National Trust lecture on temple art in colonial times

“Temple Paintings during Colonial Period”, will be the subject of the National Trust of Sri Lanka’s monthly lecture this February. Prof. Chandanie Wanigatunge will deliver the lecture on Thursday, February 29 at 6 p.m. at the Auditorium of the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka, No. 6, Independence Avenue, Colombo 7.

(For those who join online: https://www.youtube.com/@ ntsl9627)

Sri Lanka’s temple paintings have been effectively used over centuries to propagate the message of the Buddha, especially to the laity. During the 18th century, in the Kandyan kingdom, Buddhism flourished under the King’s patronage and many temples were renovated and built. The older traditions of temple paintings were revived but the style differed significantly from the classical style seen during the 5th to 13th centuries. Narrative art was the style adopted and the Kandyan School of Temple Art was thus born.

When the country came under British rule, the power balance shifted and the temples in the former Kandyan Kingdom struggled to survive. However, the colonial-educated people in the maritime and southern regions of the country revived Buddhism. Newer temples were built, older ones revived and a variant style of the Kandyan school of temple art developed and flourished in these regions. This Southern school of Temple Art underwent further changes during the “transitional period” to what is seen today.

A physician by training, Prof. Wanigatunge is the Senior Professor and Chair of Pharmacology of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura and Deputy Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo. Her hobbies and passions have led her to study archaeology and temple paintings.

The lecture is open to all.