Damsels in distress!
by Dhaneshi Yatawara
The Archaeology Department has decided to ban the public from taking
photographs of the Sigiriya frescoes. This comes in the wake of the
Sigiriya fortress crumbling and the frescoes being affected due to
flashlights.
Sigiriya - the Lion Rock - a UNESCO world heritage site since 1982,
is a masterpiece showcasing indigenous expertise in arts, crafts and the
sciences.
The Department of Archaeology and the Central Cultural Fund (CCF)
have jointly begun preservation work from last week. The problem the CCF
and the Department of Archaeology face is the lack of human resources -
particularly conservators. "Archaeology demands creative, innovative and
experienced conservators in preserving archaeological sites," Director
General of Archaeology Prof. Gunawardana said.
Wall paintings
The CCF and the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology of the Kelaniya
University are in the process of selecting 100 people interested and
talented in illustrating and drawing so that they could copy Sri Lankan
wall paintings including the Sigiriya frescoes.
According to Prof. Gunawardana they will be trained for one year,
giving them a sound theoretical background and site visit experience.
"The most suitable participants will be selected on a freelance basis to
start documenting the wall paintings of Sri Lanka," he said.
As Sigiriya houses the enchanting frescoes in the once impregnable
citadel which is now beginning to fall apart, tourists will face
restrictions in the days to come. The CCF has proposed many changes
including the construction of a platform extending from the current one,
to keep visitors at a distance from the frescoes.
Prof. Gunawardana said the lengthy queues to view the frescoes had a
damaging effect on them. 'The paintings can be sensitive even to sweat
if it splashes on them," Prof. Gunawardana said adding that the frescoes
are sensitive to that extent.
"The other problem responsible for the deterioration of the frescoes
is the use of flashlights, when the frescoes are photographed. We have
advised people not to use flashlights, but they ignore them and continue
with this practice," he said.
According to the CCF and the Department of Archeology, infrastructure
changes and restrictions will be implemented to protect the world famous
paintings of women who have been identified as either heavenly maidens
or 'ladies' and maids in the courts of king Kashyapa.
"We can take legal action against those damaging archaeological sites
but instead the authorities imposed a ban on taking photographs of the
frescoes," he said.
According to archaeologists, Sigiriya would not have been built to
withstand such a large number of visitors. According to Prof.
Gunawardana, up to December 31, 2015 nearly 100,000 had visited the rock
fortress compared to 54,000 in 2014. "The heavy visitor traffic affects
these ancient paintings," he said.
Archaeologists of CCF and the Archeology Department earlier had to
control a situation where bird droppings damaged the frescoes. Now a
cover has been built to arrest this situation.
"Despite the numerous preservation attempts, the quality of the
frescoes deteriorate with the passage of time and is difficult to
control," Director General of the Department of Archaeology Senerath
Dissanayake said.
Chemical effects
Sri Lankan archaeologists earlier used Polyvinyl Acetate, a chemical
as the main ingredient for its preservation. It was widely used globally
in archaeological conservation. Today the chemical effects are visible
on the frescoes. "With the advanced research, suitable chemicals, which
did not damage the paintings, are being used at present," Dissanayake
said.
Chemical conservation is carried out on a scientific basis according
to nationally and internationally accepted conservation principles.
As part of the conservation method, the paintings will be
photographed in detail and documented, Dissanayake said.
If Sri Lankan expertise is not enough to bring the deterioration
under control, the Archeology Department will seek assistance from the
world-renowned Italian Conservation Department.
"The Italian Government was helpful in our conservation efforts way
back in 1967, where the frescoes were damaged when a person applied
paint on the paintings. We will seek assistance from them, if necessary"
he said.
The frescoes are not the only attraction in Sigiriya. The Mirror Wall
is an added attraction where some visitors express their sentiments even
today, though it is illegal.
This resulted in a 17-year-old girl being arrested and jailed and
later pardoned. This incident occurred in November 2014.
"We are cautious of the number of people visiting the Mirror Wall. As
we are not aware of the maximum weight of the section which holds the
Wall, we are seeking the assistance of an expert on structural
engineering to evaluate the conditions and changes will be made to the
sighting patterns of tourists going to view the Mirror Wall ,"
Dissanayake said.
"Cultural tourism plays a major part in terms of contributing to the
country's economy.
Therefore we are cautious not to take decisions that would adversely
affect it, but priority will be given to preserving and conserving the
archaeological sites," he added.
He also noted that the CCF is planning to expand the number of
archaeological sites available for tourists to visit hoping that
visitors will divert to the new places rather overcrowding a few famous
sites. |
