by Senaka Weeraratna Attorney-at-Law

29th August 2022

The Buddhist Revival was one of the great landmarks in the history of Sri Lanka during the 19th and 20th centuries. It was followed by a Buddhist Renaissance in the Post-Independence period when the state machinery was regained by the downtrodden people after nearly 500 years of Euro-Christian colonial rule. Ananda College established in 1886 played a pivotal role in the Buddhist Revival. It was the hub of Buddhist resistance to the spread of missionary education, denationalization of Buddhist children, and Christian conversion. This school produced outstanding students and outstanding principals. Don Baron Jayatilaka, who was the third principal of Ananda College (1898 – 1907), was one of the pioneers of the Buddhist Revival movement and Buddhist Education. In 1890 he was appointed by the Buddhist Theosophical Society (BTS) as the principal of the Kandy Buddhist High School in Kandy (Dharmaraja College). He was a high-profile national statesman. His dedication to the cause of Buddhism and the uplift of Buddhist education is worthy of recall by a grateful nation. This talk intends to highlight the contribution made by D.B. Jayatilaka to the development of Buddhist education and the Buddhist revival in Sri Lanka.