National Trust lecture on Sri Lanka’s traditional architecture

Architect C. Anjalendran will deliver the 126th lecture of the National Trust of Sri Lanka speaking on “The traditional architecture of Sri Lanka”. The lecture will be delivered online at 6.30 p.m. on Thursday, July 30 – those interested could join with Google Meet https://meet.google.com/cwfirwj-tvz

This presentation describes the rich variety of everyday architecture of the three main ethnic groups in Sri Lanka: the Sinhalese, the Tamils and the Muslims. But it also takes into account the influence of the three colonisers: first the Portuguese from 1527, then the Dutch from 1658 and finally the British from 1796 until 1948.

The Sinhalese developed a unique tradition of garden design, often involving boulders and their architecture developed a symbiotic relationship with landscape and nature. The Ambalamas, Vihares, Devales and courtyard houses of the Sinhalese will be discussed, as well as the kovils and hierarchical courtyard houses of the indigenous Tamils and the unique mosques and houses of the Muslims.

The Solar houses and Catholic Churches of the Portuguese are described, the development of domestic and Reformed Church architecture during the Dutch Period and the succession of styles introduced by the British from Georgian, Indo- Sarascenic, Gothic Revival and so on. Finally, the emergence of a nationally inspired contemporary architectural style around the time of Independence is introduced.

Tragically much of our unique architectural heritage is being allowed to fall into ruin, or is subjected to insensitive restoration or is being demolished in the name of progress, and very few utters words of protest! Further information can be obtained from the Trust Office Tel 2682730 / 0778081214 at the Post Graduate

Institute of Archaeology, 407 Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo.