Since the late  1980’s, C Anjalendran and his students have been recording some of Sri Lanka’s finest examples of architectural heritage.  Every year, they would select a building that presented itself worthy and draw each fine detail of its design. Armed with over 30 years’ worth of drawings, Anjalendran, David Robson and Dominic Sansoni decided to publish a book featuring the ink and pencil drawings, photographs and insightful text on these buildings. 
 

‘The Architectural Heritage of Sri Lanka’ is a book that celebrates this country’s rich architectural ancestry. The drawings are intricate and meticulous. Where modern architectural drawings are abstract, these drawings are detailed to the very last dot - even to the extent where one knows what type of tree is in the background.  

 

 
 

“These drawings are not about how you build a house, but rather about the feel of the house,” said Anjalendran, flipping through the book. 
 

The book highlights a broad cross-section of buildings, from the classical era of the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa periods to the post-Independence era from 1948. The book features photographs by Dominic Sansoni who has worked alongside Anjalendran to capture real life images of the ink and pencil drawings in the book. 
 

“For every picture in this book, Dominic rejected at least 5 pictures before he was satisfied,” laughed Anjalendran as he shared how he and Dominic spent hours finding the perfect drawings and photographs to include in the book.
 

The text for the book is compiled by David Robson, an architect and writer. He was Anjalendran’s tutor in the early 70’s and has written several biographies on Geoffery Bawa’s life and work. 
 

Many of the buildings featured in the book have seized to exist today. “It shocks me that the buildings I’ve seen as a child are now archival,” shared Dominic. 
 

This compilation of measured drawings and photographs are vivid and skilfully detailed. The text is rich and is an insightful look into the history of Sri Lanka’s opulent architecture. It is a tribute to Sri Lanka’s great architectural heritage.

 

The book is available at BAREFOOT bookshop.