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The Murals at Gotami Viharaya-by Uditha Devapriya   Source:Dailynews Commissioned in 1939 and completed a year later, the murals at Gotami Viharaya in Borella were painted at a time of conflict and world war. Representing a high point of Buddhist temple art in the 20th century, they occupy a world away from the art décor, art nouveau, and rococo styles that had come to prevail in Buddhist temples. They borrow from the past, yet subvert its tropes. They are rooted in tradition, yet are also modernist. The Viharaya was constructed in 1925 on land owned by Lady Apollonia de Soysa. The mother of Sir James Peiris, Lady de Soysa belonged to the colonial elite in British Ceylon. By inheritance and marriage, her family was connected to some of the most important figures in 20th century Sri Lanka, who played a major role in the country’s culture. Lady de Soysa’s grandson, ...