Archaeology - Koshalee Kakulandala

K.V.J. Koshalee

Senior Lecturer Gr. II in Archaeology

PhD (Reading) (Otago), MPhil (Kelaniya), PGDip (PGIAR), BA (Kelaniya) in Archaeology, Dip in Hindi (Agra), MSLCA

Email kvjkoshalee@kln.ac.lk

Telephone +94112290813

Mobile +94713991950

Postgraduate Supervision Available

BIOGRAPHY:

Kakulandala Vithanage Janitha Koshalee (published as Koshalee Kakulandala) is a Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Kelaniya and a doctoral candidate at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Her PhD research examines the socioreligious narratives depicted in Southern Buddhist paintings in Sri Lanka. With over 15 years of expertise, she specialises in Buddhist art, ancient dance traditions, and decolonising archaeological historiography. An alumna of Kelaniya with an MPhil and First-Class Honours, she is a member of the Sri Lanka Council of Archaeologists, dedicated to critical scholarship at the intersection of material culture and the visual arts.

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Buddhist Art, Art History of Sri Lanka, Archaeology of Buddhism, Dance History of Sri Lanka, Historiography of Archaeology, Archaeology Education

ONGOING RESEARCH & PROJECTS:

Decolonising the historiography of archaeology in Sri Lanka
Buddhist Murals of the Tivanka Image House and their Socioreligious Context
Rediscovering Neglected Voices in the Making of Archaeology
Colonial Science vs. Living Heritage: Walisinha Harischandra’s Critique of Colonial Archaeology in Anuradhapura

TEACHING: (Papers taught in 2025/2026)

Site and Monuments of Asia
Nature Tourism
Archaeological Tourism

POSITIONS:

Member of the International Confucian Association (ICA) (2025-Present).
Member of the World Archaeology Congress (WAC) (2025-Present).
Member of the Sri Lanka Council of Archaeologists (Reg. No. SLCA 0479) (2019-Present).
Member of the panel of visiting lecturers and academic supervisors of the Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies (2018-Present).
Subject Coordinator for Hindi Language, Centre for Modern Languages and Civilization (CMLC), University of Ruhuna (2020-2023).

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES:

Session Co-Convenor and Co-Chair of S63 – Stones of Memory: Megalithism in Protohistoric Early Iron Age of Asia, Asian Prehistory Today – APT 2025, held in Salatiga, Indonesia.
Session Convenor and Chair of T21/S03 Buddhist Paintings and Society, 10th World Archaeology Congress (WAC-10), held in Darwin, Australia.
Member, Evaluation Board, State Literary Award Festival (2025). Original Works on Varied Subjects (ස්වතන්ත්‍ර විවිධ විෂයික ග්‍රන්ථ). Organised by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Sri Lanka.
Reviewer (Abstracts), 18th International Conference on Pali and Buddhist Studies (ICPBS) (2025). Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
Reviewer (Abstracts), Ruhuna Arts Students Annual Sessions (RASAS) (2025). Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ruhuna.
Member, Second Round Evaluation Board, State Literary Award Festival (2024). Original Academic and Research Texts (ස්වතන්ත්‍ර ශාස්ත්‍රීය හා පර්යේෂණ). Organised by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Sri Lanka.
Reviewer (Extended Abstracts), 10th Ruhuna University International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences (RUICHSS) (2024). Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ruhuna.
Reviewer (Abstracts), Ruhuna Arts Students Annual Sessions (RASAS) (2022–2024). Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ruhuna.
Editorial Board Member, 17th Academic Sessions (2020), University of Ruhuna. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Peer-Reviewer, Journal of Archaeology and Heritage Studies (JAHS), Vol. 7, Issues I, II, and III. Department of Archaeology and Heritage Management, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka.
Peer-Reviewer, BPU Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 2, Issue I. Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka.
Reviewer, Ruhuna Arts Students Annual Sessions (RASAS) (2021). Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ruhuna.
Editorial Assistant, Journal of Social Sciences – Sri Lanka, Vol. 1, No. 4 (2009). Research Centre for Social Sciences (RCSS), Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya.

ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS:

Short-Term Research Grant (2025). National Centre for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences (NCAS), Sri Lanka. Awarded for advanced independent research.
Travel Support Grant (2025). 10th World Archaeological Congress (WAC). Awarded to facilitate participation and research dissemination at the global archaeological forum in Albi, France.
Award for Academic Excellence (Highest Marks). Central Institute of Hindi (Kendriya Hindi Sansthan), Agra, India. Awarded for securing the highest aggregate marks in the Diploma in Hindi Language Proficiency.
Propagation of Hindi Abroad (PHA) Scholarship. Government of India. Competitive international scholarship awarded to pursue advanced language proficiency at the Central Institute of Hindi, Agra.
Mahapola Higher Education Merit Scholarship. Mahapola Higher Education Scholarship Trust Fund, Sri Lanka. Awarded for academic excellence upon entry into the national university system for undergraduate studies.

JOURNAL ARTICLES:

Peiris, T., Bogahawatta, C. and Kakulandala, K. (2024). Buddhism, Kingship, and Irrigation: Reinterpreting Anurādhapura Era Inscriptions on the Socio-Religious Governance of Water. ANVEṢAṆĀ Journal of the Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies. [online] 15(2), pp.1–17. 5. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jEFeXykhbGVB9VhnytMQVdjGJ9j7vZSG/view
Koshalee, K. V. J. (2024). Understanding the Intellectual Approaches of the Archaeology of ‘Rōhaṇa’ from the 1840s to 1960s: A Literature Review. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Review (JSSHR), [online] 9(1), pp.20–42. https://www.hss.ruh.ac.lk/JSSHR/Articles/Vol9Iss1/Paper_2/Vol9Iss1P2.pdf
Kakulandala, K. and Bogahawatta, C. (2017). Costumes and adornment of ancient dancers: an archaeological study based on dancing figures of Sri Lanka, The Journal of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, 4(1), pp. 21-39.
Bogahawatta, C. and Kakulandala, K. (2016). A Survey of Ancient Chinese Coins in Sri Lanka [Chinese]. Journal of Baise University, 29(6), pp.17–29. https://caod.oriprobe.com/articles/50618557/A_Survey_of_Ancient_Chinese_Coins_in_Sri_Lanka.htm
Kakulandala, K. (2013). Evidence of Bharata Natyam Dance Tradition in the Polonnaruwa Period Sculpture (With reference to a few selected Polonnaruwa period images). The Journal of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, [online] 1(2), pp.45–59. Available at: http://repository.rjt.ac.lk/handle/123456789/3841.

BOOKS:

Bogahawatta, C. and Kakulandala, K. (2022). සාම්ප්‍රදායික පුරාවිද්‍යාවේ වර්ධනය [Development of Traditional Archaeology]. Kelaniya: Research Centre for Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya. ISBN: 978-624-5507-00-9
Kakulandala, K. (2014). ලක්දිව පැරණි නර්තන කලාව [The ancient dance of Sri Lanka]. Ja-Ela: Samanthi Publishers. ISBN: 978-955-0084-75-3
Kakulandala, K. (2012). ප්‍රාග් ‌ඓතිහාසික සංගීතය [Prehistoric Music]. Kalutara: Koshalee Kakulandala. ISBN: 978-955-54170-0-6

BOOK CHAPTERS & EDITED VOLUMES (selected):

Bogahawatta, C., & Koshalee, K. V. J. (2023). අනුරාධපුර සහ පොලොන්නරු සමයන්හි ශිලාලේඛනවල සඳහන් නර්තක සමාජය [Dancers’ Society Mentioned in Inscriptions of the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Periods]. In Manathunga, M. (Editor-in-Chief) et al. (eds.) Medhānandābhinandana: Puravidya Chakravarthy Dr. Most Venerable Ellawala Medhananda Felicitation Volume. Colombo 07: Department of Archaeology, pp. 140–148.
Bogahawatta, C., & Koshalee, K. V. J. (2022). අභයගිරි විහාර සම්ප්‍රදායේ කලා නිර්මාණ පිළිබඳ දිශානති [Directions on Art Works in Abhayagiri Vihara Tradition]. In Ranasinghe, G. et al. (eds.) Professor T.G. Kulatunge Felicitation Volume. Colombo 07: Central Cultural Fund, pp.135–148.
Kakulandala, K. (2022). ශ්‍රී ලාංකේය ඓතිහාසික බෞද්ධ කලාවෙහි භික්ෂු භූමිකාව [The role of monks in historical Buddhist art in Sri Lanka]. In Padmasiri, R. and Tilakaratne, A. (eds.) Dhammagatāsati: The Most Venerable Makulewe Sri Wimala Falicitation Volume. Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya, pp.306–315.
Koshalee, K.V.J. and Bogahawatta, C. (2018). Gaṇapati in early Buddhist art of Sri Lanka: An explanation of the elephant-headed figure at Mihintale Kaṇṭaka Cētiya. In Abhayawansa, K. (Editor-in-Chief) et al. (eds.) e-Journal of Buddhist Research Studies (Special Edition) [online]. Penang: Than Hsiang Buddhist Research Centre, pp.74–86. Available at: http://research.thanhsiang.org/sites/default/files/attachment/th2018v5.pdf.
Kakulandala, K. and Bogahawatta, C. (2018). Categories of Dance in Sri Lanka during Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Periods: An Archaeological Study based on Dancing Figures. In Manatunga, A. (Editor-in-Chief) et al. (eds.) Journal of the Centre for Heritage Studies, Volume 1. Sri Lanka: Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, pp. 177–187.
Bogahawatta, C. and Kakulandala, K. (2014). ලෝක පුරාවිද්‍යාවේ ඉතිහාසය (නව පුරාවිද්‍යාවේ ආරම්භය දක්වා) [History of World Archaeology: Up to the beginning of New Archaeology]. In Sobhita, M, Indananda, W. and Piyarathana, P. (eds.) Viduruwana (The Felicitation Volume for the most venerable Mahanuwara Dhammaratana), Volume 45. Colombo 10: S. Godage and Brothers, pp. 366–384.
Kakulandala, K. (2014). පොළොන්නරු යුගයේ ප්‍රචලිත ව පැවති ‘භරත නාට්‍යම්’ නර්තන සම්ප්‍රදාය [The popular ‘Bharatha Natyam’ dance tradition of the Polonnaruwa period]. In Amarasinghe, M. (Editor-in-Chief) et al. (eds.) Puranaya, Volume 1. Sri Lanka: Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, pp. 83–91.
Koshalee, K.V.J. (2013). ප්‍රාග් ඓතිහාසික සංගීතය [Pre-historic Music]. In Indika, M.K.A. (Editor-in-Chief) et al. (eds.) Wasundara, Volume 13. Sri Lanka: Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, pp. 49–66.
Kakulandala, K. (2012, March). අනුරාධපුර - පොළොන්නරු යුගවල නර්තන කලාවට හිමි සමාජ තත්ත්වය [The social status of dance art during the Anuradhapura-Polonnaru eras]. In Herath, S. (eds.) Kalā Sangarāwa, Volume 13. Sri Lanka Arts Council, pp.77–83.

CONFERENCES (selected):

Koshalee, K. V. J., & Fernando, C. (2025). Integrating prehistory into school education in Sri Lanka: A conceptual exploration [Abstract]. Abstracts UISPP-2025.
Pieris, T., Bogahawatta, C., & Koshalee, K. V. J. (2025). A study on bird imagery and symbolic expression in the prehistoric rock art of Kurullangala, Sri Lanka [Abstract]. Abstracts UISPP-2025.
Pieris, T., Bogahawatta, C., & Koshalee, K. V. J. (2025). The ‘Missing Neolithic’? Re-examining the debate on a Neolithic phase in Sri Lanka [Abstract]. Abstracts UISPP-2025.
Koshalee, K. V. J. (2025). Evolving divinity: Tracing the religious conception of the Buddha in the colossal statues of Sri Lanka [Abstract]. Abstracts WAC-10: 10th World Archaeology Congress (p. 350).
Koshalee, K. V. J. (2025). Art and devotion in medieval Sri Lanka: Buddhist murals of the Tivanka Image House and their socioreligious context [Abstract]. Abstracts WAC-10: 10th World Archaeology Congress (pp. 380–381).
Koshalee, K. V. J. (2025). Buddhism and the past: An oriental perspective for understanding archaeological thought in India and Sri Lanka [Abstract]. International Conference on Reimagining and Reclaiming the Knowledge Traditions of Bharat: Beyond Boundaries and Definitions (pp. 44–45). Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Koshalee, K. V. J. (2024, March). Centuries-old whispers of sentiments: Unveiling poetic sexual fantasies in graffiti on ladies in the Sigiriya frescoes [Abstract]. 4th Virtual Conference for Women Archaeologists and Paleontologists (p. 22).
Koshalee, K. V. J. (2023). Society in Sri Lanka through the southern school Buddhist paintings: A brief overview [Full Paper]. In Buddhism in Sri Lanka during the period of the 19th to 21st centuries (pp. 106–113). Eastern Book Linkers.
Bogahawatta, C., Dissanayake, R. B., & Koshalee, K. V. J. (2023, October). Unveiling Polonnaruwa: Exploring the historicity of a forgotten settlement [Abstract]. International Workshop on Ancient Urbanisation in Sri Lanka (IWAUS 2023) (pp. 66–68). University of Kelaniya.
Koshalee, K. V. J. (2021, March). Ganapati, the god of the people: An archaeological and ethnographical study [Abstract]. 18th Academic Sessions and 17th Vice Chancellor’s Awards (p. 49). University of Ruhuna.
Bogahawatta, C., Kakulandala, K., Kumaranayake, R., & Kulathunga, D. (2021). මුල් ළමාවිය සඳහා පුරාවිද්‍යාව: අතීතය දෙස බැලීමේ සම්ප්‍රදායික අධ්‍යාපනයට එරෙහි නව්‍ය ආදර්ශයක් [Archaeology for early childhood: An innovative model against traditional education of looking at the past] [Full Paper]. In Proceedings of the National Archaeological Symposium – 2021 (pp. 252–258). Department of Archaeology.
Bogahawatta, C., Koshalee, K. V. J., Peiris, P. T. M., & Randula, K. K. G. (2018, December). Iconic Gaṇapati to aniconic Pillaiyār: An archaeological and ethnographical study on iconographic variations of Gaṇēsha figures in Sri Lanka [Abstract]. 4th International Conference on Social Sciences (p. 91). University of Kelaniya.
Kakulandala, K., & Bogahawatta, C. (2016). Sri Lankan elephant in 17th century – A historical record of Robert Knox: A review [Full Paper]. In Asian Elephants in Culture and Nature (pp. 151–158). Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya.
Bogahawatta, C., & Kakulandala, K. (2016, December). An explanation to the elephant-headed figure at Mihintale Kaṇṭaka Cētiya: A comparative study with Hindu mythology [Abstract]. International Seminar on Symbolism in Indian Art, Archaeology, and Literature (pp. 52–53). Deccan College.
Kakulandala, K., & Bogahawatta, C. (2016, November). Identification of dance styles of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa periods: An archaeological study on dancing figures of Sri Lanka [Abstract]. Proceedings of the International Research Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS 2016) (p. 109). University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
Kakulandala, K., & Bogahawatta, C. (2016, September). Costumes and adornment of ancient dancers: An archaeological study based on dancing figures of Sri Lanka [Extended Abstract]. Proceedings of the Second Archaeological Research Symposium 2016 (pp. 94–98). Rajarata University of Sri Lanka.
Kakulandala, K. (2013, March). අනුරාධපුර යුගයේ නර්තන කලාවේ දේශීය ලක්ෂණ [Indigenous characteristics of dance in Anuradhapura period] [Abstract]. 6th Research Conference (p. 267). Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka.
Kakulandala, K. (2012). පැරණි ලක්දිව නර්තන ශිල්පිනියන්ගේ සමාජ තත්ත්වය [Social status of the female dancers of ancient Sri Lanka (With reference to Anuradhapura and Polonnaru periods)] [Full Paper]. In Thirteenth National Convention on Women’s Studies (pp. 1–15). Centre for Women’s Research.
Kakulandala, K. (2012, March). පොලොන්නරු යුගයේ මූර්ති ඇසුරින් ප්‍රකට වන භරත නාට්‍යම් නර්තන සම්ප්‍රදාය [Evidence of Bharata Natyam dance tradition in the Polonnaruva period sculpture] [Abstract]. 5th Research Conference (p. 27). Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka.

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