A study on the present states of different rocks of ancient monuments in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka in 4th century BC. Since then various Buddha statues, monuments and temples have been built by various rulers in different parts of the country. The author carried out a research on the rock materials used for the construction of ancient Buddha statues remaining in archaeological sites. The observations indicate that the rock types namely migmatite, biotite gneiss, hornblende biotite gneiss, microcline bearing biotite gneiss and marble have been used for sculpturing. Statues made from highly fractured rocks like quartzite and pegmatite, very strong rocks like charnockite, pink granite and dolerite, and sedimentary limestone are not presently seen in any site. Most of the marble statues are broken in to several pieces due to the effects of both physical and chemical weathering processes. Statutes made from other rocks are still remaining without any major damage. A few statues have been made from the bedrock at the site itself. The other statues or the rock materials or both have been moved from different locations to the present sites. These statues are located on flat terrains, isolated small hillocks, some isolated large exposed rocks and erosional remnants like inselbergs surrounded by flat lands.