Sri Lanka has a rich and diverse cultural heritage ranging from the pre-historic period to modern times. It consists of humble pre-historic cave dwellings to storied royal palaces, megalithic burials to gigantic stupas, ornamental ponds to man-made great tanks, gardens to panoramic landscapes, etc., which are rapidly disappearing from our land and are also not considered for protection. The properties with heritage values will be listed in ICOMOS Sri Lanka’s National Heritage List. Once the nominations are received by the ICOMOS Sri Lanka Secretariat, they will be evaluated by two committees. The Technical Evaluation Committee is appointed by the Council of ICOMOS Sri Lanka, and with their recommendations, the information shall be forwarded to the Scientific Committee, which is also appointed by the Council of ICOMOS Sri Lanka, whose task is to make the final recommendations to the Council of ICOMOS Sri Lanka regarding the nominations of heritage properties to be inscribed on the ICOMOS Sri Lanka National Heritage List.
Listed Heritage Sites
Why a National Heritage List by ICOMOS Sri Lanka
Currently the identification and assessment of Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage for its protection, appreciation etc. are primarily based on the criteria of the antiquarian value (those older than March 2nd of 1815 for automatic listing or 100 years if gazetted). Therefore, the properties having other heritage values such as architectural, landscape, technological and aesthetic values etc. are not listed for protection. For instance, some of the irrigation tanks, canals and water ways of the historic period that are older than March 2nd of 1815 are not listed by the Department of Archaeology. Similarly, the living cultural landscapes such as tank cascade based agricultural settlements dating to a period well before the above-mentioned date are not even considered for listing, as such properties lack archaeological value. The wattle-and-daub structures, traditional grain storage bins etc. which are rapidly disappearing from our land are also not considered for protection. Moreover, the modern buildings and structures demonstrating high creative or technical achievements (such as the new parliament building, hotel buildings of high architectural value, bridges and dams of significant engineering value etc.), which express the development of architectural and engineering skills of the modern generation, will not even qualify for listing under the present provisions of the Antiquities Ordinance. Therefore, the list that is maintained by the Department of Archaeology is not a complete list of the monuments and sites covering all the heritage values, irrespective of their age. The lack of a comprehensive list of heritage properties on the other hand had threatened the survival of such properties as they are not formally recognized for protection. Therefore, ICOMOS Sri Lanka has established a new system of assessment of the properties and to include those having a wide range of heritage values in the National Heritage List of ICOMOS Sri Lanka so that ICOMOS Sri Lanka, with the assistance of the interested stakeholders and general public could raise a collective voice to save such properties from destruction.
The Objectives
- To provide due recognition of Island’s diverse facets of cultural heritage having diverse heritage values for identification, protection, appreciation as well as for the education and enjoyment by the general public
- To use this recognition (of heritage properties that are of a recent date -i.e., not older than 2nd March 1815 or 100 years and does not warrant official protection through the Department of Archaeology) to create public awareness and to pressurize the government, property developers etc. to prevent demolition/ incompatible alterations, but at the same time to promote incorporation of such monuments and site in to their development schemes.
- To assist the Department of Archaeology to identify heritage properties that qualify for listing and thereby protection other than those of antiquarian value.
- To encourage the Department of Archaeology to re-assess the heritage properties that are already listed as per the provisions of the Antiquities Ordinance to understand the heritage significance of each property by preparing a Statement of Significance to utilize it as a tool for conservation and management of such properties.
- A long-term objective of this List is to make the Government and the Department of Archaeology to re-think and revise the criteria for listing of heritage properties currently stipulated in the Antiquities Ordinance to incorporate a wider definition of heritage by considering all heritage values.
What heritage properties can be listed
The properties having heritage values (commonly called as ‘Heritage Properties’) located within the territories of Sri Lanka (including that of its territorial waters) will be qualified for listing, irrespective of their origin. They include:
- Architectural works, works of sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and combinations of features
- Groups of buildings (groups of separate or connected buildings), fortifications, defense elements, bridges and dams
- cultural routes, railways and man-made waterways, irrigation tanks, canals etc.
- Archaeological sites, urban precincts, villages etc.
- Tree or group of trees of heritage value
- Combined works of nature and of man such as designed landscapes, cultural landscapes, historic urban landscapes etc.
- Sculpture, paintings and other elements of a structure that are strongly and physically connected with a monument or site (movable sculpture, paintings and elements of a structure which are not physically connected with a monument or site do not come under the definition of ‘Heritage Properties’ for the purpose of listing)
Intangible heritage which is beyond the scope of ICOMOS will not be qualified for listing, but such intangible heritage could be recognized as an attribute or as a character defining element carrying the heritage value of a heritage property. For instance, the Kandy Perahera will not qualify for listing, but it will be a major attribute or a character defining element to convey the spiritual values associated with the Sacred Tooth Relic Temple in Kandy (which will qualify for listing).
The monuments and sites already listed by the Department of Archaeology will automatically be listed in ICOMOS National Heritage List. The heritage properties that are not yet listed by the Department of Archaeology irrespective of their age, but those fulfilling at least one of the criteria mentioned below will be given priority for listing in ICOMOS National Heritage List for their effective protection.
Guidelines/ Criteria
In order to identify the heritage properties for protection they shall have heritage significance reflecting heritage values. Taking in to consideration the diverse facets of Sri Lanka’s heritage, following criteria will be used for listing:
Criterion I: a high degree of creative or technical achievement of a particular period; ex: Great Stupas of Anuradhapura, Irrigation works such as water conveyance with low gradient, Bisokotuwa, dams, Iron melting sites of the historic period, Royal complex of Sigiriya, Galvihara Buddha Images, modern architecture (Kandalama Hotel and Parliament designed by Architect Geoffrey Bawa), suspended bridges (Reucastle), upcountry railway line etc.
Criterion II: a particular artistic or aesthetic achievement; ex: Samadhi Buddha image, Sigiriya paintings, Stunning panoramic tea landscapes etc.
Criterion III: a living or past human activity/ aspect of culture that is rare or obsolete or no longer practiced; ex: Rock art of prehistoric period and or of indigenous community, pre-historic habitation sites (such as cave dwellings), tombs and burial grounds, wattle and daub constructions, roofed bridges (Bogoda) etc.
Criterion IV: potential to yield cultural or scientific information through research/ investigation that will contribute for greater understanding of cultural or scientific history; ex: Unexcavated or partly investigated archaeological sites, underwater shipwrecks etc.
Criterion V: the characteristics of a specific type/ style/ design/ technology related to a particular period; ex: Cave associated monasteries such as Rajagala, Tapovana such as Ritigala, Vihara or devale based settlements such as Gadaladeniya and Lankatillake of the Gampola period, Buildings of the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial periods, painting and sculpture of different styles, tampita vihara, wooden buildings etc.
Criterion VI: association with an important landmark, event or with a moment resulting a significant impact on, or changes to the political/ scientific/ social/ religious/ economic fabric; ex: Mihintale (advent of Buddhism), Independence Building in Colombo, Aluvihara at Matale (documentation of Tripitaka), Loolkandura Tea Estate (establishment of tea plantation at commercial scale), Tsunami commemorating site etc.
Criterion VII: a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons; ex: Srimaha Bodhi, Temple of the sacred Tooth Relic, Adam’s Peak, sites and landscape features associated with Ramayana etc
.Criterion VIII: association with the life or works or event of a person, or group of persons of outstanding importance. ex: The places where important persons were born/ lived/ worked/ died etc. (ex: Martin Wickramasinghe’s Koggala Residence) Who can and how to nominate Properties to ICOMOS National Heritage List
All individuals and institutions (state and private) are invited to nominate properties to the ICOMOS National Heritage List. You can nominate properties on-line :
In addition, a format to nominate the heritage properties to the ICOMOS Sri Lanka National Heritage List is also available for downloading. The duly completed form could be either sent by post (address ICOMOS Sri Lanka, PGIAR Premises, 407, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka) or by email to icomos.slnal@gmail.com.
ICOMOS Sri Lanka will evaluate the appropriateness of each nomination based on the factual correctness and the significance of the nominated property and will make decision to inscribe/ defer/ refer/ reject the nomination.
A small plaque with the logo of ICOMOS Sri Lanka will also be installed at the heritage property to convey that the monument/ site is a listed heritage property due to its heritage values for protection and appreciation.