of people armed with various tools, weapons, religious offerings, poultry animals for sacrifices, Ola leaves, fruits and flowers were apprehended whilst attempting to unearth buried treasure.

But this turned out to be a grave situation when a trend of damaging and destroying archaeological sites and ancient artefacts in search of treasure being hidden inside them was emerging during the past few years. Instead of trying conventional methods of finding treasure, the present trend was causing damage to artefacts like ancient statues, stupas, stone inscriptions, guardian stones and ancient temples and was being carried out in a frenzy suspecting that some treasures are hidden inside them.

Responding to a query regarding the issue, Head of the Special Unit for Prevention of Destruction and Theft Antiquities (SUPDTA) of the Department of Archaeology, Udeni Wickramasinghe told the Sunday Observer that there is a dangerous trend emerging these days where a number of archaeological sites were targeted by treasure hunters.

Staggering

Statistics reveal that the number of cases of the destruction of artefacts reported from 2008 has been increasing. Eighteen cases were reported in 2008, 31 in 2009, 42 cases in 2010, 25 in 2011 and a staggering 67 attempts were recorded in 2012. From January 1 to April 5, 22 cases had been reported for this year which is alarming Wickramasinghe said.

The latest reports of the cases detected had shown that many people believe that the treasures are being hidden inside artefacts which she said is a myth. According to ancient reports there were no instance where the treasures were hidden inside Buddha statues, stone inscriptions, guard stones, moonstones or any other religious or cultural establishments except for the fact that certain fortunes belonged to kings and were said to be hidden in the base of Stupas and statues.

State treasure

The concept of hidden treasure derived from local history where kings hid state treasures in certain secret locations during the times of foreign invasions. Bhikkus were in charge in ancient society of valuables granted to temples and are said to be hidden in unpopular locations during anarchies and invasions. These treasures were reportedly hidden with the intention of recovering them in safer times. A belief was there that a guardian deity popularly known as “Bahirawaya” is in charge of the treasures hidden or buried and whoever who attempts to seek them will not be successful and their lives were at risk. Details of the places they were hidden and how to claim them back without being subject to the anger of guardian deities were written on Ola leaves by people who hid the treasures, according to the ancient folklore. Attempts to sacrifice live offerings and even going to the extent of sacrificing humans to appease the guardian deities have been heard.

However, no proof had been found yet that any of these treasures were hidden inside statues or artefacts. The Department of Archaeology is of the view that the trend of destroying artefacts to hunt treasure was on the rise following the liberation of Northern and Eastern lands after the war.

Barred

The access to those areas had been barred by the LTTE for decades and many archaeological sites had been preserved from treasure hunters for years. Since 2009, the department had identified over 300 new archaeologically important sites in Jaffna, Mulathivu, Mannar, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya. The department has so far not been able to look into sites found in Killinochchi and Vavuniya, whereas precautions were taken to preserve other locations.

According to Ms. Wickramasinghe the people’s belief of existing treasure is a myth. Over 180 foreign invasions had been reported in Sri Lankan history and even though there were treasures, they would have been robbed by foreigners a long time ago. Invaders from India in the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa eras have taken large amounts of treasure consisting of gold and precious stones back to their countries and believed to be deposited in their temples and palaces. The damage caused by uneducated men to destroy artefacts is a grave problem today where vigilance and the law has to be tightened. Many incidents were reported where the head and chest areas of Buddha statues were mercilessly carved out by ignorant groups in search of treasure. Ancient stupas had been levelled using bulldozers and on many occasions but no treasure had been found in any instance. Some of the recent incidents were reported from Athurupalayagama where an ancient stone inscription was damaged and the Sagama Stupa in Motteyagala was levelled to the ground by a bulldozer.

[A new racket]

The Department of Archaeology is investigating a new racket where certain groups have engaged in misleading the public by selling fake artefacts for millions of rupees. The Special Unit for Prevention of Destruction and Theft of Antiquities have identified several gangs around the country who pose off to be expert treasure hunters and sell fake artefacts to affluent people who harbour a secret desire to own ancient artefacts, to elevate their statue. Investigations have revealed that these gangs have deceived many businessmen and sold fake artefacts, fake gems and gold that were claimed to have been recovered from recently unearthed treasure. The suspected groups have even produced models of artefacts and sold them to local crowds as well as to the international market through smugglers who surreptitiously smuggle themout.

Any suspicious incident or information could be reported to the SUPDTA on hotline 0117222333 which is operational throughout the day and night