Right to Protect Rock-solid Evidence

Bewildering Mahayana Rock images of Buduruvagala

History seems to be making news in Sri Lanka these days.

‘Protect Our Jurassic Park’ screams a headline in the Sunday Times this week

The call to revamp Archeological laws to preserve the past is pertinent if not urgent.

The report based on concerns expressed by experts suggests some of the pre-historic fossils are endangered in the absence of proper protection.

Their entreaty is laudable.

But what the brigands of horrendous Tomb Raiders are doing to plunder and destroy the nation’s heritage is most condemnable.

Hundreds of renegade ‘ Indiana Jones’ types have been caught with their hi-tech backhoes, electronic  locators, metal detectors and dynamite ferreting mainly into places of worship in search of buried treasure.

The country apparently has laws to deal with these despicable rodents among whom are some sundry politicos , uniformed personnel and even sinister monks.

But with relatively low incidence of enforcement and negligible deterrent punitive action our ancient temples face predictable doom.

Seriously, is it not time to reinforce heritage protection laws and consider having special task forces to deal with the vultures of culture?

Needless to say Sri Lanka is endowed with colossal evidence of inspirational works of a glorious millennia.

We take pride just to gaze in awe at the magnificent stupas, legendary murals of Sigiriya and the stunning carved- in- rock tributes to the Noble One that our creative ancients have contributed for posterity.

Arguably the Cultural Triangle administration is doing whatever it can to care for most of the important heritage sites. What about many other places that bear testimony to our great cultural heritage?

Much needs to be done before the rot sets in.

Much could be done to promote awareness among visitors both local and global about the rich history that is hidden behind these beautiful works of ancient art.

Just to mention a couple of historic places that needs attention are the many splendored Buduruvagala edifice off Wellawaya and the mystic Kustarajagala near Weligama.

Both belong to the Mahayanist style of Buddhist architecture that prevailed during the time of their creation.

Fifty One foot high standing Buddha hewn into solid rock over one thousand years ago at Buduruvagala is said to be the tallest of its kind in the world today.

That is after Taliban senselessly destroyed the once tallest Bamyan Buddha twelve years ago.

Flanking the majestic Buddha image are six other intricately carved figures said to be that of Bodhisattvas , foremost among them  Avaloketsivara and Tara Devi.

Hidden in a village hamlet off the beaten track, Buduruvagala is hardly a tourist hot spot. Nor many pilgrims are seen as one may expect there.

Yet this Mahayana monolith has continued to generate interest among scholars and historians here and abroad.

For several years between 1962 and 1977. Professor Hans Braker a Dean at the prestigious University of Trier in the Federal Republic of Germany made many visits to the site while studying Sri Lanka’s Mahayana links.

Dr. Braker a specialist in Asian affairs at this university , the alma mater of Karl Marx , spoke to me in 1976 about his intensive research into Buduruvagala while searching for  connections in the Indian subcontinent. He even sought relevant  information in the Himalayan regions of Nepal, Ladakh and Bhutan.

For some inexplicable reason the Mahayanist influence on some of Sri Lanka’s splendid works of ancient art is rather meagre, albeit the significance.

One reason could well be due to the majority and overwhelming Theravada tradition in the country.

Mahayana concepts that originated in the Gandhara region is said to have come to Sri Lanka   long after Theravada had taken steady root.

They came and they went, but not before leaving formidable timeless rock-solid telltales.

Creative Mahayanists provided undeniable proof by way of art and architecture.

It was also when Mahayana practitioners  enjoyed royal patronage especially during the reign of King Mahasen while monks of both schools lived side by side in monasteries. Sometimes in harmony.

Contemporary archaeologists believe that the much beloved Aukana Buddha image belongs to Mahayanist by way of style.

Adding further credence to this is the very name Aukana.  The Buddha image destroyed by Taliban stood in Bamyan region in present Afghanistan that used to be called Vokkana or Vakona.

Both images depicted Buddha in what is known as the ‘Asisa Mudra.’

It is heartening to note that Aukana image is still being reproduced at various temples and prominent places of Buddhist worship in the country.

A gigantic replica was erected recently at the Devinuwara Vishnu temple.

The presence of the Bodhisattva pantheon is several ancient works of art in Sri Lanka have been recorded in recent times.

Further research in this regard will be invaluable in their very essence.

According to historical data the vibrant Silk Road activity during that time would have inevitably contributed to the cross-cultural influences like Mahayana-Theravada interaction.

Chinese pilgrim monk Fa Xian (412-414 AD) is said to have carried with him Sanskrit Mahayana Sutras from the Abhayagiri monastery after spending few years in Sri Lanka.

Providing ample Mahayanist evidence are magnificent monuments like Buduruvagala, Aukana, Gal Vihara, Sanchi, Angkor Wat, Borobudur, and a myriad of cultural artifacts of North, South and South East where Buddhism continues to thrive.

Frescos and murals in caves like Ajanta , Ellora and also Sigiriya depict art that have decidedly Mahayana influence. Some claim,  contentiously though, that the famous Apsaras are depiction of Tara the consort of Bodhisattva Avaloketisvara.

So is Bodhisattva Samanthabadra rock carving standing forlorn by the roadside off Weligama crying out for better protection from the elements. Popularly known as Kustarajagala it bears testimony to a Mahayana past.

A solid gilt bronze cast statue of Bodhisattva Avaloketisvara belonging to the late Anuradhapura period (8-9 Century) was discovered in the late sixties at Sri Sangabo Vihara at Veragala.

Just as much as it is regarded acceptable   to use this image in Sri Lanka’s tourism promotion material as they do now, it would certainly be the responsibility of those relevant  to fortify protection to whatever is left of our ancient works of art and architecture.

As tomb-raiders in quest of filthy lucre eye these to make a quick fortune, countermeasures should be the order of the day.

Yesterday!!!

1976 article on Dr Hans Braker

Intricate Bodhisattva images at Buduruvagala

Stunning GalVihara Buddha image

Bodhisattva Avaloketisvara image found at Veragala

Fresco at Sigiriya

Replica of Aukana Buddha at Devinuwara

Cartoon Therapy for Political Hubris

PRINT MEDIA SINKING IN  A DIGITAL FLOOD ?

Newspapers as we used to know are slowly but surely going extinct.

That’s old news in the West though it may not be breaking news in the East. Not as yet.

When print makes way to pixels, not necessarily by choice, its denizens too join the endangered lot.

Akin to the plight of Penguins and Polar Bears sitting despondently on melting icebergs as global warming takes its toll.

Among the first victims of this inevitable transformation are Editorial Cartoonists.

Some get laid off as their presses fold up, while others are compelled to seek refuge either in the Internet for a pittance or flip burgers for their daily bread.

It will be a crying shame to see them go the way of the Dino and the Dodo.

Down the years cartoonists in the print media have provided the ultimate acid test for the level of freedom that prevails in a given country. Cartoons they create act as barometers of democracy.

The enduring power of political cartoons helps to impact public opinion, expose hypocrisy and deflate the hubris of the powers that be.

The pitfalls are numerous too as the sinister and the powerful view the cartoonist as bête noire. According to   popular American humorist the late Art Buchwald, dictators both Right and Left fear political cartoonists more than they do the Atom Bomb.

During the Second World War, the dreaded Gestapo had  London based cartoonist David Low on their hit list for lampooning Adolf Hitler.

Some have paid with their life. Among them Palestinian cartoonist Naji Salim killed outside his London office two decades ago.

Quite recently a Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat got his arms broken allegedly by the militia while in India cartoonist Aseen Trivedi, who frequently exposed corruption in public life, faced legal action. Meanwhile a Sri Lankan cartoonist Eknaligoda is reportedly ‘missing’ for well over two years.

The vital place editorial cartoonists enjoyed in the print media is fast disappearing.  Not only due to shut downs preceded by shrinking readership, but also due to censorship, draconian press laws and deceptive action of spin doctors and code-peddlers.

Gone are the days when cartoonists could skewer the arrogant and ridicule the unjust with caricatures when words were too risky and open for legal vulnerabilities.

Cartoonists and their editors should know when and where to draw the line as they use this confrontational yet persuasive art form to mold public opinion.

It could therefore be a daunting challenge to walk the fine line so as to promote social justice while upholding freedom of expression.

I have had my fair share of “cartoon capers “in the print media: Some of it hilarious in their own right whiles others decidedly not.

During my first year as the expatriate Editor of Brunei’s leading newspaper Borneo Bulletin, the former Chief of Police demanded explanation why we ran a canine looking caricature depicting the traffic policemen. He demanded an explanation pronto with a letter hand delivered to my office by two officers.

The ‘offensive’ cartoon depicted a policeman with a long nose akin to a snout inspecting motorists. This apparently infuriated some top brass where dogs are considered unclean in local culture.

To my utter dismay the cartoonist held his ground insisting that the drawing was aptly depicted in the way it was.

But when I asked if that snouty cop could also look like a crocodile the cartoonist responded in the affirmative.

So as the officers waited impatiently, I wrote in to the Chief to say that the face resembled that of a croc and not a dog.

It was not the end of the story though the Chief did not pursue the matter further.

Calling a man a crocodile there is a grievous insult which I did not know at the time, though the cheeky local cartoonist was fully cognizant of.

In the early seventies I got away with a fine, escaping jail time in Sri Lanka for publishing a cartoon in the now defunct Weekend when cartoonist Janaka drew some policemen giving the third degree chili bag treatment to a suspect.

The Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) set up to try suspects of JVP revolt  found the cartoon to be in contempt of court.

The cartoonist missed out 3 words that made the publication culpable. Instead of writing CJC Act and all that he missed out the word “Act” which made the then Justice Minister angry prompting legal action.

One funny yet engaging episode deals with the distinctive ire of former Sri Lankan President JR Jayewardene who threatened to close our newspaper down when our cartoonist Gerreyn caricatured him holding the tail of the devil dousing the fires of Tamil Tiger terror.

The cartoonist based the humor on an interview JR gave on his decision to obtain Israeli military help to fight the Tigers. He reportedly said he would even get the devil’s help to fight terrorism.

But what made the President angry was when his Information Chief pointed out that Satan was drawn to look nicer than JR in that cartoon.

The ‘old fox’ as he was popularly called, later cooled down.

Instead following up his initial threat he introduced laws that required cartoons also to be censored under Emergency Regulations. Before that episode cartoonists enjoyed media’s indispensable freedom to lampoon.

Few years later when our cartoonist Amitha was enticed join another rival newspaper, leaving a hole in the page3 of the SUN I stepped in to create Ibson’s Choice. (BELOW: Few Ibson cartoons from my Archives)

When Britain handed over HongKong

EcoTourism amidst Borneo forest fires

Asia’s economic crisis

Super Earths & StarGates

Celluloid hero, the invincible Superman from the fictional planet Krypton had another incarnation at a world première a fortnight ago.

While this swashbuckling alien either wowed or bored movie fans, serious planet watchers announced a breakthrough discovery about what they called ‘ Super Earths’ that may have an answer to humankind’s ceaseless quest for intelligent life in the cosmos.

In a headline grabbing announcement astronomers at Germany’s Gottingen University revealed that the new planets were found orbiting about 22 light years away near exoplanet Gliese 667c, a habitable zone that could support life.

Scientists also endearingly refer to this area as the “Goldilocks Zone’. They contend that it is an ideal place for water. One of the SuperEarths is strikingly similar to that of ours.

This exciting news invariably sparked various theories and even hints  at possible missions to these planets.

For instance the prestigious Smithsonian Institution in a blog titled

‘Surprising Science’ spelt out variables of powering such expeditions.

Besides conventional rockets it mentioned other fuel sources like anti-matter, solar cells, nuclear power and ion energy.

The late great Sir Arthur C Clarke who convincingly upheld the theory of  life in other galaxies envisaged the so-called Space Elevator in his 1979 best seller ‘Fountains of Paradise.’

Understandably, a space elevator could facilitate interstellar travel sans any spacecraft.

Sir Arthur, who first envisioned geostationary satellite communications that eventually became world phenomena, also wrote about wormhole physics, which allows intergalactic travel.

In his classic 2001 – A Space Odyssey, Sir Arthur propounded the metaphysics of Stargate (a word first coined by him)as  an open cosmic portal between two separate points in space.

Since then the very idea of Stargate is being pursued in  arenas of science fiction and science fact, Hollywood blockbusterists notwithstanding.

Also referred to as the Einstein Rosen Bridge by scientists, these wormholes may already have had some galactic influence on earth.

Unresolved mysteries that surround the origins of the Pyramids of Egypt, Chichen Itza of the Mayan, and Peruvian Machu Pichu some believe may have had some sort of alien input or influence.

Did any extra-terrestrial intelligence have a hand in the creation of these great edifices and the inherent scientific marvels?

Did ancient Sri Lankan ruler Ravana who is credited with superhuman powers have any alien support?  If so was such help rendered through a stargate wormhole?

Sounds incredible. But one unique stone inscription on a boulder at Isurumuniya in North Central Sri Lanka may shed some light on this mystery.

Known in Sinhala as a Sakwala Chakra this petroglyph is claimed to have been created at least 5000 years ago, around the same time Ravana ruled Lanka.

This rock inscribed boulder is located at Ran Masu Uyana about 500 meters away from the famous Isurumuniya Vihara at Anuradhapura.

Hitherto no rational explanation has been made about what this stone inscription means. A caretaker at the site however claimed that this may have been a rock carving  by ancient Buddhist monks where they meditated.

Meanwhile it remains shrouded in mystery, yet plain to see if one were to visit the RanMasu Uyana, which was once a royal pleasure garden over a thousand years ago.

It was here that Crown Prince Saliya met and fell in love with fair maiden Asokamala a commoner. He sacrificed the throne by marrying her and went down into history as a romantic epic.

Some believe Sakwala Chakra to symbolize a stargate with inter-dimensional potential. Such claims have however been rebuffed as illogical by certain local architects and archeologists. Whatever the case may be the Sakwala Chakra stone inscription is regarded as one of the clearest indication of a stargate in the world.

This inscription is quite precise denoting Zen like squares, rectangles and lines plus various hieroglyphs and seven circled chakra.

Similar inscriptions are reportedly found at Abu Ghurab close to the Pyramid of Giza in Egypt and as star codes in Chichen Itza in Mexico.

Until someone steps in with a plausible explanation, I choose to remain somewhat intrigued as any other by this message on a rock.

Petroglyph of the stargate symbol at RanMasu Uyana

Close up showing the seven-ringed Chakra

Zen like carvings on the rock showing various hieroglyphs

Sakwala Chakra carvings on a rock behind this boulder

As one enters the Ran Masu Uyana at Isurumuniya North Central Sri Lanka