The following publications are available for purchase through the National Trust or through leading bookshops in the country.
Grown in Sri Lanka – Cultivated Flowering Plants
by Sriyanie Miththapala, Siril Wijesundara and Janaki Galappatti
About the authors:
Dr. Sriyanie Miththapala graduated in Biology from the University of Colombo and obtained her MA in Biology from Smith College, USA. Dr Siril Wijesundara has a BSc and MPhil in Botany from the University of Peradeniya and an MPhil and PhD in Biology in New York. Dr. Janaki Galappatti, at Cambridge as a M.Sc. from Imperial College, London and a PhD from the University of Cambridge in Plant Pathology. Read more...
The Art of Mask Making in Sri Lanka
by Lionel Bentharage
About the author:
Dr. Lionel Bentharage started his career as a low country dancer and in 1995 he obtained his bachelor's degree in Fine Arts with honours from the Institute of Aesthetic Studies affiliated to the University of Kelaniya. In 2004, he obtained his M.A. from the University of Sri Jayawardanapura. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2005 from the same university. Read more...
Maritime Heritage of Lanka: Ancient Ports and Harbours by several authors
The Sculpture of Tissa Ranasinghe
by Neville Weereratne
About the authors:
Neville Weereratne has been writing on art in Sri Lanka since the 1950s when he worked as a journalist on the Daily News and later on the Observer. He is the author of "The '43 Group : a chronicle of Fifty Years in the Art of Sri Lanka" (1993),"The art of Richard Gabriel" ( 1999), "Visions of an island: Rare Works from Sri Lanka in the Christopher Ondaatje Collection"(1999)and "George Bevan: a Life in Art"(2004). Read more...
Flowering Plants commonly encountered in Sri Lankan habitats
by Sriyanie Miththapala, Siril Wijesundara and Janaki Galappatti
About the authors:
Dr. Sriyanie Miththapala graduated in Biology from the University of Colombo and obtained her MA in Biology from Smith College, USA.
Dr Siril W?esundara has a BSc and MPhil in Botany from the University of Peradeniya and an MPhil and PhD in Biology in New York. Dr. Janaki Galappatti, at Cambridge as a M.Sc. from Imperial College, London and a PhD from the University of Cambridge in Plant Pathology. Read more...
Coral Reefs of Sri Lanka
by Nishan Perera
About the author:
Nishan Perera is a marine biologist with an interest in coral reef ecology and fish behavior. He has worked on a diverse range of topics that include reef fish ecology, coral bleaching, marine protected areas, marine eco-tourism, fisheries and coast resource management. Nishan is an avid dive enthusiast and spends much of his free time exploring and photographing the coral reefs and ship wrecks around Sri Lanka. Read more...
Archaeology & Photography - the early years 1868 -1880
Ismeth Raheem
About the author:
GIsmeth Raheem is an architect by profession and is based in Colombo. One of his chief interests is in the visual arts of Sri Lanka's colonial period. He has organized and written catalogues for a number of exhibitions on the history of painting and engraving. His publications include - Images of British Ceylon, 19th C Photography of Sri Lanka(2000). Read more...
Sri Lankan Painting in the 20th Century,
Professor Senake Bandaranayake and Professor Albert Dharmasiri
About the authors:
Professor Senake Bandaranayake is emeritus professor of archeology at the University of Kelaniya. He is the author/editor of a number of books on the archeology and culture of Sri Lanka. He is best known for his excavations and research at Sigiriya, over a period of nearly two decades. Read more...
Heritage Buildings of Sri Lanka,
Professor Nimal de Silva and D.P. Chandrasekera
About the authors:
Professor Nimal de Silva is a senior professor in the Faculty of Architecture in the University of Moratuwa and is also the director of the Postgraduate Institute of Archeology, University of Kelaniya. He is also the director for the Centre for Heritage and Cultural Studies. Previously he was also the Chairman of the UDA and the Chairman of the National Design Centre. Read more...
Birds of Sri Lanka,
Gehan de Silva Wijeyaratne
About the author:
Gihan de Silva Wijeyaratne qualified as a chartered accountant and worked in the "square mile" in London. Since his return to Sri Lanka, he has published 15 books relating to wildlife and travel. Read more...
Heritage Trails
The following booklets, detailing heritage sites of interest along various tour routes are available for purchase through the Trust. The Trust conducts tours along these routes for members. Read more...
Grown in Sri Lanka – Cultivated Flowering Plants
by Sriyanie Miththapala, Siril Wijesundara and Janaki Galappatti
About the authors:
Dr. Sriyanie Miththapala graduated in Biology from the University of Colombo and obtained her MA in Biology from Smith College, USA. Dr Siril Wijesundara has a BSc and MPhil in Botany from the University of Peradeniya and an MPhil and PhD in Biology in New York. Dr. Janaki Galappatti, at Cambridge as a M.Sc. from Imperial College, London and a PhD from the University of Cambridge in Plant Pathology.
About the book:
This book describes flowering plants that are commonly cultivated or planted in Sri Lanka for food, wood, medicine, fuelwood, shade or commercial purposes. These plants usually have to be planted deliberately by humans and do not generally spread widely by themselves.
This selection of species is offered not only through the lens of their many uses to humans but also to celebrate their beauty.
The authors, all biologists, who wrote the previous volume 'Flowering plants commonly encountered in Sri Lankan habitats' have minimised the use of scientific terminology without foregoing scientific accuracy.
Birds of Sri Lanka,
Gehan de Silva Wijeyaratne
About the author:
Gihan de Silva Wijeyaratne qualified as a chartered accountant and worked in the "square mile" in London. Since his return to Sri Lanka, he has published 15 books relating to wildlife and travel.
About the book:
Birds of Sri Lanka is an introduction to 100 birds ranging from stately egrets to beautiful
bee-eaters. Beautiful images are combined with simple but insightful accounts to foster an interest in Sri Lankan bird life. The book has been written with the casual enthusiast in mind, but is upto date with the latest thinking in ornithology.
Heritage Buildings of Sri Lanka,
Professor Nimal de Silva and D.P. Chandrasekera
About the authors:
Professor Nimal de Silva is a senior professor in the Faculty of Architecture in the University of Moratuwa and is also the director of the Postgraduate Institute of Archeology, University of Kelaniya. He is also the director for the Centre for Heritage and Cultural Studies. Previously he was also the Chairman of the UDA and the Chairman of the National Design Centre.
D P Chandrasekera, is a Senior Lecturer of Architecture at the University of Moratuwa and a chartered architect. He is also the author of 5 books on architecture.
About the book:
Heritage buildings of Sri Lanka has attempted to identify buildings and sites of cultural interest. It is meant to rouse the curiosity of the public in the buildings still lived in. Both religious and secular buildings from various geographical regions of the island have been chosen for discussion. The buildings represent the distinctive cultural traditions of the different communities and religions of the country.
Sri Lankan Painting in the 20th Century,
Professor Senake Bandaranayake and Professor Albert Dharmasiri
About the authors:
Professor Senake Bandaranayake is emeritus professor of archeology at the University of Kelaniya. He is the author/editor of a number of books on the archeology and culture of Sri Lanka. He is best known for his excavations and research at Sigiriya, over a period of nearly two decades. His interest in traditional and contemporary art goes back to the 1960s when he was associate editor of the UNESCO ?WCOTP series, Man Through His Art. He was the founder director of the Postgraduate Institute of Archeology, Vice Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya and Sri Lanka's ambassador to France and UNESCO and High Commissioner in India.
Professor Albert Dharmasiri was the former head of the School of Art, which now is the University of Visual and Performing Arts. He still continues as a visiting lecturer and practices as a professional painter and graphic artist.
About the book:
The book covers an overview of the 20th century painters of Sri Lanka both of the oriental and western traditions. It contains the works of over 75 painters covering over 200 illustrations. It also traces the background of the leading painters of the 20th century.
Heritage Trails
The following booklets, detailing heritage sites of interest along various tour routes are available for purchase through the Trust. The Trust conducts tours along these routes for members.
Archaeology & Photography – the early years 1868 -1880
Ismeth Raheem
About the author:
Ismeth Raheem is an architect by profession and is based in Colombo. One of his chief interests is in the visual arts of Sri Lanka’s colonial period. He has organized and written catalogues for a number of exhibitions on the history of painting and engraving. His publications include – Images of British Ceylon, 19th C Photography of Sri Lanka(2000). He has contributed entries to the Dictionary of Art ( London, Macmillan 1996). He has published on other subjects including the Dutch Burghers of Sri Lanka and, Furniture from the colonial period. . He is also an artist and has exhibited his work in Sri Lanka, Europe and the USA.
About the book:
This book offers an innovative account on the history of photography in relation to the field of archaeology in sri Lanka during the colonial period. It focuses on the work of the photographer Joseph Lawton and other first generation photographers working in the country. The author being a photo-historian this book contains much information which will make it an indispensable tool to researchers, historians and anyone interested in photography and archaeology of Sri Lanka
Coral Reefs of Sri Lanka
by Nishan Perera
About the author:
Nishan Perera is a marine biologist with an interest in coral reef ecology and fish behavior. He has worked on a diverse range of topics that include reef fish ecology, coral bleaching, marine protected areas, marine eco-tourism, fisheries and coast resource management. Nishan is an avid dive enthusiast and spends much of his free time exploring and photographing the coral reefs and ship wrecks around Sri Lanka. At the time of writing this book Nishan Perera was working on a PhD at Linnacus University in Sweden. His doctoral research focused on the distribution and ecology of seahorses in Puttalam Lagoon and the trade of live seahorses for the marine ornamental trade.
About the book:
Sri Lanka is surrounded by numerous underwater reef habitats and sustains a wealth of marine biodiversity. This book provides an introduction to the coral and rocky reefs around Sri Lanka, with description of different reef types and distributions in Sri Lanka and information on basic reef ecology. It also provides information on animal behavior, marine conservation and other interesting aspects of the marine environment. The text is illustrated throughout with colour photographs taken underwater in Sri Lanka.
Flowering Plants commonly encountered in Sri Lankan habitats
by Sriyanie Miththapala, Siril Wijesundara and Janaki Galappatti
About the authors:
Dr. Sriyanie Miththapala graduated in Biology from the University of Colombo and obtained her MA in Biology from Smith College, USA, and her PhD in Wildlife and Range Sciences from the University of Florida, USA.
Dr Siril W?esundara has a BSc and MPhil in Botany from the University of Peradeniya and an MPhil and PhD in Biology from the City University of New York.
Dr. Janaki Galappatti, a graduate of the University of Cambridge has a M.Sc. from Imperial College, London and a PhD from the University of Cambridge in Plant Pathology.
About the book:
This book describes a selection of the flowering plants of Sri Lanka.The authors describe the book as a celebration of these plants and hope that an appreciation of the plants presented here will generate an enthusiasm that will safe guard their existence in the face of threats due to human activities. They have avoided the use of scientific terminology as much as possible without sacrificing scientific accuracy.
The Sculpture of Tissa Ranasinghe
by Neville Weereratne
About the authors:
Neville Weereratne has been writing on art in Sri Lanka since the 1950s when he worked as a journalist on the Daily News and later on the Observer. He is the author of “The ’43 Group : a chronicle of Fifty Years in the Art of Sri Lanka” (1993),”The art of Richard Gabriel” ( 1999), “Visions of an island: Rare Works from Sri Lanka in the Christopher Ondaatje Collection”(1999)and “George Bevan: a Life in Art”(2004). He is also a painter who has exhibited his work with the ’43 Group over many years and later took part in joint exhibitions with his wife Sybil Keyt, in Colombo and in Melbourne.
About the book:
Tissa Ranasinghe’s talents have taken him from the drawing board and easel to the chisel and the mallet – to carve, model and make in stone, in wood or bronze in the casting of a multiplicity of images.
He draws upon his deep appreciation of the life and experiences of the Buddha for his inspiration. He is also influenced by the Hindu pantheon to draw from its poetic expression of the human condition. His craftsmanship as a portraitist has seen the creation of many sculptures of distinguished people in Sri Lanka ; prime ministers, poets, writers, scholars, artists, actors, musicians, dancers and many others.
The Art of Mask Making in Sri Lanka
by Lionel Bentharage
About the author:
Dr. Lionel Bentharage started his career as a low country dancer and in 1995 he obtained his bachelor's degree in Fine Arts with honours from the Institute of Aesthetic Studies affiliated to the University of Kelaniya. In 2004, he obtained his M.A. from the University of Sri Jayawardanapura. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2005 from the same university. He is a veteran artist who has excelled in designing costumes sets, stage props and choreographed many traditional drama and dance performances. He has also served as a television presenter and has contributed to several films. He has also served as a member of the State Panel of Puppetry and the Drama Council of Sri Lanka. Currently, he is a member of the National Dance and Ballet Panel and the National Science Foundation Committee on Indigenous Knowledge.
He is the president of the District Cultural Association of Kalutara District. He has published many books and academic research papers related to his discipline and served as the editor of many academic journals. Professor Bentarage is the only professional low country dancer who has obtained a doctorate in the field of Low Country Dance.
About the book:
In this book, Dr. Lionel Bentharage discusses the indigenous art of making masks (ves muhunu) in Sri Lanka, the tools and implements, the traditional techniques used for carving and colouring the masks and the manner in which these masks are used for public performances. In addition, the creation of masks and the manner in which they are used in various rituals for curing various ailments are explained.
