When Sigiriya Paintings were defaced 42 years ago

By Vikmaj - 42 years ago Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage site and considered to be Eighth Wonder of the World, famous for its frescoes of Sigiriya Damsels, landscaped gardens and Sigiri Graffiti, plunged into a pall of gloom when the vandals defaced the unique paintings. Green paint had been daubed over the priceless paintings while some had been hacked away.

The vandals had carried out their dastardly act on the night of 13th October 1967, and the early morning news of the calamity made the following day a day of despair not only for Sri Lanka but for the entire world as these paintings coming down from 5th century A.D. were a world heritage.

Dr Senarath Paranavithana, regarded as the foremost archaeologist of Sri Lanka who had devoted most of his professional life to bring back Sigiriya to its pristine glory, was horrified by this act. As the saying goes, when Dr Paranavithana visited Sigiriya even on that day, there was a shower in the area.

The Italian restoration expert Dr Luciano Maranzi was flown down to Sri Lanka (Ceylon then) to restore the priceless works of art. Not only the Sri Lankans but the entire world was indebted to this great artist and his team for their incomparable effort in bringing back the famous Sigiriya Damsels to life. In the process, they have managed to uncover some hidden paintings too.

Fresco disaster at Sigiriya in 1967 - Premasara Epasinghe, well known cricket commentator, describes the incident