Remembering a pioneering scholar 50 years on

Senerat Paranavitane was born in Metaramba, Unawatuna on December 26, 1896, to Abraham Paranavitana and his wife, Lora Hettige Gomara, the youngest in the family. He had his primary education at Annasi Hettigoda Government Sinhala school and after two years moved to Buonavista College, Galle. He had to walk four and a half miles daily to school.

He also learnt Pali and Sanskrit at Ranawalgoda Pirivena, Heenatigala. By the time he was 19, he had learnt Sinhala, English, Pali and Sanskrit. He won a prize for history and archaeology in the examination conducted by the Pracheena Bhashopakara Samithiya in 1915 and the prize given to him by the Sinhala Youth Club was the book Epigraphia Zeylanica published by the Department of Archaeology. He became very interested in the book and it possibly laid the foundation for his future.

He initially worked as an English Assistant Teacher in the Udugampola School in the Gampaha District for five years from 1918 and in 1923 was appointed as epigraphical assistant in the Department of Archaeology. He was awarded a doctorate by the Leiden University in Holland for his book ‘The Stupa in Ceylon’.

Dr Paranavitana was the first Sri Lankan Commissioner of Archaeology and held the post from 1940-1956. He was an authority on epigraphy, iconography and numismatics. He wrote many books, among them ‘Sigiri Graffiti - being Sinhalese Verses of the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Centuries’. Written in two volumes, the books looked at the history of Sigiriya and the poems written by people on Sigiriya’s Mirror Wall, analysing and transcribing some 685 poems.

In his book ‘Inscriptions of Ceylon Vol 1’ he details the Rajagala inscription in which the arrival of Ven. Mahinda Thera to the island is confirmed.

During his term as Commissioner of Archaeology, Prof. Paranavitana singled out many ancient buildings and conducted extensive research on them for the benefit of future generations.

After retiring from the Department of Archaeology he joined the Peradeniya University as Professor of Archaeology and worked there till 1965. During this period he wrote another bookon the history of Sri Lanka from ancient times till 1505. His last book was ‘Sinhalayao’, published in Sinhala and English.

This pioneering scholar and great personality died on October 4, 1972.