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by Andrew Scott

The Colombo Museum, a national treasure of Sri Lanka, was declared open 126 years ago on 1st January 1877 by Sir William Gregory, Governor of Ceylon, and therefore the entire nation's attention on the value of national museums should be focused specially in this month and this article seeks to draw the readers' attention on the role of museums in the development of this country's cultural values with special emphasis on our history and archaeology.

The Colombo Museum

Museums continue to play a very important role in the life of the Sri Lankan society and even amidst great advances in science and technology in modern times we should also pay more attention to this national treasure which mirrors the ancient culture and history of this country. Specially in Sri Lanka which can proudly boast of a rich cultural heritage from time immemorial the dynamic role that museums play in infusing vigour and life to the culture and history of our land is very significant.

However, with the great attention to everything scientific in the modern world, there are some people among us who are yet to realise the intrinsic value of museums which play a silent but a very dominant role to maintain the culture and civilisation of mankind.

Taking broadly a national museum could be defined as a central institution which imparts knowledge of the past to those living in the present by the careful identification and correct interpretation of the findings of archaeologists and historians. Besides this a national museum serves as a repository for the collection, exhibition and study of objects of artistic, scientific, historical and educational interest. The greatest service that any national museum renders is that it educates the people and stimulates their interest in their national heritage and attracts the attention of growing young minds to the glorious riches of the past. In this connection it must be mentioned that the research work carried out by the National Museum of Sri Lanka, as evidenced by the publication of its various scientific papers, is intellectually stimulating and most of them have also won international recognition.

Specially the Colombo museum has been a centre of devoted study and healthy discussion and it has illumined the intellectual life of this country. In contrast it is surprising that there isn't much interest about museums in other parts of the country and only a very few have cultivated even the habit of visiting them. In this context it is timely that specially the mass media strive hard to focus the importance of national museums in the cultural life of the nation.

When we think about museums we cannot do without mentioning the important role archaeologists and historians of a country play in maintaining and developing museums. In fact museums, archaeologists and historians of a country are very interdependent on each other. Even though some people are not at all aware archaeologists and historians render a memorable and unparalleled service to the society in which they live. Specially in a country such as Sri Lanka which has a rich cultural heritage and an ancient historical background they play a very significant role.

An archaeologist or a historian, as much as any other scientist such as a doctor or engineer is a highly skilled person doing a quiet and diligent service to reconstruct the past history of a nation by methodical excavations of archaeological importance and their subsequent study.

Perhaps this is the most important task any archaeologist is called upon to perform. However, the archaeologist's responsibility and curiosity (an archaeologist is always a curious person) does not end here. The objects he laboriously discovers need careful preservation, restoration, dating and identification, all of which are equally important. After all this is done, these objects are preserved in a museum.

All these show how important national museums are in the cultural life of a nation. Any national museum performs a very important role towards the citizens of a country and this becomes all the more important when we think about countries such as Sri Lanka which has a recorded history dating back to many centuries.

In the modern world museology and archaeology are complementary to one another and are inter-dependent. Even though we are living in the computer age replete with so many new scientific developments, specially the younger generation should be made to understand the value of museums and their impact on the cultural and educational life of the country.

It is true that, unlike in any other field, being interested in museums and archaeology may not bring in immediate financial benefits. But it will assist us to widen our mental horizons, particularly the knowledge about the times and activities of our ancients. From their young days schoolchildren should be made to realise the value of museums and it is only then that they would develop a truly patriotic sense of values.

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