Retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson joins the MintCast director Mnar Adley to discuss the decline and possible fall of the U.S. empire. It is clear to at least half the world, some four billion people, that the United States is not the power that it once was… Our reputation is in tatters in the world,” he said, laying out parallels between the fall of the Western Roman and Persian empires and today’s United States. The U.S. military is a shadow of its former self and could not beat either Russia or China in a sustained war, Wilkerson says. If a war did break out, then it would likely escalate to nuclear Armageddon quickly. Wilkerson and MintPress News’ Mnar Adley also discuss the big geopolitical hot topics of the day, including Iran, Israel and Gaza. The Israel lobby, Wilkerson claims, constitutes a national security threat. Israel is the greatest and most dangerous foreign agent operating on US soil. There’s no question about that,” he said. Make sure to subscribe to us and become a supporter on Patreon. Support independent watchdog journalism!
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C), also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, poses for a group picture with members of the Palestinian factions during the signing of the Beijing Declaration in Beijing, China, July 23, 2024. Credit: Chinese Foreign Ministry
China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, supports all Palestinian factions in achieving reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, and supports Palestine in realizing solidarity, unity and independent statehood at the earliest possible date. China has been and will continue to make relentless effort to this end. Mao Ning, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman
China has brought together 14 disparate Palestinian groups and helped them form a unity government that will rule Gaza when the Israeli onslaught ends.
On Tuesday, leaders of the main Palestinian factions—including Hamas and Fatah—signed the Beijing Declaration which establishes an interim national reconciliation government” to rule post-war Gaza. The groundbreaking agreement represents the first step towards rapprochement between traditional rivals who have put their differences behind them in the interests of the beleaguered Palestinian people.
In order to capitalize on the progress they’ve made in Beijing, Palestinian leaders need to call a broad and fully authorized international conference under the auspices of the UN, with regional and international participation.” By doing this, they will draw more attention to their decades-long struggle for self-determination, which is already gaining momentum due to Israel’s genocidal rampage in Gaza. With the establishment of a de facto national unity government, the Palestinians will also be in a position to request international peacekeepers to protect their legal (1967) borders, which Israel fails to recognize, and which are the source of the ongoing dispute. In order for international law to have any meaning, UN resolutions must be enforceable. Thus, the legitimacy of the United Nations depends largely on its ability to establish and defend a Palestinian state against Zionist aggression. This is from an article at the Global Times:
China has made another significant contribution to the peace and stability of a world in turbulence as 14 factions from Palestine, including Fatah and Hamas, with key support from China, reached a historic declaration for nationwide reconciliation in Beijing on Tuesday. Experts said it will be a key step for Palestinian people to achieve their goal of establishing a state and the realization of long-standing peace between Palestine and Israel….
The latest…. events on the Palestine issue and the Ukraine crisis prove that China, which always upholds its stance for peace… is taking concrete actions to contribute to political settlements, despite the US and US-led military alliances like NATO continuing to add uncertainties and obstacles. China will continue with its efforts to ensure that peace processes in different regions of the world can be delivered…
Historic declaration for Palestine…
The core outcome of the reconciliation dialogue among Palestinian factions held in Beijing is to specify that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole legitimate representative of all the Palestinian people, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday….
Ma Xiaolin, dean of the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the declaration is absolutely historic, significant and unprecedented…. (it) is not just a document, but a feasible roadmap with international support and supervision from not only major regional countries but permanent members of the UN Security Council.”… Global Times
Chinese diplomats expect the path to peace to be implemented in three phases:
Phase 1—To achieve a comprehensive, lasting and sustainable cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, and ensure access to humanitarian aid and rescue on the ground.”
Phase 2—To make joint efforts toward post-conflict governance of Gaza under the principle of Palestinians governing Palestine.” Gaza is an inseparable, integral part of Palestine.
Phase 3—To help Palestine become a full member state of the UN and get down to implementing the two-state solution.”
China should be applauded for bringing the rival factions together and making such a courageous effort to bring the 10 month-long bloodbath in Gaza to an end. They should also be commended for understanding that the broader crisis cannot be resolved without internal reconciliation, which is why China’s foreign ministry arranged to bring all the factions together at one time. Fortunately, the three-day confab helped the leaders to iron-out their differences on key issues including the creation of a provisional national reconciliation government that will be formed according to the consensus of Palestinian factions and the current Basic Law of the Palestine.”
This is a remarkable achievement for China which has already distinguished itself as the world leader in promoting policies of peace and non-intervention. Keep in mind, that China recently helped to reestablish diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia and, also, has made numerous efforts to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine. Wherever hotspots emerge and fighting breaks out, China can be found dousing the flames and trying to bring the opposing-sides to the negotiating table. And while their actions may be ignored by the western media, they are having an impact all the same.
The world needs an actively engaged China to offset the destabilizing effects of Washington’s endless coups, interventions and wars. The Beijing Declaration shows what progress can be made when right-minded leaders act in the interests of peace and conflict resolution.
Colombo, July 24 ( Daily Mirror) – Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera requested the governmnet not let terrorist groups get stuck in political camps as they do not have ethics.
Addressing the media today, he stated that he has all the evidence related to the matter, but he can only present it in Parliament.
“My evidence must be debated in Parliament because that’s where laws are made. It’s not worth showing the evidence to anyone outside Parliament,” he said.
“Since we are not given space by a mainstream party, we need help to get into Parliament to reveal information we have collected over the last 15 to 20 years, provided by members of the traditional Muslim community,” he said.
“We aim to present these extremist and fundamentalist doctrines given to us by some in the Muslim society,” he added.
“I need a place in Parliament to address these issues; otherwise, we have no platform to reveal this information. I need to influence where laws are made,” the thera said.
“Monks don’t need to go to Parliament, but as monks, we have a duty to protect the country’s cultural heritage. I’m trying to save the country,” he said.
“Every time I speak outside Parliament, extremist forces accuse me of hate speech. That’s the truth. These extremist forces, according to their teachings, can kill people and no one dispute that. If we raise our voices, they retaliate. Nowhere in the world is Buddhism taught to keep the head bowed even if the neck is cut,” the Thera said.
The Cabinet of Ministers, which convened an urgent meeting today, has decided to announce its response to the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the Inspector General of Police (IGP) within the next two days after studying in depth the legal aspects of the matter.
The Supreme Court today (24) issued an interim order preventing Deshabandu Tennakoon from performing duties and functioning in the position of the IGP.
The Supreme Court issued this order after granting leave to proceed with the nine petitions, filed by several parties including Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, challenging Tennakoon’s appointment as the IGP.
The Supreme Court had also ordered the President to name a suitable person for the position of IGP, for the duration of the interim order being enforced against Deshabandu Tennakoon.
Accordingly, a special cabinet meeting was called this evening at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, chaired by President Ranil Wickramasinghe.
The Cabinet of Ministers was of the opinion that since the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the IGP was received only this afternoon, adequate time is needed to conduct an in-depth study of the related legal issues.
Accordingly, it was unanimously decided that it would be most suitable to announce the response of the Cabinet in the next two days.
The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to provide a special monthly allowance of Rs. 3,000 to pensioners starting from September 2024 until their salary anomalies are fully addressed, according to Minister Susil Premajayantha.
A separate committee has been appointed regarding the salary disparities in the public service. The committee was appointed to solve the salary disparities in all fields at once. In the meantime, according to the committee’s own opinion, it was decided to give an allowance of Rs.3000 rupees to the pensioners from September. About 700,000 people will get that benefit”, said the minister.
The Japanese government has officially announced the release of funds to resume development projects in Sri Lanka. A press conference was held today (24) at the Ministry of Finance Auditorium, where key figures including Misukoshi Hideyaki, Ambassador of Japan, Tetsuya Yamada, Head of JICA Sri Lanka Office, and Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, addressed the media.
The announcement follows the recent signing of an agreement with the Official Creditors Committee. The Japanese delegation praised Sri Lanka’s successful debt restructuring, which has facilitated the restart of Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects.
Among the projects poised to resume are the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) Development Project, the Colombo Port Eastern Terminal Development Project, the Central Expressway Construction, and the Digital Broadcasting Project. Additionally, discussions are underway to restart the Light Railway Transit (LRT) project, which was previously halted, with a focus on alleviating traffic congestion in Colombo.
This renewed phase of cooperation is expected to significantly impact Sri Lanka’s infrastructure and development landscape.
After the end of the Eelam war, something new was introduced to the Sinhala-Buddhist arena, the Worship of Ravana. Ravana worship has been introduced to Sri Lanka in the post-war period, without much fanfare. This is not the Ramayana Ravana this is Sri Lanka’s very own Ravana, sans Sita.
The west tried to bring attention to Ravana by asking, why Ravana has become so popular among Sinhalese Buddhists in the last decade. The answer is that there is no very great interest in Ravana today. The interest is the same as it ever was. Everyone knows about Ravana and his dandu monara, but is not interested in knowing anything more about Ravana because he is too far away in time.
But there is a little known Ravana movement going on. This is an artificial one, probably externally influenced and foreign funded. It is carried out by a small number of Ravana groups, who are actively involved in promoting Ravana, such as Ravana Shakthi and Ravana Balaya.
One Ravana activist hailed from Kurunegala .He was the president of a popular Ravana research group, has written several books about Ravana and is very active in promoting his Ravana ideas amongst youngsters. He organizes training camps at the Ravana Research Centre. He initiated the construction of a Ravana shrine at a Buddhist site. He has presented the programme Hela Vansaya
Ravana groups have constructed Ravana shrines and consider themselves the lay custodians of these shrines. Processions and rituals are organized around these shrines, and people go on expeditions to explore and ‘reclaim’ the ancient kingdom of Ravana.
The Ravana movement is not interested in developing a separate Ravana cult. There are no separate Ravana temples. The Ravana shrines are set inside Buddhist temples. They are deliberately placed at sites where Buddhists come to worship. Ravana statues are also available for purchase for worship at home.
In this way, Ravana is placed in a Buddhist devotional framework, a Buddhist worldview and Buddhist time frame. Ravana worship will help in the elimination of Gautama Buddha and his doctrine.
The text used for this is the Lankavatara Sutra. This Sutra is not known in Sri Lanka , It is used only by Ravana supporters. Interested parties abroad have fed this to them. Ravana devotees are not scholars capable of tracking down this Sutra..
The Lankavatara Sutra belongs to a set of Mahayana sutraswritten in the 4th century. It was translated into Sanskrit by Nanjo Bunyu in 1923. D.T. Suzuki English translation of the Lankavatara Sutra in the 1930s.
According to the Lankavatara Sutra Ravana was a Buddhist who lived in the time of a previous Buddha (Dipankara Buddha). The first chapter of the Lankavatara Sutra (a later addition, according to Suzuki) states that the Buddha was invited by Ravana to preach the dhamma in Lanka. It is said that Ravana first went to see the Buddha, and invited him to come to Lanka. Ravana brought Buddha and his companions in the pushpaka ( a floral chariot that became known as aerial car) to Lanka.
Links to Ravana have been found at Lakegala and Ranamure in Meemure, and also at Laggala. The villagers of Meemure are believed to be descendants of King Ravana and his Yaksha tribe. The website of the Laggala-Pallegama divisional secretariat, says that villagers in Laggalabelieve that they are descended from Ravana and that they are the real yaksha people.
Lakegala has been included in the ancient kingdom of Ravana in Sri Lanka, by Ravana supporters. Villagers living in Lakegala area are the descendants of Ravana, not Vijaya, they said. They are Yaksha
Lakegala was very important for Ravana. Lakegala was Ravana’s war zone. Lakegala was also a point of orientation for sailors. Talaimannar and Koneswaram can be seen from the top of Lakegala. Ravana used it as point of orientation for his dandu monara.
At the top of Lakegala was the observatory of rishi Pulasthi where he studied celestial objects . Ravana and Vishrava, Ravana’s father, also studied astrology there. There were reflective mirrors on top of the mountain. Lastly, Ravana was not dead, he was in an unconscious state and his body was being preserved in a boat full of herbs, in a location in Lakegala.
Villagers in Ranamure believe that Ravana’s power is still present in the village. He is remembered in the village ritual, called the Ravana yakkama which takes place annually in the Ranamure village. Ravana was considered a deity, most often Bandara deviyo, but also Ravana devi, Bandara devi, Gange bandara, Sellam bandara, Brahmana bandara.
The revival of the yakkamas in the first half of the 2010s and the increasing tendency to call them Ravana yakkamas are recent inventions, carried out by Ravana groups.
At Ranamure there has been a deliberate attempt to introduce Ravana worship. Villagers recalled that a ‘cultural program ‘was organized in the village and a statue of Ravana was brought and its connection to the area was explained. A Ravana cultural committee set up in Ranamure distributed a handout to show the ‘original version of history.’ It explained that the ancestry in Ranamure is linked to Ravana, not Vijaya.
On another instance, a brand-new gold-colored Ravana statue from the Sri Devram Maha Viharaya had been brought into Ranamure devalaya. Ranamure Devala did not contain any statues prior to the donation of the Ravana statue. The people who donated the statue, had come from Devram vihara in Colombo on a yakkama day and performed their own puja right next to the yakkama .
They said King Ravana is now Bandara deviyo, or something like that . They donated the Ravana statue to the Devala and commissioned the kapu mahaththaya to perform a puja once a week for several months. After the required period ended, none of the villagers took up the initiative to continue these pujas. Also, after the Divisional Secretariat withdrew their sponsorship of the yakkama in Ranamure, the yakkamas did not continue.
The brand new Ravana statue looked odd amidst the other objects. The statue does not fit into the ceremony, either, as the Kapurala are expected to dance with the objects belonging to specific deities and yakshas, commented observers.
The historical connection of Ravana is emphasized by a select group of people with an interest in Ravana, others openly criticized it. Koning said that it was mainly the people who devoted considerable time to ‘Ravana research’ who came up with details of Ravana’s connections to Lakegala. In Meemure and Laggala majority of the villagers are not interest in Ravana . For most villagers Ravana is of limited relevance said Koning. She should have said, ‘of no relevance whatsoever.’
Promoters of Ravana have tried to connect the yaksha ancestry to Ravana not Kuveni. Some have merged the narrative of Ravana and the yakshas with the narrative of Kuveni and the yakshas, arguing that there were yakshas at Ravana’s time and that Kuveni was one of those yakshas that lived in Sri Lanka centuries after Ravana.
People often asked me how many Sinhalese Buddhists actually have an interest in Ravana, said Deborah de Koning who arrived in Sri Lanka in 2016 to research on Ravana for her doctorate. She found there was a group of Sinhalese Buddhists actively involved in promoting Ravana, a group of Sinhalese Buddhists who were clearly opposed to this, and a large group of Sinhalese Buddhists who have taken notice of the emphasis on Ravana in the media.
De Koning has compiled a list of the recent books written on Ravana.
Amarasinghe, J. T. (2009), Ravana and Untold Truth About His Legacy, Kurunegala: Asliya Printers.
Amarasinghe, J. T. (2014), Sri Ravana Urumaya saha Thaporavanaya: Mayanu Varsa 5126ka Gupta Ithihasaya , Kurunegala: Asliya Printers.
Chulavansa, P. S. T. (2012), Hela Ithihasaye Ravana Rajathuma ha Lankapuraya, , Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Gunasekara, S. (2015), Ethihasika Ravana , Boralasgamuwa: Visidunu Publications.
Jayatilaka, B. M. (2013), Sri Ravanna Puvatha: Hela Yak Parapure Kathava, , Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Jayatilaka, B. M. (2015), Sakvithi Ravana Hamuva Saha Venat Atbhuta Siduvem, Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Kolonnave Siri Sumangala (2013), Visvadhipathi Maha Ravana: Sinhala Jathiye Piya vu Mani Manthaka Yagu Kaurana Maha Ravana Raju Pilibanda Vigrahayak , Pannipitiya: Sri Lankeshvara Maha Ravana Mehevara Divya Ramya Jaya Maluwa.
Kolonave Siri Sumangala (2014), Sri Lankeshvara Maha Ravana, Pannipitiya: SriLankeshvara Maha Ravana Mehevara Divya Ramya Jaya Maluwa.
Obeyesekere, M. (2012), Ravana Sistacaraya Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Obeyesekere, M. (2013), Sri Lankave Ravana Adhirajayage Sanskrithika Urumaya Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Obeyesekere, M. (2015), Ravana, King of Lanka Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications.
Obeyesekere, M. (2015), Sri Lankave Ravana Adiradjayagen Pasu ape Raja Parapura, Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Obeyesekere, M. (2016), Ravana Amaraneyayi\ Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Obeyesekere, M. (2016), Ravana Yali Negitiyi Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Perera, M. (2017), Ravanayana: Saga of Lanka, Colombo 10: Colmbo: Godage
Premachandra, A. (2015), Ravana: Story of the Most Distinguished Lankan Monarch (translation of Uthuru Doratuwa]),Udumulla: Asoka Publishers.
Premachandra, A. (2017), Lankadipati Sri Ravana
Puja Bopitiye Ariyangnana (2017), Hela Isivara Maha Ravana: Ithihasayen Vasan Kala Maha Viravarayage Punaragamanaya Ganemulla: Udaya Publications.
Samarasinhe, R. P. (2014), Mityavak Novana Ravana Puravruththaya Dankotuwa: Wasana Publications.
Sandakelum Vitana Gamage, (2015), Hela Vansaya Ravanadaya : Kartṛu Publications.
Seneviratna, A. (2012), Sri Lanka Ravana Rajadhaniya Hettigama:Samanthi Poth.
Seneviratna, A. (2014), Sri Lanka Ravana Rajadhaniya saha Sigiri Puranaya Hettigama: Samanthi Poth.
Somasundara, D. (2015), Ravana: Sri Lankave Shreshtha Raju Colombo , Godage
Sri Lanka Air Force provides labour contribution to the project
The newly renovated Dambulla Primary Vidyalaya was vested in the students during a ceremony held at the school premises yesterday (Jul 22). The school was renovated with technical and labour provided by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and was vested on the student by State Minister of Defence Hon. Premitha Bandara Tennakoon in the presence of Hon. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon MP.
An estimated sum of Rs. 23.5 million was allocated for the maintenance and modernization of the school by the Central Provincial Education Department with the intervention of State Minister Tennakoon. All required renovations including the buildings, utility and sanitation of the school were completed and handed over for the use of the children.
Speaking at the event State Minister Tennakoon, said that we are carrying out necessary work to transform the religious and culturally important Dambulla area, into an educational hub to uplift the social standard of the people.
In addition, we should provide practical knowledge, courage and leadership to our children through the school system and the investment for the future generation should start from the school system, he added.
Commanding Officer of Sri Lanka Air Force Base Sigiriya Group Captain Wiranga Premawardena, educational authorities, government officials, principal, teaching staff and a large number of students and their parents attended the event.
Deborah de Koning’s doctoral research was on Ravana in post war Sri Lanka. The title of her thesis is: Ravanisation: The Revitalisation of Ravana among Sinhalese Buddhists in Post-War Sri Lanka. The thesis is published online under the title: The Many Faces of Ravana (2021). The full text is available at https://pure.uvt.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/59020919/De_Koning_The_Many_15_12_2021_incl_kaft.pdf
Deborah de Koning read religious studies with a focus on Hinduism and Buddhism at university. She did field work in Sri Lanka from 2016-2018 for her doctorate on Ravana in Sri Lanka. She looked at many Ravana sites and selected two for case studies, Lakegala and the Sri Devram Maha Viharaya, Pannipitiya.
Sri Devram Maha Viharaya, Pannipitiya contains the largest Ravana shrine in Sri Lanka. Ravana rituals are regularly performed at this site. The Viharaya has a weekly Ravana puja and the annual Ravana perahera. The Viharaya attracted people with an interest in Ravana from all over the country. The secretary to the chief incumbent had previously lived abroad and was fluent in English, said Koning.
The chief incumbent, Ven. Kolonnave Siri Sumangala came from Matara to Colombo in the late 1990s. The land at Pannipitiya was donated to him, and he built a small temple there in 1999. Today the temple occupies 16 acres.
A dayaka of the temple had told Koning that he became interested in Ravana when he worked under president Premadasa, who built a statue to Ravana. This dayaka, (unnamed) was a member of the Ravana Shakthi group.The dayaka had suggested to Ven.Sumangala to build a Dutugemunu shrine, but Sumangala rejected the idea. He then suggested a Ravana shrine.
This dayaka, together with others, had been conducting rituals to Ravana at this temple. Then Ravana had revealed to them that he did not like the place where they had been conducting the rituals and that he wanted a shrine at the spot eventually selected for constructing a Buddha shrine.
The dayaka was able to convince Sumangala and soon after a Ravana mandiraya was built. The Sri Lankeshvara Maha Ravana Raja Mandiraya was formally inaugurated on September 19, 2013, by Mahinda Rajapaksa. It was held later that the Ravana mandiraya was constructed at the spot where Ravana met one of the previous Buddhas, Kashyapa Buddha.
The temple has the Tripitaka inscribed in Sinhala script on granite stone slabs. Similarly at the corners of the Ravana mandiraya, there are four granite stone slabs equal to the size of the stone slabs on which the Tripitakais inscribed. The slabs are inscribed on both sides and contain fragments from Ravana publications by Suriya Gunasekere, Mirando Obeyesekere, Arisen Ahubudu and Ven.Sumangala. These slabs say, inter alia, that there were different types of airplanes that the Sinhalese were worshippers of the sun and that Ravana did not die but is only lying unconscious.
Analysts point out that the last observation is significant. Ravana could wake up one day, announce his presence and take over the leadership of the country. On the other hand, Koning was told by the leader of an Angampora group who performed in the Ravana perahera that the Buddha prophesied that Ravana will return in 5,000 years as the future Buddha Maitreya.
When devotees visit the temple, they are met at the gate by volunteers who provide them with background information on the site. These volunteers explained that this temple is the only place where Buddha’s parents are venerated, there are several precious relics kept at the site, and that they could donate 100 rupees for the new stupa, which was at that time being built over the older one. The visitors received a receipt in exchange for the donation and a brick, which they took to the place where the new stupawas being constructed.
There is a weekly Ravana puja. The number of participants is relatively small, between ten and twenty-five people but the ritual itself is lengthy. It has to be conducted on Sunday evenings after 6:00pm exactly in the way it is prescribed by Ven. Sumangala by the dayaka and it takes around one to one-and-a-half hours, reported Koning. The Ravana puja is preferably sponsored by a devotee and the sponsorship is usually for legal cases, for children’s exams or to fulfill vows.
The nanumura ceremony of bathing and anointing is considered the most important part of the ritual and it precedes the Ravana puja. Nanumura takes place in the inner sanctum behind a closed door out of the sight. Only the lay custodian, his assistants, and the male sponsor of the puja are allowed to conduct the nanumura. Women have to wait outside the mandiraya when the nanumura takes place. There is continuous drumming in the Ravana mandiraya till the nanamura ends.
The preparations start well before the actual Ravana puja. The chief dayaka and his assistants have to stay vegetarian on Saturday and Sunday, must take a bath, and change their clothes before entering the inner sanctum. They are dressed in traditional white clothes (sarong and shirt), cover their mouth and hair when they take the offering plates to the inner sanctum, and have the same appearance as a kapurala, recorded Koning.
For the nanumura, eleven liquids stored in large silver cups are used to bathe the statues. The cups contain milk, king coconut water and water mixed with powders such as rice flour, red and white sandalwood. One empty cup is taken to the Saman/Vishnu mandiraya.
The cups are taken by the lay custodian, his assistants, and sometimes by the male sponsor of the puja inside the inner sanctum. There, they undress the first two Ravana statues and the granite statues are rubbed with sesame oil. Then the liquids are poured over the statues.
The liquids in the cups are used one by one to bathe the first two Ravana statues. Each liquid is first via a conch shell poured out over the large granite statue, then the same liquid is also via the conch shell poured out over the small black statue behind it, and last the liquid is again poured out over the large granite statue. Between the pouring of each liquid, the statues are in similar sequence cleaned with water. Finally the statues are rubbed with sandalwood and dressed in new clothes.
While they pour out the liquids, they chant gathas by which they invite Ravana to accept the offerings. The offerings are a plate with small cups and with three oil lamps (ghee, sesame oil, and mustard oil), baskets with flowers, and two plates with nine different types of indigenous fruits (washed in turmeric water and cut into pieces) and nine different types of sweets . Often muruthen bath was brought from the kitchen and added to the offerings. The plates, covered with clothes decorated with svastikas, are then brought in procession from the kitchen to the entrance of the mandiraya.
The bringing of the offerings in procession officially marks the start of the Ravana puja. After the plates and baskets are placed inside the inner sanctum, the people are invited to sit down and liturgies are handed out. Together with the lay custodian, they chant the special Ravana songs composed by Sumangala .This chanting lasts for approximately half an hour, and it is followed by a word of thanks to the sponsor of the puja.
The chanting starts with such well-known Buddhist gathas as namo thassa and Ithipiso. This is followed by special Ravana gathas, poems, and invocations. These were composed by Sumangala and published in 2013. In these chants, multiple Ravana representations are referred to, such as the ten headed Ravana. Ravana is also treated as a deity. He is addressed as deva and deviyo.
The people outside the mandiraya are then asked to symbolically wash their feet with turmeric water, to enter the mandiraya, and to bow in reverence to the freshly anointed and newly dressed Ravana statues. After that, they are served the fruits, sweets, some of the liquids, and muruthen bath.
Ravana puja and Maha Ravana nanumura mangalyaya emphasized indigenous Hela practices and healing. The use of kola kenda and deshiya beheth kola revives indigenous Hela herbal medicine.
The Sri Devram Maha Viharaya organizes two major festival ‘weeks’ each year: one in September and one in March. The Ravana perahera is in March, together with Suddhodana Mahamaya perahera. The month of Medin was selected because the wedding of Buddha’s parents allegedly took place in that particular month. Maha Ravana perahera ritualizes the splendour and power of Ravana’s kingdom by including a ‘replica’ of the dandu monara and Angampora performances.
Ravana statues are available for sale at the Viharaya. They depict the two Ravana representations that Sumangala actively promotes. There is a large statue of Ravana as king available in grey/black stone colour and gold and the smaller statue of Ravana as rishi available in black, white, and gold.
The large statue bears the subscript ‘Sri Lankeshvara Maha Ravana.’ This statue shows Ravana with royal adornments. It is Ravana as king of Sri Lanka .The other statue depicts Ravana as a rishi. Maha Ravana Rishituma”. This statue shows Ravana simply dressed and holding a cup. Sumangala links Ravana’s rishi doctrine to healing. The representation of Ravana as rishi is actively promoted at the Sri Devram Maha Viharaya.
Ravana is also seen as the king of Lanka and the ruler of the Hela inhabitant of Lanka. In the puja, it is explicitly said that Ravana is Sinhala and the ritual, with the chanting of Buddhist gathas, places Ravana in a Sinhalese Buddhist devotional framework.
Koning noted that the time frame for Ravana at this temple was more in accordance with the Buddhist world view than with events in the Ramayana. The Natha bodhisatta statue in the Vihara is also regarded by Sumangala to be Ravana in another incarnation. The idea that Ravana is a bodhisattais not widely shared, or openly discussed, noted Koning. (Continued)
The outgoing Defence Attaché of the Embassy of Switzerland in Colombo, Colonel Francois Garraux made his farewell call to the Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne at the Defence Headquarters Complex in Sri Jayawardenepura, Kotte today (Jul 22).
The outgoing Defence Attaché was accompanied by the Deputy Ambassador H.E. Olivier Praz and his successor, Colonel (GS) Daniel Bader. Following a warm reception, the Sri Lankan Defence Secretary held a cordial discussion with the Swiss delegation.
The Defence Secretary extended gratitude to the departing Defence Attaché and best wishes for his future aspirations.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to introduce the incoming Defence Attaché Col. Bader, who expressed his enthusiasm for continuing and expanding upon the initiatives set forth by his predecessor.
Gen. Gunaratne welcomed the incoming Defence Attaché while expressing confidence in his abilities to navigate the complexities of the new role. He emphasized the importance of continuity of existing ties between two nations.
The Military Liaison Officer of the Ministry of Defence Maj. Gen. Dhammika Welagedara was also present at the occasion.
* Even at the time Western colonists came to this country, we were a developed nation in every way…
* We were a developed nation at the time we had to surrender…
* We were the first nation to defeat the imperialists… it was by Kings Mayadunne and Rajasingha of Sithawaka…
* Those victories of the warriors is hidden from history today…
* Sithawaka, which has not been researched so far, is a good research ground for researchers…- Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena
The Prime Minister made these comments when in vesting in the public of the Sithawaka Museum (21.07.2024).
This museum has been built in a building owned by the Department of Railway in Avissawella town at a cost of 50 million rupees by the Central Cultural Fund and with the labour of the Sri Lanka Navy.
The Prime Minister further commented that – “This museum is a place where the information of natural history is handed down to future generations. The Kings Rajasinghe and Mayadunne of Sithawaka who defeated the Western imperialist armies that had the strength to invade the world, were the Sri Lankan leaders who challenged the world. The Dutch came to our country first. Although some of their names and surnames were taken, their language was not learnt. After that, when the Portuguese came, the language spread a bit and a few names and surnames were taken, but the language was not learnt in depth, therefore their language disappeared from Sri Lanka. We are proud to have defeated the first Emperor of the world. The English government came later. The Portuguese came first. Even when white people came to this country, we were a developed nation in every way. We are a developed nation even if we later surrendered. Our ancient people had taken steps to trade the country’s natural resources with the people of the world through rivers and ferries. These two war hero statesmen successfully fought for our freedom, thwarting the efforts of those who came to find them and acquired even more. Not only war heroism, but the process that entered into various fields of strategy and governance, which has not been studied yet. We did not want to do such a deep study at that time. Sithawaka is one of the periods that we can be proud of, in our country’s history. This museum is part of that pride. The pride of that history is now to Sithawaka Urban Council. These Professors have brought that gem of pride to you…”
Minister Bandula Gunawardena –
“Today is a day of historical significance for the town of Sithawaka. We offer our respect and thanks to all those who have contributed to the establishment of such a museum so that future generations of children and students can witness the work done by the Kingdom of Sithawaka to proceed in the way through country’s long history. As the Minister for Transport, I am also happy to contribute to the issue of finding a place to build the museum. A cabinet paper was submitted for the transfer of this ancient building and land belonging to the Railway Department of the Government of Sri Lanka. Through that this land and building could be provided for these noble tasks…”
Minister Vidura Wickramanayake-
We should not boast ourselves. It is not the way of Sinhalese. We need to remember the instances where we made faults and try not to do the same mistakes again. We should all stand together and move this country forward from here. Our heritage should not be left aside in the journey towards a digital era…”
Member of Parliament Mr. Yadamini Gunawardena-
“Sitawaka is an area where the most advanced human beings lived in every era of world history. By creating this museum, we can make it clear to all of us that no matter what era we look at in the history of Kelani Valley, Sithawaka Hewagam Korale and the surrounding areas, the most advanced man of that era travelled through this area. Whether it is the prehistoric era, passing through the ages of kingdoms from the Balangoda man to the present day, whether it is the great war against the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial empires, the historical facts prove that we are gathered together today in a land where the most advanced man in the history of the world has walked. For that, a special commemorative honour should be done on behalf of the King Mayadunne and the Prince Tikiri. Those two groups gathered everyone for that national battle and gave leadership to a group who did not see the future beyond. If Portuguese were not restrained in Mulleriya then, the battle in the land would have been taken to the sea from the fort and the entire South Asian peninsula would have been surrendered to Western colonialism five hundred years ago. There is one museum in the Spanish Parliament. A glass box with eight sides of one and a half feet each. It contains the history of the entire South American continent. It took only 30 years for Western invaders to get the South American continent surrendered. When Kotte fell on that day, Sithawaka made the transformation that could be brought to this day by preserving the historical and cultural heritage in this country. It is still the same in our age. If we pass today through any political, cultural or economic collapse, we can unite the nation and create a more proud era. The message from the museum is that it should be given to the unborn children as well. By collecting the stories of that great history in this way for school children, the museum that was created today is able to reminding them of the proud history, and reminding them of the national tasks that have been carried out since the earliest humans till now. It is the border of Colombo, Gampaha, Kegalle, and Ratnapura districts. There are more than 200 schools in those districts. In my young age, I went to those schools and tried to make some reflection about that great history. My expectation is to see those children come to Sithawaka and see their proud history through Sithawaka museum and get involved in research…”
A large gathering including Maha Sangha, Christian Islam and Hindu priests, Member of Parliament Sudath Manjula, Director General of the Central Cultural Fund Professor Gamini Ranasinghe, Ministry Secretaries, and officials from the field of archaeology participated in this event.
State Minister of Defence Hon. Premitha Bandara Tennakoon today morning (July 21) graced the launching ceremony of the Project of City Campus of Technology – Dambulla which will be the latest addition to General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU).
Hon. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, Member of Parliament and the Chairman of the Board of Management – KDU and Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne also joined the State Minister on this auspicious occasion.
Minister Tennakoon, the day’s Chief Guest addressing the gathering mentioned, ‘We must comprehend that the country will not expand solely through roads, bridges and large structures. As a result, we resolved to build this university system under the direction and guidance of His Excellency the President Ranil Wickramasinghe. It is expected to commence enrollment of students next January.
The State Minister unveiled the plaque amidst religious blessings and officially declared the launch of the first-ever campus capable of providing tertiary education in the Dambulla area. Subsequently, the Vice Chancellor of KDU, Rear Admiral Dammika Kumara welcomed the distinguished invitees to the project launching ceremony.
The Faculty of Built Environment and Spatial Sciences (BESS) at KDU conducted a comprehensive briefing on the project for the State Minister of Defence.
Ven. Maha Sangha, Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage, Chairman of Urban Development Authority (UDA) Nimesh Herath, former Director General of UDA Prasad Ranaweera, Director General of UDA Mahinda Withanaarachchi, Deputy Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Deans, Faculty Members, Administrative Staff, Cadets and Day Scholars of KDU, School Cadets, School Children and their parents were in attendance at the occasion.
Considering their speeches on political stages about the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, all these political leaders should be in prison and have no moral right to preach or talk about the incident, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera said today.
The truth of this great earth has been killed by all these political gangs operating in the country, including the people who are ruling this country and demanding the ruling power of this country.
Addressing the media, he said that as Buddhist monks, they revealed all the details related to the Easter Sunday attacks to the responsible persons and parties in the country, not only to safeguard Sri Lankan Buddhists but for the sake of all the people in the country, including those of all religions, he added.
“We informed the details about the attacks before we came to know these politicians,” he said.
He further said that all details related to the attacks were provided by a sheikh in Dikwella on June 20, 2014, following a request from the sheikh to meet him in that area. The sheikh requested him to inform about the deadly attacks because they were unable to tell the country themselves, fearing they might be arrested as extremists.
“Due to the influence of global terrorist groups, the Sheikh asked us to inform Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa that Sri Lanka has been chosen for the most powerful and most dangerous terrorist attack in Asia by extremists in the name of Islam in a way that insults the religion of Islam. The Sheikh also said that they could not inform the then government because they would be arrested claiming that they were extremists,” he said.
The sheikh claimed that a deadly attack was planned to kill about 2,000 people, targeting major religious events in the country, including Buddhist, Muslim and Christian festivals. He claimed that all funds and facilities for launching the attack were organized and that there was also a plan to carry out another massacre targeting 50 villages across the country.
“We had no choice but to inform the Defense Secretary, despite the potential backlash. Consequently, many politicians and people blamed us, suspecting us of being extremists. The Defense Secretary took action to prevent the attack. The truth was that no Easter Sunday attack was reported during the Rajapaksa government. After revealing this, some politicians in the Rajapaksa government began attacking us, claiming that we were extremists and accusing us of inciting racism. They also claimed it was a Norwegian conspiracy and prevented us from speaking the truth.
“After revealing the names of more than 15 terrorist and extremist organizations, it was found that they were hidden among political leaders, including those from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the groups that supported the Yahapalanaya government and the National People’s Power (NPP). While providing shelter to extremist groups, they placed the blame on us, claiming that we were the extremists and that was the truth,” Ven. Gnanasara Thera said.
“Later, the extremist forces were armed during the Yahapalanaya government and I was sentenced to prison. I was sentenced to 19 years in prison for requesting the judge not to take actions that would paralyse the intelligence services in the country. I was sentenced for contempt of court by the Homagama Magistrate. If the Rajapaksa government and the Yahapalanaya government had listened to us, there would be no need to discuss the Easter Sunday bomb attacks now.
“I met the Colombo Archbishop, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, at Bishop’s House and was informed about a deadly attack, and he said that all details were revealed in 2014. I was informed about a person named Saharan in Kattankudy who was planning the attack. I also claimed that he was engaging in attacks on people and traditional Muslims with swords. I warned the Cardinal about the attack on the Christian community,” Ven. Gnanasara Thera said.
“The Cardinal told me that he knew about this attack, and to prevent that, we started making plans. That was his answer to me. Now the Cardinal, along with other priests, is requesting justice for the Easter Sunday bomb victims. Now he has nothing to say. He put the blame on all Sinhala Buddhist people and tried to wash their hands,” the thera said.
Ven. Gnanasara Thera finally said that extremist terrorist groups are still operational in the country and have already acquired certain land areas. Some Muslim individuals have claimed that there are ongoing training sessions underway.
“We are not creating racism in the country. As Sinhala Buddhists, we are committed to protecting all the people in the country. We cannot allow anyone to attack people under the guise of any religious community,” the thera said.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the provision of interest-free loans to agribusiness entrepreneurs and farmers under the first phase of the Agriculture Modernization Program took place today (22) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The MoUs were signed between the Bank of Ceylon, the Regional Development Bank who are the key contributors to the initial phase and Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Plantation Industry Janaka Dharmakeerthi. Accordingly, MoU with the People’s Bank are expected to be signed in the near future.
In this first phase, Rs. 650 million have been allocated to implement projects through agricultural modernization centres in 26 Divisional Secretariat Divisions selected for pilot projects, with a total of 75 DS divisions identified.
In the implementation of agricultural modernization projects within the DS divisions, more than 30% of the project costs are covered by agribusiness entrepreneurs and farmers, with the remaining 70% funded by the government.
To facilitate a revolving credit scheme, the government’s contribution, provided as an interest-free loan under the Agricultural Modernization Credit Scheme, can be recovered by a bank selected by the beneficiary from among the Bank of Ceylon (BoC), People’s Bank, and Regional Development Bank (RDB). A cabinet memorandum presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to establish and implement this system has been approved.
As a result, for selected and approved projects, interest-free loans will be paid to agribusiness entrepreneurs from funds deposited in an account in the name of the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Plantation at the Head Office of the Bank of Ceylon. Beneficiaries can choose between the Bank of Ceylon, People’s Bank, and the Regional Development Bank for their loan processing.
The loan concession period is up to 6 months, with a maximum repayment period of 5 years, including the concession period. The agriculture modernization centres determine the specific concession and repayment periods based on the loan amount and the nature of the project undertaken by the farmers or agribusiness entrepreneurs.
Commenting on the scheme, Agriculture and Plantation Industry Ministry Secretary Janaka Dharmakeerthi emphasized the need to shift towards production-oriented programs.
We need to transform to production-oriented programs even now. Through this agreement, we aim to identify and support categories with production potential, providing them with the necessary facilities and transforming them into initiatives that will boost production in the future.
So far, we have tried to help people and increase production, but we have not yet reached our goal. Success is possible only if production is increased. We believe that the agricultural modernization program will lead to significant achievements. This program is crucial for reaching our long-term goals. Therefore, as a ministry, we are fully committed to supporting this initiative,” the Secretary explained.
Presidential Senior Adviser on Economic Affairs, Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga,
The agricultural modernization program has been highlighted in two budgets presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The agreement signed today marks a crucial step for its advancement. One of the program’s objectives is to allocate previously unused land to local entrepreneurs, fostering the development of export-oriented agriculture and establishing a commercial agriculture sector driven by local entrepreneurs.
Presidential Adviser on the Agriculture Modernization Project, Senior Prof. Gamini Senanayake, Senior Additional Secretary to the President (Agricultural Productivity and Land), Chandra Herath, Director (Agricultural Productivity and Land) A.A.C. Nilantha Perera, BoC Deputy General Manager R.M.N. Jeevantha, RDB Chief Executive Officer/ General Manager (Acting) E.A.D. Janitha Priyashantha and several other officials were present at the event.
US multinationalMcKinsey & Co, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), in alliance with India & Norway (who else but Mr Eric Solheim), are stealing Sri Lanka’s ‘data’ in broad daylight. They wish to map the entire country and its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). They are throwing money at politicians, military, judiciary and other government officials (who turn private ‘consultants’, or offered jobs abroad) to grab data.
Information is a commodity – the most precious in the much-touted knowledge economy! GIS is therefore a powerful tool, and can be used of course for a variety of purposes, ‘just like the T-56 & the AK-47, not to mention the AR’!
Who exactly owns national data? Including: a country’s GIS? Presumably, the people and the state own census data and other vital statistics. Yet much of what goes under the name of Big Data is of course privately owned by Google, Amazon, CambridgeAnalytica, and the many peddlers of AI & other wares in the information market. But is all this, only about marketing?
On Friday, July 19, 2024, yet another warning was given to Sri Lanka’s fake IT industry deep in the pockets of Bill Gates and his monopoly Microsoft fraud (see ee Industry, SLASSCOM). A single flawed software update by US cybersecurity CrowdStrike caused a widespread tech outage to thousands of companies running Microsoft’s Windows operating system. US industries nationwide were brought to a halt, causing major US airlines to ground flights, and further impacting banks, 911 services, stock exchanges, payroll companies, and numerous industries. Not only in the USA, in Hong Kong, India, Dubai, Berlin and Amsterdam, etc. The 3 main cloud providers (Amazon, Google and Microsoft) monopolize the juicy competition for military, intelligence and government contracts.
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• Some of the actors in this latest data grab, appear in virtue-signaling news lullabies, as in the recent headline ‘Sri Lanka launches locally-produced fortified rice… to combat micronutrient malnutrition with kernels being distributed via the government’s National Free School Meal Program’.
It is unclear if ‘fortified’ is a euphemism for genetically modified (GM) food: ‘The kernels are enriched with Folic Acid and Iron through an extrusion process’. ‘The transfer of extrusion technology was prioritized by the Presidential Secretariat, and enabled by’ the UN’s World Food Program (WFP, USAID is now their largest donor), the Program for Appropriate Technology & Health (PATH, based in Seattle, US), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (now has an office inside the Sri Lankan President’s premises!), Akshata, and Connect to Care.
Connect to Care (C2C) is remote-controlled by the President’s nephew Raknish Savan Wijewardene, a former ‘Head of Digital’, at Lakehouse (aka Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd, now government-owned, but founded as an imperialist mouthpiece by his great-grandfather DR Wijewardena). The C2C board also includes slimy Norwegian Eric Solheim; and Shamir Zavahir, who in 2020 ‘assumed the role of Head of Reforms at the SL Ministry of Justice, where he’s actively involved in shaping legal reforms’.
Many of these characters also appeared at the recent ‘DigiEcon Global Investment Summit 2024’ in Colombo, including ‘strategic partner’ the World Bank & its International Finance Corporation (IFC), and ‘global giants’ such as ‘US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Gates Foundation, Mastercard, and Microsoft.’ They also popped up at the recent Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) ‘donor engagement dialogue’. But the recent grab goes way beyond just DPI.
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This ee begins looking at the latest ‘DATA’ grab, under the guise of giving cultivators land title, saving the environment, treating women ‘equally’, etc. Also, its repercussions on Sri Lanka’s economy & security, with military officials pointing to a lack of ‘guidance, ability & technology’ to defend the country (see ee Focus). It also examines the role of university ‘Geography Departments’ in Sri Lanka and the funding of GIS data grabs through them. And how the USA was already planning a new global ‘geography’ from the 19th century, midst its takeover of countries formerly invaded and occupied by European imperialists (see ee Focus). ee also notes: the International Seabed Authority opened its annual summit in Jamaica this week, with the Indian government attempting to take over Sri Lanka’s EEZ, while diverting with threats to take over that rock called Kachativu…
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• Some may recall that the Urban Development Authority (UDA), with dreams of a ‘megapolis’, wished to digitize urban land data into a massive GIS database for planning purposes. They were backed by the USA’s World Bank or such outfits ‘keen to lubricate the real estate business.’
‘Government departments such as the UDA hire consultants to supply ‘expert’ knowledge that they need because they do not – or claim not have – the in-house expertise’, reports a former urban planner. ‘Sometimes, if not often, consultants (usually private companies, because very few states outside of China have the resources to do this type of work) are contracted to process and produce data for clients (such as the UDA) end up owning data.’ Let’s examine the recent origins of this data grab:
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• Under PM Wickremesinghe during the US-founded Yahapalana regime (2015-2019), western aid agencies, think tanks and corporations shaped, drafted and helped to implement policies, opening new frontiers” for US hegemony. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which claims to be independent, is a US government body chaired by the US Secretary of State. The MCC project unit was physically located inside the Prime Minister’s office and was involved in drafting Wickremesinghe’s eight-year economic development plan, Vision 2025”, that was believed to be planning to recommend constitutional changes to make it easier for foreign corporations to buy land in the country…’
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• New laws to make data compiled by the state statistics office ‘more accessible’, was promised in 2019 by the then US-funded Yahapalana regime’s Public Distribution & Economic Reforms Minister CTC-Harsha de Silva. ‘I’m looking to amend the law for the Department of Census & Statistics for the data to be shared, more than what is currently being shared.’ De Silva complained to the US-funded Asia Liberty Forum 2019 in Colombo, co-hosted by the US Advocata Institute & Atlas Network, that ‘his department is protective of data it collects’. ‘The department tells others, This is my data, don’t come near it.”‘ He said a team of ex-researchers will help formulate legislation on ‘greater data sharing’. De Silva also claimed some statistical definitions are ‘archaic, such as how urban and rural areas are defined.’ – see ee Economy, Sri Lanka to make state statistics more accessible (2019)
• The US government had launched its thinktank Advocata in May 2016 at the Kadiragamar Institute in Colombo with (then State Minister of Finance) AOG-Eran Wickremaratne as Chief Guest. Advocata’s annual report, prepared even before Advocata had been officially set up, claimed 55 strategically important state-owned enterprises(SoEs) had been making enormous losses, 2006-15, They suggested a ‘productivity study’ to determine which to shut down and sell off.
Wikileaks disclosed a discussion in 2005 between an MCC CEO and (then-yet-again-former PM) Wickremesinghe on ‘several local political issues, including moves by the GoSL to restructure the Ceylon Electricity Board and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, in the face of opposition by unions. Wickremesinghe’s solution to these challenges is to allow the entities to collapse, then pick up the pieces when people have no choice but to follow’.
In 2016, then-Minister of Development Strategies & International Trade Malik Samarawickrama quoted US Advocata’s findings, just 3 months after its launch, & announced ‘far reaching privatization plans.’ The PM then proposed to hire the US firm McKinsey & Co for $2.3mn to establish a Central Program Management Unit in Temple Trees for ‘accelerated economic transformation’ & introduce a new Development (Special Provisions) Bill allowing sweeping powers to restructure & transform the economy.
The USA’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement (US prefers to call it a ‘Compact’) with the (yet-again-Prime Minister) Ranil Wickremesinghe ‘after 2 years of very secretive discussions’, was to have been signed in November 2018 (but was derailed by the so-called ‘constitutional coup’ in Oct).
It turns out that under cover of ‘Megapolis’ development, the US was demanding from Sri Lanka an ‘economic’ corridor of 1.2million acres from Trincomalee to Colombo for a lease period of 200 years, with US law omnipotent along this corridor, which would divide Sri Lanka into 2 – the North & the South – like the earlier Eelam Map or the US DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) in Korea. This corridor holds the ‘Eppawela’ phosphate deposits (one of the world’s largest which the US tried to snatch in the 1980s), Ilmenite, Thorium (nuclear substitute for uranium), Monazite, and rare-earth metals Cerium & Lanthanum.
The MCC ‘Constraints to Investment’ analysis of Sri Lanka, demanded that to qualify for such largesse Sri Lanka would have to abrogate any land laws that protected her sovereignty and national security. Sri Lanka was instructed to pass new Land Laws that would legalize the sale of state land (privatization) and laws to permit the US to buy outright any extent of land in any part of the country.
Wickremesinghe then had 2 new Bills – the ‘State Land Bank’ Bill & ‘Land (Special Provision)’ Bill – and the ‘Constraints to Investment’ Report drafted at Harvard University, Massachusetts, and subsequently sent to Sri Lanka’s Attorney General and the Legal Draftsman for their signatures. Here are some exposing highlights excerpted from the preambles to the Bills:
The State Land Bank Bill: a. Provides for the establishment of a State Land Bank: b. Requires the compilation of a register of all State Lands belonging to Public Institutions: c. Makes provision for these Public institutions to lease such lands to persons making a request for same: d. Repeals Parts 1v, v & v1 of the Land Reform Act No1 of 1972 (this repeal includes the restriction in place on ownership of property by a single individual to a maximum of 50-acres): e. Vests the powers of the Land reform Commission in the State Land Bank: f. (Sec 17) – Enables any person, including foreigners, to lease out State Land.
The Land (Special Provisions) Bill: a. Grants absolute title to citizens who presently, by ‘Government Grant’, have regulated usage of State Lands: b. Permits citizens, who hold title to state lands, to mortgage such land to banks: c. Permits banks to sell off such State Lands, mortgaged to the banks, to private individuals including foreigners: d. This Act shall be in operation for only 7 years.
The US further instructed the PM to ‘replicate’ in Sri Lanka’s rural areas, the ‘40-Acres & a Mule’ concept that had been enforced in the US in 1865; the former slave-owners were required to give each of the emancipated slave-families, 40-acres of land & a mule. ‘Without wherewithal, the Black families survived the first month on the flesh of the Mule; thereafter, to survive, they sold their property back to the former slave owners for a pittance and the Black families, in droves, trekked & trekked & trekked to the industrial cities like Detroit, Michigan & Chicago in search of employment’.
The ‘40-acres & a Mule’ concept ‘drove out the Black community from their lands in the South, pauperized and bonded the former slaves from the inception of their emancipation, created mass urban migration to the industrial centres, was responsible for the creation of Black ghettos in US cities, created the foundation for a large number of the Black community to be sent to prison for drug offences and be deprived of their voting-rights, created a bank of surplus labour which the US private sector exploited by paying them less-than-subsistence wages.
Wickremesinghe then announced his intentions of giving each rural farmer family 2 acres of land. With the proviso in the ‘Land (Special Provisions) Bill that this law applies only for 7 years, the problems the US Black community have come to be burdened with, would be compounded and accelerated, and it could be anticipated that the rural poor would hurriedly sell off or mortgage their lands. When the rural poor are compelled and encouraged to mortgage their lands and trek to the cities, the land (devoid of any one occupying it) becomes available for companies like Monsanto to initiate their assault on our land. Over 80% of Sri Lanka is State land.
MCC also had added features, and projections into the future: An ‘electrified’ railway from Trincomalee to Colombo would ensure a distinct physical separation of the north of the country from the south, with an international airport (Hingurakgoda) in Polonnaruwa. By the year 2100 a Suez-like canal, would have been dredged along the length of the economic corridor from Trincomalee to Colombo. Such a canal would open up the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea via the Laccadive Sea, affording the INDOPACOM and its RIMPAC military alliance a tremendous strategic advantage, over such other powers as India, China, Russia.
Many of these plans are now unfolding before our eyes. (The above information has been gleaned from LankaWeb, Shenali D Waduge & Tamara Kunanayakam).
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• Internet Companies treat societies as Data-generating resources to be strip-mined. Platforms like Google & Facebook track and analyze every ‘search, location, like, video, photo, post and punctuation mark’… Google & FB pivoted from serving to surveiling their users, harvesting more and more data. They bypassed privacy settings or made it difficult for users to opt out of data-sharing. They source their raw material – users’ experiences – for free, and translate them into behavioral data. Tech companies promote ‘surveillance’ to only mean governments spying on individuals. FB maintains lists of users’ personal interests, eg, their political leanings, for advertisers. Cambridge Analytica, the voter-profiling company, improperly harvested the data of millions of Facebook users.
• The collection, handling & use of data dominates all other policy issues. Calling on nations to enact legislation to protect privacy, and defining ‘personal data‘ as any information that can be used to identify an individual, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 1980, set standards in many countries, including guidelines. Then digital data exploded – from the web, smartphones, sensors, genomics, etc – becoming the ‘free’ raw material exploited by modern AI companies….
The Congressional Budget Office has admitted that the US national debt cannot be repaid. So what’s the solution from the US Government and Federal Reserve, will this weigh on the election, and what will the result be for the stock market?
Ben Norton of Geopolitical Economy wrote an article that discusses the misleading accusations against China for Sri Lanka’s debt crises and economic instability. Contrary to popular belief, 81% of Sri Lanka’s external debt is owed to Western financial institutions and allies, while China holds only 10%. The West’s accusations are criticized as misleading, given Sri Lanka’s long history of struggling with Western debt and the IMF’s failed economic stabilization programs since gaining independence from British colonialism in 1948. Chris Jeffries also highlights the role of Western financial institutions and the use of the dollar in trade due to military presence, not voluntary agreements. The media’s blame game against China is challenged, and the speaker accuses The Wall Street Journal of misrepresenting facts and prioritizing political points over journalism. Chris Jeffires also touches upon the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the West’s unwillingness to negotiate for peace, prioritizing financialization over diplomacy. Then it concludes by discussing the decline of reputable cable channels into sensationalist media driven by profit motives and advocating for socialism and democratic control over institutions to prevent harmful business practices.
Sri Lanka is doomed under Ranil’s foolish gimmicks that are kept hidden from locals. However, an influential expert group has pointed out the real horror of Sri Lanka’s so-called debt restructure. All that Ranil has done is pile up more and more debt since late 2022 and postponed the repayment of loans and their interest until 2028. Not only the compound interest that would have accumulated for 6 years will sink Sri Lanka, but the fraudulent debt restructure deal will keep the island poor (or if it somehow improves its GDP, the debt relief will unravel and extremely high interest rates will apply to existing loans).
The article points out 3 scenarios. Of that the only economically positive scenario is this.
If GDP averages more than $100 billion between 2025 and 2027, the stock of new bonds increases to $10.65 billion, and the average coupon increases to 8 percent. In that case, there is essentially no long-term debt relief as the higher coupon offsets the lost face value.”
Many have wondered where the figure of 40,000 emerged & why it has been extensively quoted by entities who were not even in Sri Lanka & in particular why the figure was included into the Darusman Report, a personally commissioned panel by the UNSG whose report was intentionally leaked & became the basis of legally questionable successive UNHRC Resolutions promoted by US & Allies within the UNHRC. The 40,000 figure not surrprisingly was quoted by this 3 member panel too. From where did this figure emerge? We need not look far. Wikileaks cable 08COLOMBO62_a provides the answer. Ironically, as per the cable despatched to the US State Dept on 14 January 2008 it was Mr.RW who had quoted 40,000 dead in January 2008 over 1 year before the LTTE was even defeated. It was also on 14 January 2008 that the GoSL withdrew from the bogus cease fire agreement brokered by Norway & supported by India & signed between then PM RanilW & LTTE leader Prabakaran. 3 key incidents took place in one day! What is equally important is that at this time the Northern military offensive had not even commenced.
The cable sent by the US embassy in Colombo on 14 January 2008 was sent to the following:
Defense Intelligence Agency | France Paris | India Chennai | India New Delhi | Japan Tokyo | National Security Council | Norway Oslo | Secretary of State | Slovenia Ljubljana | U.S. Mission to European Union (formerly EC) (Brussels) | United Nations (Geneva) | United Nations (New York) | United States Pacific Command
Not even the ICRC knew the number of Tamil civilians LTTE had taken with them as they retreated.
The drama that unfolded was identical to what Serbia & its leader was accused of. Serbia was also accused of war crimes” Srebrenica genocide” (wonder whether there are annual memorials there too) & 40,000 dead. Milosevic was tainted a dictator” arrested, imprisoned & died in a prison cell & after 14 years of his demise a UN report exonerates him from war crimes. A man imprisoned, called a war criminal & 14 years after his death he is exonerated. Can we trust these war crimes accusers?
In Sri Lanka’s case the source for the 40,000 dead is none other than the then Opposition Leader & current President who quoted the figure over a year (January 2008) before the LTTE was defeated (May 2009).
What it also means is that the UN system, India, US Govt, the Co-Chairs & US allies & the diplomatic circles all knew the source of the 40,000 but they all continued the charade!
We do not know why the then PM gave this figure – but what we do know is that, the Darusman Panel to so many other individuals & organizations plucked this figure & used it to accuse the Sri Lanka Armed Forces of war crimes & genocide. But it was a figure quoted in 2008 – 1 1/2 years before the Armed Forces began its Northern offensive
The liberation of the East began in July 2006 after opening the Mavil Aru sluice gates on 28 July 2006 & ended on 10 July 2007. The offensive began because LTTE began attacking villages & the armed forces resulting in the armed forces proceeding to take on LTTE in Sampoor on 24 August 2006 which ended on 4 September 2006.
If the National Army are war criminals WHY WERE THEY NOT ACCUSED OF WAR CRIMES AND GENOCIDE during the July 2006 to July 2007 when the military was fighting against the LTTE to liberate the Eastern province? How come there were no figures of ‘KILLINGS” or MISSING” from the Eastern Province?
Why is it that all the allegations are only focused on Northern province? What’s the catch?
Interestingly, the Norwegian Refugee Council covering Eastern province conflict from April 2006 to April 2007 by Kavita Shukla claims the deaths to be 4000 (four thousand) throughout the period. She also highlighted 60,000 Muslim IDPs but no figures of deaths or missing?
It was on 5th March 2007 that the operation to liberate the North commenced.
If as per Kavita Shukla the deaths in the East numbered 4000 —- is it an intentional error that the then Opposition Leader added a zero to make it 40000 deaths in the North, which NONE of the Co-Chairs or ambassadors corrected or sought clarification while US envoy Blake borrowed this fake figure & quoted it to the US Congressional Hearing Committee. He must be asked to present his evidence too!
The estimated deaths in the North conflict was 7721 as per UN Country Team & 7400 GoSL survey, 7896 dead as per survey by Tamil teachers.
Let us not forget that this figure of deaths has to be compared with the 297,853 Tamil civilians that the Sri Lankan Armed Forces saved from LTTE.
Those making the allegations must answer as to why they did not raise any war crimes” genocide” charges against the Sri Lankan Forces when the East was liberated from LTTE & why they allegations are only for the North?
There are no mass graves but there are plenty of efforts to pluck any grave & muster media drama to somehow justify a figure that has been battered to unfairly tarnish the image of the national army of Sri Lanka.
There are no skeletons – the present attempt use grave site in Kokkuthudai to showcase the dead” has also proved futile as the skeletons of the 16 dead were those buried in 1996.
But the wonderful thing about lies is that to continue a lie, the lies have to keep piling & the more the lies pile up the more ridiculous the allegations become!
However as responsible entities, the diplomats, the UN system & foreign governments must stop this witch hunt against the Sri Lanka Armed Forces & come to terms with reality & stop attempting to ridicule a national army with lies & without any evidence except hyped up media drama.
Democracy must fall because it will try to tailor to everyone: “The poor will want the wealth of the rich, and democracy will give it to them. “Young people will want to be respected as elderly, and democracy will give it to them. “Women will want to be like men, and democracy will give it to them. “Foreigners will want the rights of the natives and democracy will give it to them. “Thieves and fraudsters will want important government functions, and democracy will give it to them. “And at that time, when thieves and fraudsters finally, and democratically take authority; because criminals and evil doers want power, there will be worse dictatorship than in the time of any monarchy or oligarchy.” PREDICTION OF THE FALL OF DEMOCRACY -Socrates (470-399 B.C.)
What is the role of ethics and morality in politics?
At best it is confusing, contradictory and almost oxymoronic! From a governance perspective one can look at this issue as one related to adherence to laws in a lawful society. It however does not consider the hearts and minds of people when it comes to personal and community ethics and morality and here lies the confusion, contradiction and the oxymoronism.
The Australian Parliament says the following about this question. Political ethics requires leaders to meet higher standards than would be necessary for private life. They may have less of a right to privacy than ordinary citizens do, or no right to use their office for personal profit. Personal or private morality and political morality are often viewed as a conflict of interest”.
How many political leaders of today have one face and one life? How many do not use their office for personal profit? What was their wealth before coming into politics and after? The answer to this question lies with the readers and the broader public in general. If they are indifferent, life will continue and they will change regimes periodically, re-elect them again and again, as their expression of their democracy without any examination and discussion about the deeper issues that afflicts the Sri Lankan society.
The last part of Socrates’s prediction is worth considering in the light of recent news reports and social media messages that have been flowing freely concerning the killing of an influential individual who has been attributed with many shades of character, and who it appears have had friends in very high places in the country. From these accounts, it does not appear that the person killed had a character that the younger generation of the country could be proud of and should be emulated. Even worse, if these social media clips are to be believed, those in high places who associated with this individual, perhaps are akin to the thieves and fraudsters wanting important government functions, and democracy giving it to them, and when thieves and fraudsters finally, and democratically, take authority; because criminals and evil doers want power, there will be a worse dictatorship than in the time of any monarchy or oligarchy” that Socrates wrote about.
No doubt many are questioning the moral and ethical values of politicians in general and the limitless price they will pay to achieve their ultimate objective, power. Means, it appears are of no consequence as long as they are able to achieve their end objective. Enforcers of the law of the land too in instances appears to aid and abet individual immoral and unethical crusades, for a price. Money it appears could buy anyone and anything irrespective of considerations for the future wellbeing of the country and its morality and ethics.
In a country predominantly Buddhist by label, the degraded moral and ethical values are entirely unBuddhistic although the country seems to be one where the greatest number of Buddhist sermons delivered, with the most number of listeners of these sermons, but perhaps the lowest number of those who actually practice even a fraction of what they have listened to.
Democratic values
The Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing says in an article (http://journalppw.com>jpsp>article) poses the following. What values are important in a democratic society? Respect for individuals and their right to make their own choices. Tolerance of differences and opposing ideas. Equity—valuing all people and supporting them to reach their full potential. Each person has freedom of speech, association, movement and freedom of belief”
No doubt these are essential values for a democracy. However, one could and should consider the degree to which there is adherence to these values in Sri Lanka (and elsewhere) and how much lip service is paid to these in democracies throughout the world.
Democracy today is the dominant principle and practice throughout the world to legitimate political power through the choices expressed by people and yet its relationship to moral and ethical values and traditions does not seem to be an integral part of democracies.
Moral and ethical theories are universal theories, whether they are on account of religious faiths or otherwise as they based on basic human values of kindness, compassion, fraternity and a sense of the wellbeing of a community rather than the individual. This thinking appears to be in contradiction of how people think and act when it comes to what is generally understood and practiced as democracy as noted by Patti Tamara and Margaret Moore in an article titled Democracy-and-Morality-Religious-and-Secular-Views (https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538188903/Democracy-and-Morality-Religious-and-Secular-Views#:~: text=Democracy% 20is%20a%20dominant%20principle, and%20 Egalitarian%20variants%20of%20Liberalism). that ‘the people’ who are the source of democratic legitimacy might support some things that are contrary to justice, as described in the tradition. Yet, appeal to democracy remains one of the most powerful appeals to legitimize political power in the contemporary world”
No doubt the relationship between ethics and morality and governance is complex and multifaceted. Scholars argue that governance should not be just about legal and political administrative procedures, but also about moral and ethical responsibility and that the contemporary world has transformed governance from a moral and ethical system to one of procedures for managing, and some would say, controlling society.
The same confusion exists relating to the argument that ethical aspect of democracy is uncovered in the meaning of. three pillars of democracy, that are liberty, equality and fraternity. They. are fundamental values of democracy. They have an equal sense with the freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice. freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint” (http://www.dictionary.com). While fraternity could be an ethical and moral issue, from a broader sense, liberty and equality does not necessarily be moral and ethical” from a perspective outside that of governance, especially where governance is compromised when the end matters more than the means.
Of course everybody must be equal in the eyes of law, without any discrimination on grounds of race, religion, gender, caste, class or birth, but it is not clear whether these qualities are only applicable in the eyes of the law” and whether they are or should be arising from the heart of people, so to speak.
Fraternity on the other hand has a direct community wellbeing consideration as against just an individual wellbeing and therefore a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood among the country’s citizens and a sense of belonging. Genuine fraternity and kindness and compassion to each other are therefore synonymous with morality and ethics as it refers to how people look at each other, look after each other for the betterment of the many. True fraternity cannot be subject to a law, except the law of nature and it should be an uppermost consideration in a democracy.
Worlds major religious faith perspective on morals and ethics
In following Dharma, a number of values and attitudes are listed in the Hindu scriptures as necessary for a human being, for example absence of conceit, absence of hypocrisy, speaking the truth, harmlessness, accommodation, straightforwardness and compassion for all beings.
Hinduism and diverse forms of moral discourse found in the Indian context – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781118499528.ch76
Moral action is generated out of human nature or disposition. Hindu traditions recognize four distinct values or goals of human life: love and physical pleasure (kama), the acquisition of material well-being (artha), morality and the good (dharma), and spiritual liberation (moksa). Religious sentiment is paired with tenderness and moral sensitivity. In Hindu thought, normative discourses pattern or condition moral behavior, inscribing the natural moral order on persons and behavior.
Buddhism
Sīla, in Buddhism, morality, or right conduct; sīlacomprises three stages along the Eightfold Path—right speech, right action, and right livelihood. Evil actions are considered to be the product of defiling passions (seeāsrāva), but their causes are rooted out only by the exercise of wisdom (prajna).
Buddhist morality is codified in the form of 10 precepts (dasa-sīla), which require abstention from: (1) taking life; (2) taking what is not given; (3) committing sexual misconduct (interpreted as anything less than chastity for the monk and as sexual conduct contrary to proper social norms, such as adultery, for the layman); (4) engaging in false speech; (5) using intoxicants; (6) eating after midday; (7) participating in worldly amusements; (8) adorning the body with ornaments and using perfume; (9) sleeping on high and luxurious beds; and (10) accepting gold and silver. Laymen are to observe the first five precepts (pañca-sīla) at all times.
In contrast to the English word “morality” (i.e., obedience, a sense of obligation, and external constraint), Sīla is a resolve to connect with what is believed to be our innate ethical compass. It is an intentional ethical behaviour that is refined and clarified through walking the path toward liberation – Britannica
Christianity
What did Jesus teach about ethics and morality? (College Ethics Symposium- http://ethicssymposium.org)
Jesus asks his followers to choose righteousness and goodness for a responsible moral life. His righteousness is manifested by inward dispositions of the heart and moral actions. Integrity as a core virtue embodies a many-faceted combination of character traits.
What does Jesus say about morals? (Gospel coalition- http://www.the gospelcoalition.org)
Many virtues/good character traits/moral qualities such as kindness (to people and animals), charity, forgiveness, honesty, patience, justice, respecting parents and elders, keeping promises, and controlling one’s anger, are commanded or encouraged in verses in the Quran and hadith -Wikipedia
What are the ethical and moral values of Prophet Muhammad? (Iqra Online -http://iqraonline.com)
Our beloved prophet is the best example to follow, he was kind, merciful, forgiving, trustworthy, humble, honest, just, and brave. He followed the orders and guidance of the holy Quran in everything, so that when Aisah was asked about his morals she said: His manners were the Quran.”
Common thread in all religious beliefs
While some Christian and Islamic religious scholars may have differing views on ethics and morality and how these relate to Gods will, or Dharma as in Hinduism, in Buddhism, there is universal acceptance and belief in the Buddha’s teaching on SĪLAas the ethical and moral compass for human beings.
While there are some differences in the belief systems, what is common to all in all religions is the need to adhere to the fundamental human qualities of love, kindness, compassion and fraternity, and the fundamental dictum as stated in Buddhism, Bahujana sukhaya bahujana hitaya cha or “for the happiness of the many, for the welfare of the many”. All these qualities are and should be matters of the heart and not as a consequence of a law that has to be obeyed.
Conclusion
While there are no significant differences in religious beliefs about what ethics and morality is, and should be, it appears that despite professing to be ardent followers of one faith or another; in politics and democracy, the very people who elect political representatives and governments, by and large do not practice ethics and morals as taught in their religious faiths. Ethical values and moral values seem to have two different meanings to people when it comes to politics and democracy and their religious faiths. This contradiction leads to poor governance, corruption and unsavoury activities, and means becoming irrelevant as long as the end is achieved. The calibre of political and administrative leaders, professionals in various fields, business leaders elected and appointed, then represents the ultimate result of this overall contradiction. People then basically get what they deserve as they have collectively poisoned themselves and the society and given opportunities for the unethical and immoral few to govern the many.
Will Socrates’s prediction of the fall of democracy come to pass? Probably not, as the meaning and purpose of democracy itself has undergone change and what is there now in the name of democracy, but in effect the opposite of it, will continue as that appears to be what a majority of people seem to be resigned to accept or willing to accept as their democracy.
The Ramayana trail focused on Sita, the wife of Prince Rama of India and the heroine of the Ramayana. Sita is promoted in the Ramayana tourist trail of Sri Lanka, for political purposes, while pretending it is pilgrimage. But the local culture has never been very interested in Sita. Sri Lanka‘s attention is on Ravana, fictional king of Lanka in the Indian epic, the Ramayana.
Ravana was a part of the folk culture in the Udarata, from the time of the Udarata kingdom. Local academics consider this unimportant, but the USA sees it as an important component in anti-Eelam activity. Ravana-in- Sri-Lanka” has therefore become an important research topic for the west.
Justin. W Henry’sRavana’s Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below (Princeton University Press, 2022) is the first monograph on the Ramayana and Ravana in Sri Lanka .It is available on line on payment. Abstracts of each chapter are available free. I looked at those.
Henry said that the book started as a quest to discover whether a Sinhalese version of the Ramayana existed. There is no authentic Sinhalese Ramayana, he said. All that appears to exist is the Rāvaṇa Katāva, an abridged poem discussing Ravana and his character, dating back no earlier than the seventeenth or eighteenth century.
Henry has gathered references to Ravana in Sinhala folklore, from the 14th century to the British period. He found that the Sinhala story telling tradition of the Kandyan period (1597-1815) included Ravana.Ramayana lore abounds across the island in kavi and folk stories, he said.Ravana featured in the folk culture of the time, not in the high culture. Ramayana has percolated into the lives of the Udarata people, through their folk culture. Kadaimpot alsohad references to Ravana.
Justin Henry said that Ravana had been introduced to the folk culture of the Udarata by the Tamil settlers who came into the island. The idea had been brought into Sri Lanka by Tamil settlers coming into the north and east, he said. Ravana’s character change from treacherous villain to sympathetic hero” in Sinhala thought can be traced to the oral traditions and temple histories of the Tamils, which then found their way into the Sinhalese storytelling tradition.
Henry thereafter examined references to Ravana in Sinhala poetry, drama, fiction from the late 19th century onwards. He found that Ramayana appeared alongside Buddhist themes in the Sinhala literature of the late 1800s.
Ravana Rajavaliya was one of the products of this period. This manuscript was found in Vegollakada temple, Mahapatana korale in Hurulu palata. It was written in 1886 by Halmillawe Ukkuwa Pendiya .In 1896 HCP Bell got it copied and it is now in the Museum library. This manuscript showed, among other things, that the period before Vijaya was known as the Ravana period in the oral tradition. [1]
This Ravana momentum continued into the 20th century . Hela Havula gave great emphasis to Ravana. The Hela Havula movement was a very influential movement in the 1940s. I recall that in the mid or late 1940s ,when I was a child, I was given an illustrated Sinhala story book on Ravana and his Dandumonara yanthraya .It made a great impression on me and I remember it to this day.
Interest in Ravana seems to have occurred in bouts. There was an extensive interest in Ravana in the 1980s especially around 1987. Gananath Obeyesekere noted that in 1987, people living near Sigiriya spoke of Ravana and Sigiriya. Mirando Obeyesekere published Ravana King of Lanka, in 1980. Arisen Ahubudu staged the play Sakvithi Ravana in 1987. A large Ravana statue was built at Kataragama in 1987 by President Premadasa.
Ravana came into prominence once again, when the war ended in 2009 .There was increased interest in Ravana in post-war Sri Lanka. Popular songs, films, plays, television series, social media, and historical narratives on Ravana, have gained unprecedented popularity in 21 century Sri Lanka , observed Kanchuka Dharmasiri In her paper Remaking and Trans-creating Ravana in Contemporary Sri Lanka,”(2020 ). There are references to Ravana on various on-line platforms, by amateur and professional scholars, observed Henry. There are You Tube channels on Ravana.
The 21st century saw a ‘Ravana revival’, where Sinhala Buddhists claimed Ravana as a distant ancestor and founder of the island’s monarchy. The idea however dates back to the late nineteenth century, said analysts.
There is an increased interest in Ravana among Sinhalese Buddhists in post-war Sri Lanka (after 2009), observed researchers.Ravana supporters who emerged after 2009, say that the Lanka that Ravana ruled over in the Ramayana is our Sri Lanka .
Ravana is considered Sakvithi Ravana or universal monarch. Thanks to this, Ravana supporters see Sri Lanka as the centerpiece of the world, a chosen country, and the cradle of civilization, observed analysts.
The notion that Ravana was a real king, who ruled in Sri Lanka, means firstly, that Ravana’s kingdom of Lanka was far larger than the island of Sri Lanka. This means that ancient Sri Lanka was a lot bigger than present day Sri Lanka.
The Lankavatara Sutra , which is part of a set of Mahayana sutras written in the fourth century, and discovered in Japan, says Ravana’s Lankapura was civilised and prosperous. Accordingto the Lankavatara Sutra, the city was protected by a roof decorated with gems. Also it says that it was Ravana who owned and used the first aircrafts of the world. Ravana brought Dipankara Buddha and his companions in the pushpaka, afloral chariot that becamealso known as aerial car, to Lanka.
Therefore belief in Ravana means belief in a technologically advanced Hela nation (extending its influence across the earth and even beyond) and Ravana as king of Lanka who is the progenitor of the Sinhalese, said analysts. Also Ravana period was a very prosperous one in Sri Lanka.
King Ravana was skilled in four things, medicine, martial arts, aircraft and music. Ravana is considered to have excelled in medicinal skills and has invented medicines. Munidasa Kumaratunga, head of Hela Havula, claimed that Ravana had written medical books such as Nadi Pariksha, Arka Prakashata, Uddisa Chiktsaya, Oddiya Chikitsa, Kumara Tantraya and Vatina Prakaranaya in Sinhala, which were translated into Sanskrit.
The local martial art, Angampora, has been linked to Ravana by its present day exponents. But the item that has received the most attention and is best known is Ravana’s flying machine or Dandu monara. This has captured the imagination of the Sri Lanka public regardless of whether they believe in Ravana or not. When Sri Lanka launched its first satellite to outer space as a part of its first space mission in June 2019, the satellite was named ‘Raavana 1.’
It is argued that academics are avoiding the subject of Ravana. Mainstream academia has not done enough to convincingly answer the questions many islanders continue to have regarding their origins and their past, said Henry.
That is not so. Academic historians commented on the Ramayana long ago. They see no reason to comment on it again. They see Ramayana as a piece of fiction, an epic created in India. Ravana and the rest are characters in this foreign epic. Even as fiction, Ramayana Lanka is not our Sri Lanka. There is no concrete evidence for Ravana in Sri Lanka either. This means that there is nothing for the historians to work on.
Analysts note that while the professional historian is silent on the subject of Ravana, amateur researchers have stepped in and have provided all sorts of imaginative pseudo historical information on Ravana. These have gained acceptance in certain circles. The general public is unperturbed. All sorts of relgiouis cults are taking root in Sri Lanka. The public are now quite used to this and do not take action against them unless absolutely necessary.
On the other hand, the west, specifically USA is interested in the Ravana cult in Sri Lanka .Justin Henry said his interest in Ramayana was roused when in 2008 he was asked as a Masters student at Cornell University, USA whether there was a Sinhala Ramayana.
The American Institute of Sri Lanka Studies which is based in Colombo had a workshop, in July 2016 on ‘The Presence and Absence of the Ramayana in Sri Lanka’. Deborah de Koning was affiliated to the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies when she first came to do field work in Sri Lanka on Ravana in 2016. In 2019 one issue of South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies was devoted to the Ramayana in Sri Lanka.
The west was interested in Ravana because Ravana gave added strength to what the west calledthe-hegemonic-Sinhala-Buddhist-ethnonationalist-perception-of-Sri-Lanka-as-a -Sinhalese-Buddhist-country.
Deborah de Koning said fuelled by triumphalist feelings, the position of the Sinhalese Buddhists in Sri Lanka as the rightful owners of the country should be (re-)affirmed in every possible way.
While Sinhalese Buddhist ethno-nationalism was never absent at time of the civil war, the civil war has functioned as a period of disruption with the final defeat of the LTTE as an important watershed to restrengthen the position of the Sinhalese Buddhist majority.
The position of the Sinhalese Buddhist majority was extensively challenged– not at least in the international sphere – during the civil war. Sinhalese Buddhist ethno-nationalism is facing an important period of revitalisation based on the triumph over the LTTE, and the post-war Hela–Ravana representation of the past gives them credentials(more than the Mahavamsa-inspired perception of the distant past) to strengthen their position as rightful owners of the country, concluded de Koning.
the Origin story” of the Sinhalese up to now was that Sinhalese were considered the descendants of Vijaya who arrived on the island around 2,500 years ago, said Dileepa Witharana in his paper Ravana’s Sri Lanka: Redefining the Sinhala Nation?”
In the last one and a half decades there have been attempts to replace this narrative with another narrative. This new narrative says the Yakkha king Ravana who ruled Lanka 5000 years ago, was the originator of the Sinhala nation, not Vijaya. That pushed the origin of the Sinhala race further back.
This notion that Sinhala are descended from the Yaksha tribe of Ravana is a significant rupture from the traditional view that the Sinhala were descended from Vijaya. It helped the Sinhala strengthen their position as rightful owners of the country, said analysts.
All this alarmed The Tamil Separatist Movement who promptly stated that Ravana had been claimed by the Tamils of Sri Lanka long before the Sinhalese got hold of him. This claim was not presented as shared history but as an opposing claim.
Pathmanesan Sanmugeswaram, Krishantha Fedricks and Justin Henry (University of Kentucky,) in their paper Reclaiming Ravana in Sri Lanka: Ravana’s Sinhala Buddhist Apotheosis and Tamil Responses” observed that both the Tamil Saivas and Sinhala Buddhists claimed Ravana as their ancestor.
In August 2023 MP Buddhika Pathirana presented a private member proposal in Parliament, calling for an expert panel to conduct research on the mythological King Ravana.
The MP noted that despite the absence of archaeological evidence confirming the existence of King Ravana, Ravana holds a revered status as a deity among certain Sri Lankans. Research could unveil details about a historical period that has long been forgotten in the country’s history.
The House was divided when it debated on the motion, reported the media. Both Tamil and Sinhala MPs claimed ownership to Ravana with their own historical and mythological versions. A group of Tamil MPs suggested that an archaeological study, with international experts, should be carried out to ascertain the truth of whether King Ravana was a Tamil or Sinhalese king.
The media report observed that the Department of Archaeology had officially announced several years ago that there is no historical evidence to support the existence of King Ravana as an actual historical ruler or the existence of a ‘Ravana era’. They concluded that Ravana is a fictional character. (Continued)
ජාතික ජන බලවේගයේ ඇතැම් නායකයන්, මාධ්යවේදීන් අරභයා සිදුකරනු ලබන “ෆැසිස්ට් පන්නයේ ප්රකාශ” දැඩි පිළිකුලෙන් යුතුව හෙළා දකින බව ජාතික නිදහස් පෙරමුණේ දේශපාලන මණ්ඩලය පවසයි. 
Colombo, July 22 (Daily Mirror) –
