KAMALIKA PIERIS

Revised 31.7.20

This series presents some events relating to Buddhism in the north in the last three decades. New Buddhist temples were erected in the north during this period. Admiral Daya  Sandagiri, then Commander Northern naval area   built a Buddhist temple, Sanghamitta Seya,   at Dambukola patuna, where Sanghamitta is said to have   landed in Sri Lanka. The foundation   was laid in 1997. The pinnacle was unveiled in 2005, again by Sandagiri, then Chief of Defense staff and Commander of the navy.

The headquarters of 643 Brigade in Oddusuddan has a large vihara within its premises, which is visible from the outside, built after 2009. On the south side of Vadduvaakal Bridge, the military constructed the Sri Raja Maha Vihara after capturing the area in 2009. The military established another Buddhist temple in Mankulam, adjacent to a military camp, which was ceremoniously opened by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in 2013.    The Nayaru Rajamaha Vihara was constructed in Nayaru after 2009, across the road from the military camp of the 19th Gemunu Watch Battalion.

Kankesanturai Thaiyiddi Tissa Viharaya was repaired in 2018 with plans to construct a sanghawasa and a dharmasala. The origins of the viharacould be traced to 1946. ‘The deed had been written in 1946’, the media reported. The last Wesak festival celebrated there was in 1954. The temple was damaged during the Eelam war.  

The main temple in Jaffna town is the well known modern Naga Vihara. I am unable to find out the year in which the modern Naga Viharaya in Jaffna was established. My guess is that it would have been built in the 1950s or possibly late 1940s. The Vihara somehow survived the Eelam wars. It had ‘resumed’ religious activities from 1997,  including Katina puja.   The first ever Buddhist Perahera organized by Naga Vihara in Jaffna was held on Esala poya day, 2003, with participation of Sri Lanka army, said the media. 

The pinnacle for Naga Vihara chaitya was handed over to the viharadhipathi in 2002 by two Catholics, Dr Jayalath Jayawardene and Fr. Ranjan Silva. Buddhist organizations objected. It should have been done by a monk or Buddhist leader, they said. The signatories were National Council of Buddhist women, ACWBC, International Buddhist centre, Dayake Sabhawa, Sadaham charika, SUCCESS Colombo, Dhammacharini, Lanka Buddha Sanrakshana Sabhawa, Dharmavijaya Foundation, and Buddhist Doctors Society.

The media reported that the Katina Puja at Naga Vihara was resumed in 2009.   The next available news is that the Katina puja was held on a grand scale in 2012. It attracted thousands, said the media. The religious activities were conducted by the Naga Vihara Development Foundation, Jaffna, and the Tamil Buddhist Association. The Nandarama Tamil Dhamma School under the auspices of the Association also participated.  The army helped. Bhikkhus from many parts of the country participated. There was also a Perahera in 2012, with elephants and dancers.  The elephants were sent from Gangaramaya in Colombo.

Wesak celebrations were organized in Jaffna in 2005 by army commander, Jaffna and his   team.  Religious activities were at Naga Vihara and Kadurugoda temple. Large crowds had thronged to Jaffna for Wesak to view the celebration. There were lanterns and dansalasa at the Alfred Duraiyappah stadium.

Jaffna celebrated Wesak in 2009 too. Families of the forces personnel in Jaffna observed sil at the Naga Vihara Jaffna. The celebration lasted for three days. Wesak lanterns were lit along the main trunk roads,  main junctions and at the army camp. Wesak was also celebrated   at Lumbini Vihara, Kilinochchi.  Daily News carried a photograph showing the Perahera there.

In 2014, Wesak celebrations were organized in Jaffna by the Jaffna Buddhist Society” with the assistance of the army. This too attracted large crowds. There was a special Wesak zone  with a giant pandal  and a dansela run by the army.   The Wesak zone attracted over 100,000 on first day.  Bhakthi Gee were sung by soldiers, students of Jaffna schools and the students of the Manipay Nandarama Tamil Buddhist Dhamma School.

Wesak celebrations organized by the Jaffna Security Force Headquarters in 2018 were very popular, judging from the crowd turnout.  The Wesak Dansela catered to over 15,000 people each day. The Wesak pandals attracted large crowds. Previously, if a person from Jaffna needed to witness the Wesak celebrations, they would have to travel either to Anuradhapura or Colombo, but now with the Wesak celebrations being held in the North, the Northern people too could enjoy this festival,”   the public said .  Both the young and old come for the Wesak celebrations. They enjoy seeing the lanterns and pandals and it also gives them an understanding of the Buddhist culture. Tamil politicians, however, objected to the Wesak celebrations.

In 2010 Sunday Leader said that  Wesak is a modern Buddhist festival started in 1950. Celebration is centered on the display of lights and lanterns and  elaborate sponsored displays in the streets.  In 2010 the military had organized Buddhist celebrations in traditionally Tamil Hindu areas of the country including Jaffna. They are trying to show that the north is a Buddhist area said Jaffna MP Suresh Premachandran. This could be seen as communal triumphalism. It ‘confirms the fear that this is a Sinhala Buddhist country’’   concluded                                   Sunday Leader.

There appears to have been two Tamil Buddhist Associations, in Jaffna   one after the other. A Tamil Dhamma Buddhist Association was started around 1959 by Maruthar Vairamuttu (1918- 2012). He lived in Manipay and was a handicrafts teacher. He had converted to Buddhism and had associated with Ven. Akuretiye Amarawansa, Madihe Pannaseeha, Kanaweththewe Nandarama and Ganegama Saranankara.  Vairamuthu had worked with Nissanka Wijeratne when Wijeratne was    Government Agent, Jaffna. He had also helped individuals from depressed castes  obtain jobs.

This Association   seems to have died a natural death. A second Tamil Buddhist Association started by A. Ravi Kumar of Manipay, Jaffna. This was launched in 2010 at the All Ceylon Buddhist Centre in Colombo.  ‘Divaina’ newspaper, May 11, 2014   told his story.

Arunnethwaraththam Ravi Kumar’s father was an Inspector of Police. The permanent residence of the family was in Jaffna, but he studied till Grade 10 in Bandarawela.  I associated mostly with the Sinhalese”. He thereafter lived in Jaffna where he clashed with Prabhakaran, received death threats and for his safety went to India.  He lived in Chennai and Mumbai, working as a travel agent. His wife was abducted and his daughter was taken in by relatives. He was depressed and looked for solace. He tried Hare Krishna, Pentecostal and Sikhism. ‘One day I chanced upon a meditation centre. I practiced meditation for ten days. I liked it’. He then turned to Buddhism.

On his return to Sri Lanka, he wanted others also to share ‘the feeling of the soothing peace of mind Buddhism brings’. He  founded the Jaffna Buddhist Association. Tamil politicians had  told the Tamils in Jaffna that Buddhism is a Sinhalese Religion. They misled the Tamil people, and made them keep away from Buddhism and the temple. They should not be deceived any longer. They should experience the Dhamma for themselves, he said.

Ravi Kumar started Nandarama Tamil Dhamma School, in Chunnakam in 2012 in his home..  It is  the first Buddhist Dhamma School in the Tamil Language. When I started the Buddhist Dhamma School, Suresh Premachandran accused me of trying to destroy the Tamil culture by doing so. I pointed out that the Christian religion had already done that.

 Ravi Kumar carries on with his work by himself, said Divaina in 2014. 50 Tamil children are taught the Dhamma at this school. The school manages with difficulty. It lacks a suitable building. They study under a thatched roof.  There is no offer of help, Ravi told Divaina.  11 students  of this school, under the patronage of Chief Incumbent of Naga Viharaya Ven. Megahajadure Siri Vimala went on a pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya in 2013. In 2014 the  students observed sil on the Poson poya day. Around 53 children participated in the sil progamme. The  progamme was    organized by Naga Vihara, ACBC, Sambodhi Vihara, Colombo with the help of the security forces in Jaffna.

Jaffna was used as the venue for Buddhist conferences on two instances. The Karuna International Buddhist Convention organized by the Triple Gem Foundation, Bengaluru,   held its annual conference in 2015 at Weerasingham Hall, Jaffna.  The co-sponsors of the event are Tripitaka Tamil Foundation, Chennai, Dhamma Vijaya, Maha Vihara, Madurai, Buddhist Trust of Andhra Pradesh, East Godhavari, Sarvodaya Wisvaanikethan, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Society, Sri Wardanarama Purana Vihara and Naga Vihara, Jaffna.  Chief Organizer of Karuna International Convention   Ven. Bodhipala said he had been visiting Sri Lanka three times a year since 1999 and was a guest of Siri Perakumba Viharaya, Pita Kotte.

The very first Buddhist Congress in the North with the participation of Buddhist monks from the Northern Province was planned for March 22 2019 at Vavuniya Sri Bodhi DhakshinaramaTemple, under the patronage of the Chief Sanghanayaka of Northern and Eastern provinces, the Chairman of the Vavuniya District ‘Sasanarakshaka Balamandalaya’ Ven. But Suren Raghavan and North East Chief Sanganayaka Most Ven. Siyambala Gaswewa Wimalasara. ( continued)