Kūragala: religious and ethnic communities in a contested sacred heritage site in Sri Lanka

Deegalle, M (2019) 'Kūragala: religious and ethnic communities in a contested sacred heritage site in Sri Lanka.' In: Coningham, R and Lewer, N, eds. Archaeology, cultural heritage protection and community engagement in South Asia. Palgrave Pivot, Singapore, pp. 45-58. ISBN 9789811362361

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Abstract

Deegalle describes the archaeology of, and analyses the religious controversies over, a contested sacred space - Kuragala in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. This case study illustrates the significant dangers facing monuments and archaeological sites in Sri Lanka and elsewhere from rapid development and encroachment. Drawing from literary accounts, administrative reports, archaeological surveys and anthropological observations, the chapter outlines the history of conflict between Buddhists and Muslims over this Prehistoric space. Deegalle examines the ways in which twentieth century Buddhist and Muslim identity is constructed in relation to Kuragala and explains Buddhist concerns over the Islamization of the site. This has political ramifications and affects harmonious and functional relationships both locally, and more widely in Sri Lanka, and points to the need for deeper community engagement.

Item Type:	Book Chapter or Section
Keywords:	Kuragala, Sri Lanka, identity, heritage, Sufi, pilgrimage, Buddhists, Muslims
Divisions:	School of Writing, Publishing and the Humanities
Date Deposited:	20 May 2019 09:59
Last Modified:	19 Nov 2021 18:06
URI / Page ID:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/12220

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