Don Martino de Zilva Wickremasinghe


Don Martino de Zilva Wickremasinghe was an epigraphist and archeologist of Sri Lanka. He studied at Richmond College, Galle. Subsequently, he worked as an assistant to H. C. P. Bell as served as the epigraphist to the Ceylon Government. He became archaeological commissioner after Bell, preceding Senarath Paranavitana in that position. His most important contribution was serving as editor and part author of the first two volumes of Epigraphia Zeylanica, a key source for the early history of Ceylon. He handed responsibility for volume 3 of Epigraphia Zeylanica to Paranavitana "...owing to reasons of health and the multifarious duties at the University of London." During his time in London, Wickremasinghe prepared a catalogue of the Sinhalese books in the library of the British Museum.

Leading articles

Wickremasinghe, M. d. Z.. "Art. XIII.—The Semitic Origin of the Indian Alphabet." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 33, no. 2: 301-305.
Wickremasinghe, M. d. Z.. "On the Etymology and Interpretation of Certain Words and Phrases in the Aśoka Edicts." BSOAS 6, no. 2: 545-548.