Author Archive for Kamalika Pieris

BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 14Gd

Friday, March 15th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Senior nurse Somawathi recalled that as the morning progressed the crowd was swelling to uncontrollable levels at Ampara   Base hospital, a large crowd had gathered in the public areas of the hospital .people were visibly upset Bhikkhus from Sri Vidyananda Pirivena, Mahawapi Vihare and from all around Ampara began arriving at the hospital […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part  14Ge

Friday, March 15th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS The intention of the LTTE in their Arantalawa attack was to destroy the Sri Vidyananda Pirivena. But the opposite happened. The late Indasara was  promptly  replaced by his pupil, Ven. Kirindiwela Somaratana. Ven. Somaratana  had recently left Sri Vidyananda Pirivena to pursue his higher studies at the Kelaniya University.  He returned immediately to […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 14Gf

Friday, March 15th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS After the Arantalawa massacre, the government offered one-time compensation to the victims’ families: Rs. 25,000 for the slain adults and Rs. 15,000 for the slain children. Even by 1987 standards, this was a paltry sum, observed analysts. Some families, such as Ven. Indasara‘s family, rejected the offer. But, most of the families of […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM PT 14Gc

Thursday, March 14th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Gunaratna and Jayakody have given a full description of the massacre of samaneras at Arantalawa.   Gunaratna and Jayakody have interviewed persons who were   physically present at the massacre and obtained first person information.  .They speak of the joyful preparations and happy start to the charikawa, and then describe the massacre, as it was […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM PT 14Ga

Thursday, March 14th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS There was a deep hatred of Buddhism within the Tamil Separatist Movement. Buddhists seem unaware of this, though it is clearly visible.  It is right under their noses.  This animosity is not new. I saw it as a schoolgirl in the 1950s in Kandy, both in my school and in the area where […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 14Gb

Wednesday, March 13th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Sarita Gunaratna and Dinesh Jayakody (2022) have provided a comprehensive, well-researched and heart-rending account of the brutal murder of samaneras at Arantalawa by the LTTE on June 3rd, 1987. The   essay is titled The Saffron Children: Massacre of samanera: Aranthalawa, 35 years on”. The link is https://sundaytimes.lk/online/opinion/The-Saffron-Children/158-1137728 The account was compiled using the […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 16C.

Thursday, March 7th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS  It is the bhikkhus who single handedly looked after neglected   Buddhist viharas whenever Buddhism was suppressed and lacked state support. They deserve special mention. Bhikkhus looked after neglected viharas during the British administration. Ven.Dambagalle Ratanapala took up residence at Malayadi kanda vihara in 1912.  The stupa at Bellagama Raja Maha vihara was renovated […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM PT 16B.

Sunday, March 3rd, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Sarath Weerasekera   once angrily    invited   the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL)   to visit the North and observe how the Buddhist ruins are destroyed and Chaithyas razed to the ground. The archaeological officers are threatened with death. Court cases are filed, and in the case of Kurundi, they obtained the help of Mullaitivu […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 16A1.

Thursday, February 29th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS The Buddhist lobby set out to re-establish Buddhism in the Northeast when the Eelam war ended in 2009. They were helped in this task by the army. The Buddhist lobby started off by setting up Buddha statues. Buddha-images were planted triumphantly in Tamil areas of re-conquest” lamented Tamil Separatist Movement.  By 2012 the […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 16A2.

Thursday, February 29th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Buddhist lobby made it a point to celebrate Wesak in the Northern Province. Wesak celebrations were organized in Jaffna in 2005. 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 dansala at the Alfred Duraiyappah stadium. Jaffna […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 15.

Wednesday, February 28th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS The Tamil Separatist Movement angrily noted that a process of BUDDHISIZATION and SINHALISATION started in the north and east from the year 2009. Buddhist temples were being constructed in places where no Buddhists reside and outside Sinhala Buddhist people” were being settled in Tamil villages, the Tamil Separatist Movement complained.   The Tamil Separatist […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 14F

Thursday, February 22nd, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS There is a tug of war going on in the north of Sri Lanka between the Buddhist and non-Buddhists over   Buddhist temples in the north. Neither side is prepared to give in. The Buddhist temples at Navatkuli( Jaffna) and Vadunagala ( Vavuniya) have faced strong opposition. In 2009 57 Buddhist families were brought […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 14C

Sunday, February 18th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS The main strategy used to suppress Buddhism in the north and east, was to place Hindu kovils within Buddhist ruins. Kovils were set up on Buddhist structures. Hindu kovils have been built over many of the Buddhist shrines, said Medhananda.There was a historical precedent for this. Ama Wanniarachchi reported in 2022 that recent […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS  AND  EELAM  Part  14D

Sunday, February 18th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS In 1983, Cyril Mathew prepared a 167 page document, titled An appeal to UNESCO to safeguard and preserve the cultural property in Sri Lanka endangered by racial prejudice, unlawful occupation or willful destruction.” The book also contains information on 24 selected sites, with supporting documents, showing the destruction of these Buddhist monuments.  Among […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS  AND  EELAM  Part  14E

Sunday, February 18th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS When destroying Buddhist ruins,rock inscriptions were specifically targeted. They were sought out and deliberately destroyed. They were usulaly  broken into peices,  failing which,  words were tarred or obliterated.Mundikulammale in  Ampara had rows of caves with inscriptions. these had been shot and destroyed. The damage done is extensive. Buddhist ruins at Niyankullukama were shot […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 14A

Thursday, February 15th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS The Tamil Separatist Movement has shown strong opposition to the presence of Buddhist temples in the north and east. Tamil Separatist Movement   vehemently objects to the construction of Buddhist temples and demands their removal. Tamil Separatist Movement   objects to construction of new Buddhist temples, Buddha statues and shrines. It objects to   the presence […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 14B

Thursday, February 15th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Strategic Buddhist sites in the northeastern region have been turned into ‘Contested Sites’ by the Tamil Separatist Movement. The most recent Contested Site was Kurundi, but there were two  before that. In January 2019 a group of about 200 persons led by northern politicians stormed the precincts of Gurukanda Raja Maha Viharaya in […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 13B5a.

Saturday, February 10th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS According to the Mahavamsa, the Buddha visited Sri Lanka thrice.  His second visit was to Nagadipa to settle a quarrel between Chulodara and Mahodara over the possession of a gem-studded throne. .Nagadipa is therefore one of the solosmastana, the 16 places of worship to which Buddhists go on pilgrimage. Mahavamsa records many Buddhist […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS  AND  EELAM  Part  13B5b.

Saturday, February 10th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Jaffna  already has a vihara which could be used for a solosmastana pilgrimage, Naga Vihara. I am unable to find out the year in which  this vihara  was established. My guess is that it would have been built in the 1950s or possibly late 1940s when Buddhist worship was  sent  across the sea […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS  AND  EELAM  Part  13B4A

Friday, February 9th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Ven. Ellawala Medhananda paid special attention to the Buddhist archaeological remains in the North and east. He explored as much as he could in these two provinces, using his own resources. He found that the north and east had many Buddhist ruins and many explorations were needed, before they could be fully examined […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS  AND  EELAM  Part  13B4b

Friday, February 9th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Medhananda was able to explore the Eastern Province with greater freedom than the north.  Medhananda has explored 80 Buddhist sites In the Eastern province. They included Agbo Raja Maha Vihara,  Ariyakara Raja Maha Vihara, Bollegama Raja Maha Vihara,    Balahandu vihara, Bambaragastalawa vihara, Boralukanda temple, Nilaveli. Bowattegala vihara,   Buddhangala hermitage,     Dighavapi,  Diviyagala vihara ,   […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS  AND  EELAM  Part  13B4C

Friday, February 9th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Ven Ellawala Medhananda has  explored the present day  Buddhist ruins of the Eastern Province.  He found  evidence in today’s Eastern   Province , to show  that the Eastern Province had a vibrant Buddhist civilization in the ancient and medieval period.  He has also shown that it had special features, such as hillside monastic complexes […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS  AND  EELAM  Part  13B1.

Thursday, February 8th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS The North and east  of Sri Lanka was   Sinhala and Buddhist   throughout the ancient, medieval and modern period, right up to the start of British rule in 1815.There is plenty of evidence to prove this, if proof is necessary. To start  with, the north was an integral part of the Raja Rata of […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS  AND  EELAM  Part  13B2

Thursday, February 8th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS The Eastern Province played a special role in the political life of ancient Sri Lanka. The eastern  Province    functioned as a refuge  while the Sinhala state was in formation. Whenever they were in trouble, not only princes but also monks ran to Ruhuna, said Medhananda. In the period between  Devanampiyatissa and Dutugemunu,( 250 […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS  AND  EELAM  Part  13 B3

Thursday, February 8th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS With the rise of the Tamil Separatist Movement, Buddhists feared for the Buddhist ruins in the north and east. They wanted them listed and shown on maps. Several persons then started to list the Buddhist sites in the north.  M. H. Sirisoma, Asst. Archaeological Commissioner prepared a map of Buddhist sites in 1963. […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 13A2.

Monday, January 29th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Ven. Galgamuwe Santhabodhi, who was responsible for the revitalization of Kurundi vihara in Mullaitivu, has also successfully conserved another monastery, Sapumalgaskada at Vavuniya. Like Kurundi, Sapumalgaskada monastery was excavated and conserved, due to the efforts of Ven. Santhabodhi. Sapumalgaskada archaeological site is situated in the Periyakattikulam forest reserve in Vavuniya District. Sapumalgaskada is the […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 13A1.

Monday, January 29th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS New Buddhist temples were erected in the north, during the Eelam war and after. Admiral Daya Sandagiri, then Commander Northern naval area   built Dambakola Patuna Sangamitta Vihara   at Sambilturai, in Jaffna District. The foundation   was laid in 1997, work was completed in 2005. Several temples were built in the north after 2009. Sri […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 12E.

Tuesday, January 9th, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Tamil Separatist Movement used all sorts of tricks to try and stop Kurundi. Since there was strong evidence to show that Kurundi was indeed Kurundi, this was not easy and Tamil Separatist Movement found that they were making contradictory statements. Tamil Separatist Movement asked whether Kurundi was Kurundi. Was it really the one […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 12D.

Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS The contested sites” issue at   Kurundi was created by the Tamil Separatist Movement. Tamil Separatist Movement announced, untruthfully, that there was an ancient kovil on the site of the Kurundi monastery.  Tamil Separatist Movement said that for generations Tamil people believed that an old Hindu temple, known as Aathi Sivan Kovil, was located […]

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BUDDHIST VIHARAS AND EELAM Part 12C.

Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024

KAMALIKA PIERIS Hinduism is not a   world religion. It is confined to India. Hinduism was introduced to East Asia but failed to take root there.  Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia retained the Ramayana but rejected the Hindu religion. Hinduism was not allowed to enjoy its position even in India.  In India, there is an ongoing tussle between […]

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