The Department of Archaeology at the University of Kelaniya owes its very existence to the visionary leadership and relentless dedication of Professor Abaya Aryasinghe. As a pioneering scholar and institution builder, he stands at the forefront of renowned Sri Lankan archaeologists, whose life's work established the foundation for modern archaeological studies in the country. The study of history, as he believed, is essential for the advancement of society as a whole. His journey in this service is commemorated not only as an offering of gratitude but also as an inspiration for new scholars to flourish in this vital field.

Early Life and Scholarly Ascent

Abaya Aryasinghe was born on March 25, 1927, in Bemmulla Village, Gampaha District. He received his primary education at Pitiyegedara Primary School and his secondary education at Veyangoda Central College, where he passed with distinction in the English medium syllabus of the time. His academic excellence continued as he sat for the University of London (London Inter Arts) examination, passing with high distinction in Indian History, Pali, and Sinhala. This strong foundation led him to pursue the Sinhala Diploma Course at the University of Peradeniya.

Academic Milestones and Higher Education

Abaya Aryasinghe’s career began as an Assistant Teacher in 1948. His commitment to the education sector led him to serve in several schools, culminating in promotions to School Inspector in 1955 and School Principal in 1958. His deep commitment to scholarship led him back to academia:

• 1960: Under the guidance of the eminent Professor Senarath Paranavithana, he registered for his Master of Arts (MA) degree in Archaeology at the University of Peradeniya. He holds the distinction of being the first person to ever register for the MA examination in Archaeology at the university.

• 1961: Following his MA success, he joined Vidyodaya University as a Lecturer.

• 1965: He obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from the University of London.

• 1967: His exceptional service to the advancement of Archaeology resulted in his promotion to the First Grade Lecturer position.

Pioneering Service

The most significant institutional legacy of Abaya Aryasinghe stems from his service at the Vidyalankara Campus (now the University of Kelaniya), where he was tasked with establishing the archaeology program. He provided pioneering service in establishing the Department of Archaeology, navigating the department through its crucial early stages:

• 1973: Appointed Head of the unit of Archaeology.

• 1977: Appointed as the Rector (Mandapadhipathi) of the Vidyalankara Campus.

• 1979: His leadership successfully achieved independent status, formally establishing the Department of Archaeology.

His career also included international scholarly engagement, highlighted by a higher scholarship to Japan in 1979 to engage in archaeological research activities. He rendered unparalleled service to the field, both locally and internationally, until he retired from university life in 1992.

Authored Works

Professor Aryasinghe’s service to the field of archaeological studies is further cemented by his extensive body of published works, covering subjects from epigraphy to diverse aspects of culture:

(1983). කොජිකි මූලවංසය (අනුවර්තනය) [Kojiki Mūlavaṁsaya]. නුගේගොඩ: කර්තෘ ප්‍රකාශන.

(1984). එසඳ මාදුරු ඔය [Esanda Mādurū Oya]. නුගේගොඩ: අන්තර්ජාතික ප්‍රකාශන භාරය.

(1985). උතුරුකරයේ ආර්ය රාජ්‍යය (අනුවාදය) [Uturukaraye Ārya Rājyaya]. නුගේගොඩ: ජනකාන්ත ප්‍රකාශන භාරය.

(1985). ලංකාවේ රජ සිරිත් සහ ලෝක චාරිත්‍ර [Laṁkāwe Raja Sirit Saha Lōka Cāritra]. නුගේගොඩ: අන්තර් සංස්කෘතික භාරය.

(1986). ජපන් සදුපදේශ සරණිය [Japan Sadūpadēsha Saraṇiya]. නුගේගොඩ: අන්තර් සංස්කෘතික භාරය.

(1987). සකල සිංහල චක්‍රවර්ති [Sakala Siṁhala Cakravartī]. නුගේගොඩ: ජනකාන්ත ප්‍රකාශන භාරය.

(1990). පානදුරාවාදය [Pānadurāvādaya]. නුගේගොඩ: කර්තෘ ප්‍රකාශන.

(1996). අවුකන බුදු පිළිමය හා මිසදිටු ඇගෑව [Aukana Budu Piḷimaya hā Misadiṭu Ägǟwa]. පිළියන්දල: කර්තෘ ප්‍රකාශන.

(1998). අසෝක ධංම ලිපි [මූලික ගිරිලිපි තුදුස] [Asōka Dhaṁma Lipi (Mūlika Girilipi Tudusa)]. කොළඹ: ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජාතික පුස්තකාල සේවා මණ්ඩලය.

(1998). මම් දකිම් මෙසේ [Mam Dakim Mesē]. හෝමාගම: සෙනෙවිරත්න ප්‍රින්ටර්ස්.

(2000). The deities and demons of Sinhala origin. Piliyandala: Author publication.

(2000). අසෝක ධංම ලිපි: අන්‍යතර ගිරිලිපි [Asōka Dhaṁma Lipi: Anyatara Girilipi]. . පිළියන්දල: කර්තෘ ප්‍රකාශන

(2000). අසෝක ධංම ලිපි: ටැම්ලිපි හා ලෙන්ලිපි [Asōka Dhaṁma Lipi: Ṭämḷipi hā Lenḷipi]. නුගේගොඩ: කර්තෘ ප්‍රකාශන.

(2000). ප්‍රාචීන ලිපි මාලා: අසෝක ධංම ලිපි [Prācīna Lipi Mālā: Asōka Dhaṁma Lipi]. කැලණිය: කැලණිය විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය.

(2000). ප්‍රාචීන ලිපි මාලා: සංස්කෘත ලිපි [Prācīna Lipi Mālā: Saṁskṛta Lipi]. කැලණිය: කැලණිය විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය.

(2000). ප්‍රාචීන ලිපි මාලා: සිංහල ලිපි [Prācīna Lipi Mālā: Siṁhala Lipi]. කැලණිය: කැලණිය විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය.

(2007). Sanskrutika Vicara: Mul Muraya. Divulapitiya: Saraswathi publications.

Personal Life and Demise

Professor Abhaya Aryasinghe was initially married to Malani Aryasinghe, a schoolteacher, with whom he had six children. Malani Aryasinghe passed away in 1986. He later remarried Wimala Thilakaratne. She lovingly cared for him until he passed away on January 14, 2009. Commemorating his invaluable service to the advancement of archaeological studies in Sri Lanka remains the utmost duty of students and scholars in the field today.

Source: Amarasekara, A. A. D. (2011). මහාචාර්ය අබය ආර්යසිංහ ඇදුරුතුමා [Mahācārya Abaya Āriyasiṁha Ædurutumā]. In M. Amarasinghe (Ed.), Ārya Vibhūṣaṇa: Professor Abaya Aryasinghe Felicitation Book (pp. 17–21). Colombo: S. Godage & Brothers.