ICOMOS Sri Lanka
ICOMOS Sri Lanka is the ‘National Committee’ of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).
ICOMOS was created in 1965 and works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places.
ICOMOS Sri Lanka National Heritage List
Sri Lanka has a rich and diverse cultural heritage ranging from the pre-historic period to modern times. It consists of humble pre-historic cave dwellings to storied royal palaces, megalithic burials to gigantic stupas, ornamental ponds to man-made great tanks, gardens to panoramic landscapes, etc., which are rapidly disappearing from our land and are also not considered for protection. The properties with heritage values will be listed in ICOMOS Sri Lanka’s National Heritage List. Once the nominations are received by the ICOMOS Sri Lanka Secretariat, they will be evaluated by two committees. The Technical Evaluation Committee is appointed by the Council of ICOMOS Sri Lanka, and with their recommendations, the information shall be forwarded to the Scientific Committee, which is also appointed by the Council of ICOMOS Sri Lanka, whose task is to make the final recommendations to the Council of ICOMOS Sri Lanka regarding the nominations of heritage properties to be inscribed on the ICOMOS Sri Lanka National Heritage List.
ICOMOS Sri Lanka Events
Providing Digital Access to Sri Lankan Heritage in Dutch Collections: An Introduction to the Colonial Collections Datahub
The Netherlands holds a considerable number of cultural heritage objects of Sri Lankan origin within its museums and institutions due to the colonial relationship between the two countries. In recent years, the Colonial Collections Consortium (CCC) of the Netherlands has developed a digital platform known as the Datahub, which provides open, searchable access to information about these objects in line with FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). Despite the rich research potential this platform offers, awareness among Sri Lankan academics and students remains limited. Hence, this webinar aims to bridge that gap.
The program will provide an overview of the Datahub and its functions, exploring how it relates to the Dutch policy on colonial collections, provenance research, and restitution processes. It will also highlight opportunities for Sri Lankan scholars to contribute narratives and engage in collaborative research. A Q&A session will follow the presentations.
Date : 09 June 2026 (Tuesday)
Time : 19:00 (Sri Lanka Standard Time) | 15:30 (CEST)
Platform : Zoom (Meeting ID: 9429659 Passcode: U=cWmbG1)
https://learn.zoom.us/j/94296594272?pwd=fDCW6yKhk53s0ETCqUZdUokfa80G97.1
The session will be led by two resource persons from the Colonial Collections Consortium (CCC):
Ms. Cindy Zalm – Head of Delivery and Realization, Wereldmuseum, The Netherlands
Mr. Camiel de Kom – Digital Heritage Coach, Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE), The Netherlands
ICOMOS Sri Lanka Monthly Lecture – 2026
You are warmly invited to the Monthly lecture of ICOMOS Sri Lanka.
Topic: Decoding Narrative Compositions of Buddhist Mural Paintings Sunandarama Mahavihara, Karapitiya, Galle
Speaker: Dr. Sumanthri Samarawickrama, Senior Lecturer, Department of Integrated Design, Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa,
Date: Thursday, 11th June 2026
Time: 6.00 p.m.
Venue: Auditorium, Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology (PGIAR) Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7
