Report on the Archaeological Survey of Ceylon, Vol. 1907 (Classic Reprint)

Preamble. The small increase toR s. 72,289 in the Archaeological vote for 1907 was mainly due to the annual increments to which officers of the Archaeological Survey Staff have become entitled. Field operations were continued at the same chief centres as in previous years A nuradhapura, Sigiriya, and Polonnaruwa. Considerable advance was made at all three sites. But the Archaeological Commissioner was again left single handed for the last six months of the year, owing to his Assistant sabsence in England on leave. From July, therefore, no fresh excavations were attempted at A nuradhapura. For the remainder of the year the important operations annually undertaken during the dry season, of opening up further sites and continuing restoration work atP olonnaruwa demanded the exclusive personal supervision of the Commissioner. ANURADHAPURA. Clearing. The sum of Rs. 3,000, moiety of the Clearing Vote allotted annually to the Archaeological Commissioner for the purpose of sweeping scrub and rank vegetation from the Crown reservations at Anuradhapura outside Town limits, was, as usual, devoted to the weeding of the main areas marked by ruins and the rooting up of saplings and undergrowth, so far as funds permitted. Contracts were given out early in the year for clearing three blocks the southern portion of the A bhayagiriya Reservation bounded by the high road on the north, that part of the Jetawanarama Reservation which lies to the west of theY Road, and the whole of the Puhyankulam area on the Jaffna road. The cost averaged about Rs. 734 per acre. .D uring November and December the Archaeological Survey labour force was employed, in accordance with instructions from Government, in thoroughly clearing theM irisaveiya, Sela Chaitya, and A bhayagiriya Reservations. Weeds were, as far as practicable, pulled up by hand. This renders the work of clearing necessarily muc
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)