Posts held

Prof. Prematilleke  held many important positions in professional bodies during his lifetime. These enabled him to make numerous lasting contributions to archaeology and related fields.

  • Sectional Secretary and Pro-tem President, 20th Anniversary of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) / Second International Campaign of Museums 1968
  • Member, Committee on the Development of Archaeological Education at the Universities, National Council of Higher Education, 1970
  • Member, Panel of Experts on Buddhist Art – Ceylon National Committee for UNESCO, Ministry of Education 1970
  • University of Peradeniya
    • Chairman – University Arts Council, 1971-82
      • Chairman – Sub-committee on Film and Drama, 1974-75
      • Representative, Committee on sculpture and Painting, 1975-76
    • Member – Library Committee of The Faculty of Arts – 1977.
    • Acting Head – Department of Languages and Cultural studies – June to December 1977
    • Convenor, Sub-committee on Course in South Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts
    • Member, Evaluation Committee, Faculty of Arts
    • Member, Curriculum Committee, Faculty of Arts
  • Archaeological Survey of Sri Lanka
    • Member, Advisory Committee on Protected Monuments (1970-79)
    • Director, Conservation of the Nalanda Gedige (1979-85)
    • Member, Advisory Board on Archaeology, 1970-75 (in charge of restorations of Gadaladeniya and Mirisavatiya) and 1990 onwards
  • Vice-President, Archaeological Society of Sri Lanka, 1976-79, and subsequent  Committee Member Archaeological Soceity of Sri Lanka (archaeology.org.lk)
  • Member, Committee on Conservation and Development of Historic Sites and Monuments under the Accelerated Mahaveli Development Scheme, 1978.
  • Member, Board on the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka November (appointed in 1979) 
  • Member of the sub committee on ‘Dutugemunu’s Ashes’ – MInistry of Cultural Affairs, 1979
  • Member, Advisory Board on National Museums, Department of National Museums 1968-71 and 2007-10
  • Member, Advisory Committee – National Museum Kandy (1979 – 81)
  • Co-Director, Research Project on the Vatadage in Polonnaruwa, with Professor Takeshi Nakagawa, Waseda University, Tokyo, 1983-1985
  • Member, Committee to make Kandy a World Heritage site – approved by UNESCO in 1988
  • UNESCO – Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle programme: Archaeological Director, Polonnaruva (1980-99) and Kandy (1981- 99) projects 
  • Scientific Leader(3rd Leg) – UNESCO Spice Route of the Silk Road of the Sea (Colombo to Madras, Phuket, Malacca, Surabhaya and Bangkok) 1990
  • Director, Excavation of Skeletal Remains in Fua Mulak, Maldives, sponsored by the Republic of Maldives, 1986.
  • Director of project for preparation of an Inventory of Places of Religious and Cultural Significance and Areas of Scenic and Recreational Value, Coast Conservation Department, Sri Lanka, 1986.
  • Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology (PGIAR, University of Kelaniya)
    • Senior Co-Coordinator (with Prof.Senake Bandaranayake) at its inception (then Postgraduate Centre of Archaeological Studies) 1986
    • Member – Board of Governors until 1987
    • Chairman – Research and Publications unit until 1987
    • Member – Board of Studies from 1990

Speaking at the PGIAR Archaeometallurgy conference organized with Peradeniya in 1987

  • Sri Lanka Council of Archaeologists
    • Founder President (1989-90) 
    • Committee member (2000-01)
    • Chairman of academic board 
    • Member of disciplinary committee
  • International Council on Monuments & Sites (ICOMOS)
    • Co-Chairperson, Publications Committee, ICOMOS Sri Lanka 1993
    • Organized first ICOMOS International (Asian) conference in Sri Lanka, 1993
    • President – ICOMOS National Committee, Sri Lanka 1997 – 2000
    • Honorary Member – ICOMOS (International) since 2018 (the first Sri Lankan to receive it)
  • Member of the Organizing Committee (and editor of catalogue) for the exhibition titled “The Heritage of Sri Lankan Bronze Sculpture”, held at the National Museum, Colombo 1995
  • Member – Academy of Sri Lankan Culture (1996)
  • Chairman – National Committee for the Exhibition of Sri Lankan Artefacts in Tokyo, 2008
  • Member, Advisory Board on Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, Ministry of Cultural Affairs,  Sri Lanka 2002-15
  • Chairperson, Committee for the Maritime History and Archaeology Museum, Galle Fort, 2007
  • Co-chairperson of the subcommittee on Museums, Museology and Culture-in-development, Asia-Pacific Institute of Museology and Culture-in-development (UNESCO) 2003.
  • Member – Committee to review the work of Department of Archaeology, October 2013
  • Central Cultural Fund 
    • Editorial Board member for the CCF bulletin and Research Coordinator (1989)
    • Coordinating Director and later Consultant, Publications unit – 1993 to 2005
      • Chairman, Evaluation Committee on Publications.
      •  Editorial Consultant for all publications of CCF
      • Chairman, Editorial Board, History and Archaeology Series.
      • Advisor, CCF Printing Press
      • Wrote proposal for establishment of a Research Centre at the CCF in 2002, and subsequently served as a Senior Member of its Steering Committee
      • Supervision of the CCF library
      • Chairperson, Translations Committee of the Classical Sinhala Text Translation series (link to publications)
  • Life Member of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka

With staff of the CCF publications unit