Sri Lanka National Archives secures € 384,248 grant for research on Dutch palm leaf manuscripts

Friday, 4 July 2025 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday approved a proposal by the National Archives Department to sign an agreement and proceed with a research project on Sri Lankan-origin Dutch palm leaf manuscripts, following its success in securing a competitive grant of € 384,248.

The grant, awarded by the Netherlands Research Council under its thematic call ‘Whose Knowledge, Whose Values? Palm Leaf Manuscripts and the Question of Colonial Collections in Dutch Heritage Institutions’, will support a collaborative research program from 2025 to 2029.

The project brings together the National Archives Department and five other institutions, including the Free Universities of the Netherlands, to explore and document this historically significant manuscript collection.

The agreement for the project has received the clearance of the Attorney General, recommendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, and concurrence from the External Resources Department.

The initiative aims to deepen understanding of Sri Lanka’s colonial-era knowledge heritage while contributing to global academic discussions on the provenance and value of colonial collections.

The proposal to this effect submitted by Buddhism, Religious Affairs, and Cultural Affairs Minister Prof. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.

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