Raj Somadeva

Raj Kumar Somadeva Delgahawatta (born 31 October 1960) is a professor of archaeology at the University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka and a member of the World Archaeological Congress.[1] He has received the Charles Wallace Research Fellowship from the Institute of Archeology at University Collage London in 2005.[1]

Education and career

Delgahawatthage Raj Kumar Somadeva Delgahawatta was born on 31 October 1960. He received a degree in archaeology in 1986 and in 1994 earned his master's degree in the same discipline, both from the University of Kelaniya. In 2006 he obtained his PhD degree in archaeology from the Department of Archaeology & Ancient History at Uppsala University in Sweden.[1]

Somadeva served as Assistant Director of the Sigiriya – UNESCO – Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Project from 1989 to 1994 and in 1994 as Institutional Coordinator of the Ancient Bronze Heritage in Sri Lanka Project, organized by the Department of National Museum. In 1998 he won the Top Ten in Sri Lanka Award for the category of Academic Leadership and Accomplishment. In 2005 he was awarded the Charles Wallace Research Fellowship from the Institute of Archaeology at University Collage London. He is also a member of the World Archaeological Congress. As of 2019 he serves as a professor in archaeology at the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology at Kelaniya University.[1]

Somadeva considers that Buddhism existed in Sri Lanka before the arrival of Mahinda, and that the history of Sri Lanka goes beyond the period of Vijaya and Kuveni. This is contrary to the widely accepted view, which is that promoted by the 5th-century Mahawamsa.[2]

Books
  • Urban Origins in Southern Sri Lanka
  • Galle Maritime Archaeology Museum and Information Centre
  • Archaeology of the Uda Walave Basin
  • Rock Painting and Engraving Sites in Sri Lanka
  • The Archaeology of Mountains: Holocene Adaptations of Prehistoric Hunter-gatherers
  • The Manabharana Vihara at Siyambalanduva

References
  1. "Curriculum Vitae – Professor Raj Somadeva". Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  2. Somadeva, Raj. (2014) 'Buddhism existed before Mihindu thera'. interviewed by Wijeyasinghe, Chathushika.www.dailymirror.lk. 1 July. Retrieved 2019-09-29.


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