Museum to be built in Dambana for Sri Lanka's Veddah skulls returned from Edinburgh

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa directed the officials of Central Cultural Fund to fund for a museum for Veddah community to place the artefacts returned by the University of Edinburgh. 

A museum is to be built in Dambana, the home of a section of Sri Lanka's indigenous Veddah community, to exhibit the ancient skulls and other artefacts belonging to the community. 

Nine skulls taken to the United Kingdom during the time of the colonial rule about 200 years ago were recently handed over to Veddah chieftain Uruwarige Wanniya. The skulls and the bones were kept so far in the museum of the University of Edinburgh. 

The hunter-gatherer, forest-dwelling community are now fast modernising and the community's traditional lifestyle is exhibited in Dambana which is a popular tourist attraction.

Rs. 3,400 million was approved for the Central Cultural Fund for the projects in 2021, The Prime Minister's media announced. 

(Photo credit to BBC)