Restoring affected Sigiriya frescoes:

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday directed the National Heritage and Cultural Affairs Ministry to implement a viable program to conserve the ancient Sigiriya frescoes for posterity with the assistance of scientists and the experts in the conservation field.
President Rajapaksa issued this directive after an inspection tour of the Sigiriya frescoes yesterday. The President carried out the sudden inspection few days after he received a comprehensive report from the Archaeological Department about the defacing of 22 frescoes in the Sigiriya world heritage site.
President Rajapaksa said Sigiriya frescoes are a national heritage and the Cultural Affairs Ministry and the Archaeological Department had the specific responsibility of protecting and conserving them.
He added that more facilities should be provided to the tourists visiting the Sigiriya Fortress in a way that would not cause any damage to the archaeological and cultural value of the place. The President also interacted with local and foreign tourists visiting the Sigiriya Fortress during the tour. Meanwhile, Archaeological Department Director General Prof Senerath Dissanayake said the Department will bring down renowned Italian scientist Luciano Maranzi to Colombo for the restoration of these frescoes which are getting defaced.
An insane man sprayed tar on the frescoes and Maranzi was brought down by the then government in 1967 to remove them from the frescoes. Maranzi managed to remove the tar from the frescoes after great effort. Dissanayake said the Sigiriya Frescoes had been slowly getting defaced from 1,930 and protective coating of four frescoes have come out with the passage of time. President Rajapaksa sent Deputy Higher Education Minister and Matale District Parliamentarian Nandimithra Ekanayake as the Government ‘s special rapporteur to the Sigiriya heritage site after people in the Sigiriya area staged a protest campaign for two months over the construction of sanitary facilities near the Lion’s Paw.
Minister Ekanayake directed the Cultural Fund officials to cease the construction work near the Lion’s Paw of the Fortress immediately. President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the historical Rangiri Dambulu Rajamaviharaya and called on the Chief Incumbent Ven. Inamaluwe Sri Sumangala Thera.
The President inspected the Vocational Training Centre opened by him (President Mahinda Rajapaksa) when he was the Minister of Vocational Education and Training at the temple premises.(Daily News)