Sigiriya - Archaeological Museum

Sigiriya Museum: a visual narration of a tangible heritage of Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT 

The entrance to the Sigiriya Museum is through a brick tunnel that is designed in the same way as the archway of Water Garden of the Sigiriya Royal City Complex. Inside this newly built museum exhibits human  skeletons,  clay  objects,  tools,  jewellery,  sculptures  and  carvings,  which  were  found  from archaeological excavations  at Sigiriya and  its surrounding  area. Some are  iron and bronze objects that portray the prehistoric and historic cultural evolution in Sri Lanka. The galleries at the Museum are filled with drawings and photographs but these do not provide much technical information. These commodities  and materials  have  cultural, technological  and  archaeological value,  and provide an indication about cultural evolution in the region from Prehistoric times to the reign of King Kasyapa which extends from 10,000 yr B.P to 1,520 yr B.P.

Introduction 

The Sigiriya Museum is known to be the most attractive museum in South Asia, managed by the Central Cultural Fund of Sri Lanka. As a UNESCO world heritage site, archaeological excavations are continuing since last three decades at Sigiriya and its surroundings. Based on those  excavations  a  large  numbers  of  structures,  commodities  and  materials  of  cultural, technological and archaeological values have been explored at the Sigiriya Museum, which is established on August, 2009. The entrance to the Sigiriya Museum is through a brick tunnel that is designed in the same way as the archway of Water Garden of the Sigiriya Royal City Complex (Photo 1).  The  museum  design  is  based  on  creative  concepts  obtains  from  Sigiriya  royal  city complex.   In keeping the archaeological and environmental imperatives the museum can be seen as a building  merged with  the  forest  (Bandaranayake  2011:11). The  design  of  the  museum  was inspired by the fashionable design of Sigiriya itself. It followed the concept of Green Building with the mastery use  of water and the use of trees so that it stimulates a  true experience (Photo 2).  By adopting  the  eco-focused  design  concept,  the  Sigiriya  museum  has  not  only  become  a contemporary “Green  Building”  in  vogue  but  also  successfully  conserve the  archaeological material found from Sigiriya site and its surroundings (Ellepola 2009: 2). Also the museum is active with temporary exhibitions and various kind of indigenous activities.  

Among the museum exhibits human skeletons, clay objects, tools, jewellery, iron and bronze objects, sculptures and carvings are very valuable things. The most significant artifacts are „an  iron  melting  kiln‟  and  „a  purple  colour embedded  gold  earring‟.  The galleries  at  the Museum are filled with drawings and photographs but these do not provide much technical information.

Among the museum exhibits human skeletons, clay objects, tools, jewellery, iron and bronze objects, sculptures and carvings are very valuable things. The most significant artifacts are „an  iron  melting  kiln‟  and  „a  purple  colour embedded  gold  earring‟.  The galleries  at  the Museum are filled with drawings and photographs but these do not provide much technical information.         The artifacts enlighten us on the way of humans settlements distributed and evolved in and around Sigiriya; how human  beings changed  from itinerant  food gatherers and  hunters to sedentary farmers  while their settlements  changed from temporary dwellings to permanent agrarian  villages.  Likewise,  the  exhibits  at  the  Museum  educate  us  about  the  Buddhist monastic era from the Pre-Kasyapa period to the „Golden  Age‟  of  Sigiriya  which emerged during the reign of King Kasyapa. Such artifacts, commodities and materials have cultural, technological and archaeological value, and depict an indication about cultural evolution in the region from Prehistoric times to the reign of King Kasyapa which extends from 10,000 yr B.P to 1,520 yr B.P. Although, a number of disciplines come alive in the newly built Sigiriya Museum, the number of visitors is relatively low when compared to the number of arrivals to the  Sigiriya  Rock  Site.  Accordingly,  this  paper  reveals  the  courses  and  consequences responsible for the reduction of arrivals to the museum. Also this paper attempts to provide recommendations to attract more visitors to the Sigiriya Museum for visual narration of our tangible heritage.

Arrangement of the museum 

With entering the Sigiriya Museum, one has to go through a brick tunnel that was designed similarly to the archway of the Sigiriya Fortress. The floors are built so that visitors can feel the Sigiriya climb through the ascending terraces and the wide stairways. The exhibits of the museum contain two galleries as the lower floor and the upper floor.  First floor gallery has twelve thematic and chronological divisions. The entrance to the first gallery is through a brick tunnel (Photo 1) that is designed in the same way as the archway of the Sigiriya Fortress. The first division of the first gallery exhibit the objects of Geology ofSigiriya,  pre  and  protohistory  and  the  technology  of  iron  production.  Prehistoric  human skeleton (Photo 3) found from the Pothana rock shelter, which is exhibited at the museum depict C14 dating as 5500  yr B.P (Adikari 1994: 67). Likewise, the especial burial objects from Ibbankatuwa megalithic burial site (Photo 4) and the iron furnace from Alakolawewa iron production site are some of the valuable exhibits at the museum.

The second division of the museum exhibits the objects related to the early and late Buddhist monasteries  of Sigiriya  and suburb.  The special  objects  in the  gallery  are two  dolomitic marble plaques found from the stupa at Pidurangala. One of these is rare, and has carvings on both sides.    Third  division  exhibit  the  objects  related  to  the  theme  of the  “Golden  Age”  of Sigiriya. There  are exhibits of architectural ornamentations, tiles, all types of bricks, terra cotta tubing, iron nails,  hinges, struts etc. Especially, visitor can see the model of Sigiriya rock and garden in a bird eye view. Additionally there is a conjecture 3D film depicting the ancient Sigiriya palace in its glory.  Fourth  division  exhibits  Sigiri  graffiti,  the  paintings  of  boulder  garden  and  terra  cotta sculptures. Here audio strategy is used to listen to the Sigiriya graffiti. Similarly, the Fifth division is used to exhibit the artifacts related to courtly and monastic life and foreign trade. That collection contains jewelries, coins, weapons and potteries. Sassanian vessels (Photo 5), which reveal the international affairs is the attractive item at the Sigiriya museum. Withal, the sixth division includes the objects of the “hidden centuries”, and there one can see folk terra cotta objects found from Ilukwewa, Iberian door lock (Photo 6) and a headdress of a regional chieftain. Furthermore, musicological techniques are using at the Sigiriya museum especially electronic instruments for visual narration of our heritages. The upper (second) gallery is a replica of the “fresco pocket”. The targeted visitors of this gallery are the disable visitors who cannot reach to the Sigiriya rock fresco pocket. Thus, a number of disciplines come alive in the newly built Sigiriya Museum. However, the number of visitors to the museum is relatively low when compared to the number of arrivals to the Sigiriya Site. The number of local visitors to the Sigiriya Site was 392,552; 460,658;311,628  and  389,724  from  2010  to  2013  respectively.  Similarly,  foreign  visitors  at  the Museum are also low, ranging between 166,187; 204,388; 234,906 and 273,344 during the same period (Figure 1). When compared the arrivals to the Sigiriya site with the local and foreign arrivals to the Museum fluctuated from year to year. Between 2010 and 2013 all the locals who visited to the Sigiriya museum only 9.3%, 19.0%, 20.0% and 20.7% respectively. Among the foreigners, the proportion who visited the Museum during the same period was 16.11%, 9.23%, 26.54 and 29.51% respectively (Figure 2). These figures show that the lack of local and foreign visitors for the museum. Majority of the tourists gave their priority and attention to the Sigiriya Rock site. 

The museum premises have established alongside from the main pathway. This is one of the main reasons that  reduce the number of visitors  at museum. The  majority of  the  museum visitors are school children, but school children or teachers have no idea about the museum and exhibits due to lack of historical, cultural and geographical knowledge and values. Many foreign tourists are going to another destination after visiting the Sigiriya Rock site. This also happens due to lack of knowledge on museums, their exhibit materials and print makers for guides  who bring  foreigners  from different  countries.  However, a  large  number  of local visitors arrive to the rock site and the museum during the Wesak, Poson and Esala Buddhist Festival periods, while most  of the foreign arrivals  occur between September  to February each year. 

Conclusions 

National museums  provide  with exhibitions  of archaeology, nature,  art, and  industrial and social history, mainly for local and foreign visitors of any country. As a World Heritage site Sigiriya  Rock and  its surroundings  supply  an  archaeological  wonder of  Sri  Lankan  City Planning, Arts, Gardenscaping, Engineering, Hydraulic Technology and Defense of the 5th Century  AD. Following  such  activities,  the  Sigiriya museum  is  an important  monument, which exhibits the archaeological heritage and traditional folk heritage.   

There are many activities and promotional programmes undertaken to increase the arrivals of tourist at the Sigiriya museum. Thus various temporary exhibitions based on heritage of folk culture,  cultural  shows,  visitor  activities  are  going  on  through  the  permanent  museum exhibition.  As  a  result  of  those  kinds  of activities,  museum  is  receiving  positive  visitor comments,  yet  it  is unable  to increase  the head  count of  visitors  attending the  museum.. Therefore,  to  overcome  this  issue,  well developed  awareness  programmes,  guide  papers, instructions for  guides and booklets for  school children, teachers as well as for locals and foreigners are necessary.

The entrance to the Sigiriya Museum is through a brick tunnel that is designed in the same way as the

archway of Water Garden of the Sigiriya Royal City Complex. Inside this newly built museum exhibits

human skeletons, clay objects, tools, jewellery, sculptures and carvings, which were found from

archaeological excavations at Sigiriya and its surrounding area. Some are iron and bronze objects

that portray the prehistoric and historic cultural evolution in Sri Lanka. The galleries at the Museum

are filled with drawings and photographs but these do not provide much technical information. These

commodities and materials have cultural, technological and archaeological value, and provide an

indication about cultural evolution in the region from Prehistoric times to the reign of King Kasyapa

which extends from 10,000 yr B.P to 1,520 yr B.P.

The entrance to the Sigiriya Museum is through a brick tunnel that is designed in the same way as the

archway of Water Garden of the Sigiriya Royal City Complex. Inside this newly built museum exhibits

human skeletons, clay objects, tools, jewellery, sculptures and carvings, which were found from

archaeological excavations at Sigiriya and its surrounding area. Some are iron and bronze objects

that portray the prehistoric and historic cultural evolution in Sri Lanka. The galleries at the Museum

are filled with drawings and photographs but these do not provide much technical information. These

commodities and materials have cultural, technological and archaeological value, and provide an

indication about cultural evolution in the region from Prehistoric times to the reign of King Kasyapa

which extends from 10,000 yr B.P to 1,520 yr B.P.