12 Friday 15th February, 2008 Sitavaka Abimana: Exhibiting Regional History in Present-Day

n a hot Saturday morning in history, fauna and flora—even the Fig. 1 The Entrance to the Sitavaka Abimana Exhibition January, amidst the many secu- famous Saman Devale had its own (Sunanda Premasiri, Kegalle Sannas, and daughters of this region: the kingdom. The Sitavaka Hatana,the Ority checks on the streets of stall. Yet if the goal of the exhibition p33). Once when the king was travel- award-winning film director and first war poem in Sinhala literature, , we set off to in was to instill a sense of pride among ing along the his boat got actress, Sumithra Pieris; the famous which describes the great warrior hopes of viewing Sitavaka Abimana: the people of Sitavaka about their stuck for no apparent reason. Seeing archaeologist ; and Rajasinha in battle against the An Educational and Archaeological place in history this message seemed an old Pattini devale nearby, he offered Philip Gunawardena, famed for his Portuguese, was also written in this Exhibition. It had been organized by to get lost amidst the many displays. a lamp and promised to renovate the paddy lands act, who worked hard for period. the Ministry of Urban Development Possibly, the exhibition could have temple. Immediately, the boat came social justice. All were given much So, how does one create a regional and Sacred Area Development with been arranged in a more thematic free and the king happily went on his prominence through an installation of exhibition that can attract an audi- the collaboration of the Department of fashion to convey a concise narrative. way (Sabaragamuva Vamsakatha, Vol. photographs. And who ever knew that ence from beyond that region? There Archaeology, universities, and other Nevertheless, my experience at the 2, p576). At the exhibition, the Pattini the great orator and scholar is no easy answer. Narrowing the institutions. This was the first time first stall perhaps captured the expec- halamba—the ornament of the Sooriyapperuma and our very own focus of the show to a few salient that such an exhibition had been tations of the organizers. deity—the most sacred object at this Olympic medalist Susanthika points that holds the exhibition organized on the Sitavaka kingdom The first stall in the main exhibi- devale, was on display in a small glass Jayasinghe hailed from this region together—such as the birth of the (1521-1593), which at one time was the tion hall consisted of a model of the vitrine. Nearby was the Tuwakkuwa, too! colonial struggle with Rajasinghe in largest polity in Southwestern Sri center of Sitavaka, and it was interest- a small cannon, which is shot at the For the bibliophile, regional exhi- the past and the continuation of it by Lanka, extending from Mathota in the ing to see how the audience reacted. beginning of the devale’s annual pere- bitions are also a great place to add to Philip Gunawardena in the modern north and beyond in the Two little children—brother and sis- hara. Exhibitions are about seeing the one’s collection. An interesting dis- period—-could be of interest to the south. The story of the Sitavaka king- ter—were thrilled to see their town real object and I commend the organ- covery was the visual guide to the larger community. The offer of an dom begins with Mayadunne and con- reduced to a scale model. Perhaps it is izer of that stall for educating the pub- Maduwanwala Walauwa, which was authentic experience through object tinues with the unrelenting fight or site-based learning can draw mounted by his youngest son, Tikiri crowds too. Of course, to create Bandara Rajasinha, against the blockbuster shows one needs funding Portuguese to prevent the country and partnerships to tap into various from succumbing to colonial servi- audiences. Certainly, choosing a tude. (For a detailed account of this World Heritage site can promise a period, see Professor Risimon great turnout, as we saw with anoth- Amarasinghe’s The Rise and Decline of er January cultural event—the the Kingdom of Sitawaka, 1998). Sadly, today even the name “Sitavaka” Literary Festival—which was at the itself is erased from daily usage, as other end of the spectrum with its the present-day town is called exorbitant prices and expatriate Avissawella. crowds. Yes, it is important to cele- When we arrived at the venue, two brate Sri Lankan English or Sri hours later, I was amazed to see the Lankan authors who write in long line of people, which wound its English, but isn’t it just as important way through the sprawling garden of to celebrate the local history and lit- the town hall out onto the streets of erature of the varied regions of Sri Avissawella. I must confess that I was Lanka? In contrast to an interna- one of the more fortunate visitors to tional literary festival, could we not the exhibition, having procured a spe- offer a literary walk with Kavi cial invitation that enabled me—some- Maduwas along the way, perhaps what to my embarrassment—to whiz based on the Savul Sandesa,which past the hundreds of people who were traces the path of the cock from patiently awaiting their turn to see The Tuwakkuwa from the Madagoda Pattini Devale The Pattini Halamba from the Madagoda Pattini Devale Sitavaka to the abode of god Sumana and learn about their local history. in Saparapura? This was a three-day exhibition Unlike in Tokyo, Chicago, or San lic about the few treasures left behind built in 1700, and is a must see for any- Francisco, what sadly strikes me running from January 10 to 12 for easier for one to relate to one’s geo- from this important period. one interested in the history of this which admission was free, and I had graphical location in a toy-like form when I walk into such regional exhi- The general notion about the region. I also stumbled across the 2nd bitions, and cultural events in the happened to come on the last day—a and to understand it from a bird’s eye- artistic production of the Sitavaka edition of Sitavaka Urumaya by style of the Galle Literary Festival, is Saturday—that probably explained the view. They were quite excited to see period is that there is “virtually no Philip Gunawardena. Initially pub- the class-based nature of the audi- huge turnout. The flags leading up to familiar features such as an old kos survival from which a judgment could lished in 1973, it was probably the first ence. Is there not a way to bring the the venue that had greeted us indicat- tree that is believed to exist from the be made” (C.R. de Silva “The Rise and time that an attempt was made to two audiences—the ordinary Sri ed that a politician had graced it with time of Sitavaka Rajasinha. All those Fall of the Kingdom of Sitavaka 1521- rehabilitate the image of the much- Lankan and the Colombo 7 elite—to his presence. In fact, the Prime who stopped at this stall, irrespective 1593” in University of Peradeniya maligned monarch Sitavaka the same informal educational space? Minister himself had opened the of age, were also glued to the short but , vol. 2, p103). Rajasinha, and stress the importance Or is that a figment of the imagina- exhibition. As I found out later interesting video, produced by the True enough, very little art survives of Sitavaka as the centre of colonial tion? For a start, an exhibition at the though, the main attraction to ministry, which showed the archaeo- from this period due to the Portuguese resistance against the Portuguese. A Colombo National Museum on the Sitavaka Abimana lay in the multi- logical sites around their hometown. policy of plunder and proselytism. small guide to the Sitavaka Abimana history of Colombo would have the media display inside the partially con- By holding the exhibition on the The sad state of the Berendi kovil, exhibition would have been appreciat- structed two-story concrete building of weekend, the organizers seem to have patronized by both Mayadunne and ed, but lacking one, Sitavaka potential to attract both audiences. the town hall. aimed it at families so that school- Sitavaka Rajasinha, speaks to this Ranabima by Sitavaka Channa Kusal, Perhaps another project for the Inside the narrow hall were children and parents could view their tragedy. Displayed at this stall was a which describes all the ancient sites Ministry of Urban Development? around fifty stalls featuring exhibits history together. In many modern day scale model of the Berendi kovil, related to the kingdom of Sitavaka, Two hours later, I walked away ranging from the history of the museums in the US, that are an inte- which hopefully will encourage those and which I could not have easily from the Sitavaka Abimana exhibi- Sitavaka kingdom to that of the police gral part of their local community, who came to the exhibition to visit the located in a Colombo bookstore, filled tion, exhausted but excited about the bomb squad. Heads were bobbing exhibitions are carefully structured to nearby ruins of this temple to this function. In recent years, there highly commendable efforts of the about everywhere, and at times it was capture the attention of all ages, Bhairava. has been a great boom in books on the organizers and the appreciation of impossible to see past the crowd in including very young children, and Another interesting stall consisted history, archaeology, and literature of the crowds. I could hear the loud certain popular stalls, such as the one the “family day” is a popular event of mounted photographs of lesser- various regions—walk into bookstores speaker from the little stall in the devoted to the indigenous man, where that draws large crowds to the muse- known temples in the Sabaragamuva such as Sarasavi, Samayawardhana, garden proclaiming how history had a live model was enacting a Veddha. um. Kudos to the organizers of province, such as Nadun Vihara, Visidunu, and Godage and you will be misrepresented Rajasinha—that he At exhibitions and museums in the Sitavaka Abimana for capturing the Kottimbulwala Rajamaha Vihara, and greeted by numerous books written was not a heretic, nor a parricide. At US, gallery tours conducted by cos- interest of Avissawella families! Omalpe Tampita Vihara. One of the and published by Sri Lankans who are least the next generation of tumed interpreters, who explain the Personally, the most interesting most beautifully located temples in Sri interested in discovering more about Sitavakans will be proud of their collection to the public, or enact cer- stall, decorated at the entrance with a Lanka, Nadun Vihara received the the places where they live. warrior king. tain ideas and themes inclusive of papier-mâché figure of Sitavaka patronage of the last king of , Perhaps in some future exhibition Sujatha Arundathi Meegama was dance and song, are important fea- Rajasinha and walls covered with Sri Vikrama Rajasinha (another the literature of the Sitavaka king- a Fellow in Museum Education at the tures of an informal learning environ- modern-day paintings of the great monarch vilified in colonial and local dom could also receive some atten- museum—The Art Institute of ment. warrior in battle, was situated in the historiography) who was struck by the tion, so as to dispel ideas such as: “In Chicago. Presently, she is a Fulbright The comprehensive nature of the garden, away from the chaos in the beauty of the ola leaf writing of the literature the age of Sitavaka cannot Fellow from the University of show was astounding, and perhaps it main exhibition hall. It consisted of venerable Karandana Devarakkhita of compare with the preceding age of California, Berkeley, working on a was this aspect of the exhibition that the cultural treasures of the Nadun Vihara who had translated the Kotte” (C.R. de Silva, p103). After all, Ph.D. dissertation entitled, From attracted people. There was literally Madagoda Pattini Devale, which was Pali Majjhima Nikaya into Sinhala. Alagiyavanna Mukevati, one of our Kovils to Devales: Patronage and something for everyone: martial arts, built by Sitavaka Rajasinha according The organizers also did not fail to greatest poets and the author of the Pluralism in Medieval Sri Lankan archaeology, ola leaf writing, political to the Madagoda Devale sannasa recognize the modern-day native sons Savul Sandesa, was from the Sitavaka Temples.

by Asina Pornwasin passengers. Since the vehicle is in The Nation/ANN the eye of a monitoring system, the central office knows the exact angkok residents will soon Calling a cab goes hi-tech location of a cab, its route and have more ways to call a destination. If any unexpected Btaxi, without having to walk (GIS) and GSM or CDMA mobile could call from a taxi seek the nearest available taxi for events occur, they can be in con- to the street or wait in lonely networks. kiosk in a shopping that particular user, and assign trol immediately. The Office of places. To turn the idea into reality or convention centre. the job to it. This will improve Transport and Traffic Policy and Some taxis in the future will requires system implementation They could also call waiting time for users. Planning (OTP) may act as the be embedded with either a GPS both in the vehicle and at the cen- at taxi counters in The concept could provide host for collaboration among the Global Positioning System (GPS) tral office of the taxi cooperatives. conference centres, benefits to both passengers and stakeholders, especially the 12 receiver or a mobile phone SIM In the vehicle will be a GPS or could make a taxi drivers, and reduce traffic taxi cooperatives. The research is unit that allows people to get the receiver and a terminal equipped request via SMS. and air pollution in Bangkok. finished and the next step is a nearest taxi faster with the assis- with a GSM or CDMA SIM. Both All these meth- Taxi drivers would no longer need pilot project to be established tance of taxi cooperatives. The work as a location base feature ods could become to drive around seeking passen- with at least 4,000 taxis. idea was formed as a result of device to allow the taxi coopera- available in the near gers and that would reduce the Chamroon Tangpaisalkit, research supported by the tive to know the exact position of future, once the GPS number of vehicles on the road, director of OTP's Transport Thailand Research Fund. every cab in real time, as well as and mobile network especially during rush hour. Safety Bureau, said OTP could be Viroat Srisurapanon, head of whether that vehicle is available. systems are imple- Moreover, passengers would not the coordinator for the pilot proj- the transport engineering divi- In the central office, a base- mented. need to go out on the street in rain ect. sion of the Department of Civil map software allows staff to see Many aspects of or scorching sun. There are about "We see that the idea could Engineering at King Mongkut's the status of taxis in particular People would be able to call a technology are 60,000 taxis in Bangkok. On aver- bring us further useful informa- University of Technology Thon areas. The system could be imple- taxi from wherever they are involved behind this scenario. age, one taxi gets about 12 trips tion about traffic flow. The system Buri and head of the research mented on top of the existing through a variety of methods. All taxi-calling channels per day.One out of every three can calculate the speed of some group said the concept was to radio system that has been Rather than waiting for up to 20 require software that works com- taxis is driving around without a vehicles in particular areas and utilise three main technologies: installed and used separately.It or 30 minutes to get a cab, people pliantly with the central office of passenger. analyse it into traffic flow data base-map software, GPS and can run in parallel with the exist- will be able to get a taxi in a much the cooperatives. Once a request The concept aims to improve for particular roads," said Geographic Information System ing system. shorter time. For example, they is made, the central office will security for both taxi drivers and Chamroon.