Sri Lanka begins process to list national heritage sites, draft new laws

Feb 9, 2026 at 12:06 PM

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ජාතික උරුමයන් සුරුකිමේ මහා සම්මේලනය

By Indika Sri Aravinda

Colombo, Nov. 5 (Daily Mirror) - The National Heritage Division of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs has initiated the process of identifying and listing Sri Lanka’s national heritage sites, along with drafting new legislation to protect them.

An expert committee has been appointed to oversee the initiative, according to Additional Secretary of the Division, Ms. Sujeewa Palliyaguruge. 

She noted that while the country’s national heritage has been previously gazetted under the Archaeology Act, no specific criteria had been established for identifying or categorising such heritage.

The newly appointed committee has decided to classify national heritage into tangible and intangible categories and to develop a distinct criteria for each.

As Sri Lanka has not yet officially compiled a list of its national heritage sites, the Ministry’s current focus is on identifying and naming such sites across the country. In addition, a national heritage policy has been drafted and is expected to be submitted to the Cabinet for approval soon.

Ms. Palliyaguruge further stated that UNESCO has extended financial support for the project and that the Division is also reviewing the existing Archaeology Act with plans for revisions.

In 2022, then Minister of Cultural Affairs Vidura Wickramanayake obtained Cabinet approval to begin preparing a national heritage list, marking the first step toward the current initiative.