BELL, Harry Charles Purvis. India 21.9.1851 — Kandy 6.9.1937. British Archaeologist of Sri Lanka. Son of general H. W. B. Bell, from 1864 educated at Cheltenham College. From 1873 in Ceylon Civil service, served in various positions, finally district judge in Kegalla. In 1890-1912 Archaeological Commissioner for Ceylon with headquarters in Anuradhapura. Worked long alone, later with a few helpers (D. M. de Z. Wickremasinghe and John Still). Retired in 1912, but stayed in Ceylon the rest of his life, living in Kandy. Married 1876 Renée Sabine Fyers (d. 1933), three sons and three daughters.
Bell did pioneer work in Ceylon (excavated at Anuradhapura) and in the Maldives (which he visited several times in 1879 and in the 1920s) showing i.al. that the latter had been Buddhist before Muslim conversion. He was lazy with his reports and his excavation methods soon became antiquated, but he showed keen interest in conservation. He also wrote on Ceylon religion (ethnology) in the 1910s.
Publications: Papers in JRAS-CB and other journals, e.g. “Fish-curing at the Mâldives”, IA 11, 1882, 196-198; “Sinhalese Customs and Ceremonies connected with Paddy Cultivation in the Low Country”, JRAS-CB 8:26, 1883, 44-93; “Paddy Cultivation Ceremonies in the four Kóralés, Kẹ´galla District”, JRAS-CB 11:39, 1889, 17-21; “Prince Taniyavalla Báhu at Mádampe”, JRAS-CB 28:72, 1919 (1921), 36-53.
– “List of Sinhalese, Pāli, and Sanskrit books in the Oriental Library, Kandy”, JPTS 1882, 38-45.
– The Maldive Islands. An account of the physical features, climate, history, inhabitants, productions and trade. 132 p. Colombo 1883; The Máldive Islands. Report on a visit to Málé, January 20 to February 20, 1920. 72 p. Colombo 1921; The Máldive Islands. Monograph on the history, archaeology and epigraphy. 204 p. Colombo 1940.
– Edited: The Voyage of François Pyrard de Laval… to the East Indies, the Maldives, the Moluccas and Brazil. Transl. by A. Gray. 1-2. Hakluyt Soc. 76-77. 1887.
– Reports of the Ceylon Archaeological Survey, 1890-1912; “Interim Report on the operations of the Archaeological Survey at Sigiriya in 1895”, JRAS-CB 14:46, 1895, 44-58, and similar reports till 1912.
– Edited the Ceylon Antiquary and Literary Register 1/1915–.
– “Excerpta Maldiviana”, JRAS-CB 29:75, 1922, 99-104; 29, 76, 1923, 194-214; 29:77, 1924, 283-303; 30:78, 1925, 132-142; 30:80, 1927, 436-447; 31:81, 1928, 180-195; 31:82, 1929, 400-415; 31:83, 1920, 539-578; 32:84, 1931, 76-124; 32:85, 1932, 226-242; 32:86, 1933, 373-387; 33:87, 1934, 47-90; 33:88, 1935, 169-191; all repr. as a book Excerpta Maldiviana. 315 p. N.D. 1998.
Sources: Who Was Who; *D. T. Devendra, JRAS-CB N.S. 8:1, 1962, 163-165; J.R. Toussaint, Journal of the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon 23, 1934, 132-134; *bibliography in Ceylon Today 1:2-3; briefly in Wikipedia (with photo); *Bethia N. Bell & Heather M. Bell, H. C. P. Bell: archaeologist of Ceylon and the Maldives. 318 p. Denbigh 1993 (written by his granddaughters); H.M. Bell, “H. C. P. Bell in Sri Lanka and the Maldives”, South Asian Studies 8, 1992, 105-108.
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