Ban on photographing Sigiriya Frescoes

The photographing of frescoes in Sri Lanka’s World Heritage site Sigiriya has been temporarily prohibited with effect from today, the Central Cultural Fund said.

Prof. Prishantha Gunawardena, Director General of the institution, responsible for managing and conserving all heritage sites in and around the Cultural Triangle, stated that the decision was reached at a special discussion held yesterday with heads of the Archeology Department. 

It had been previously observed that the flash light emitted when photographing damages the 1600 year old paintings of beautiful women.

The current spike of tourists visiting the Sigiriya rock has especially had an impact on the deterioration of the frescoes, according to reports. 

Around 95,000 people visited the site to view the Sigiriya frescoes within this month alone, Prof. Gunawardena said.