{"id":112918,"date":"2021-03-22T18:11:07","date_gmt":"2021-03-23T01:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=112918"},"modified":"2021-03-22T18:11:07","modified_gmt":"2021-03-23T01:11:07","slug":"the-general-election-of-1956-part-8a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/03\/22\/the-general-election-of-1956-part-8a\/","title":{"rendered":"THE GENERAL ELECTION OF 1956 Part 8A"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

The Maha Sangha played a significant role in mobilizing support for the 1956 victory. The Sangha used their traditional leadership role in the villages to influence the public to vote for the MEP. 1956 was the climax of a political awakening that had started long before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ananda Meegama traces the beginning of this activism to Anagarika Dharmapala (1864- 1933). Anagarika said that it was the duty of the bhikkhus to participate vigorously in the Buddhist revival which had started. Dharmapala’s views caused only a slight ripple in the Sangha during his own lifetime, said H.L.Seneviratne. Conservative Buddhists avoided the Anagarika, added Meegama. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0But from 1930 the Anagarika’s words started to take effect. \u201dSinhala Baudhaya\u201d Wesak Kalapaya 1934 published an open letter to the Sangha requesting their active participation in the issues that were shaking the country. The Buddhist revival now had political overtones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Maha\nSangha responded. The 1930s produced dynamic bhikkhus who played a major role\nin the political struggles of the time. There was Udakandawela Siri\nSaranankara, (1902-1966) who became the first President of the Communist Party\nof Sri Lanka.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 Uda Kandawela Siri Saranankara<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was\nalso Yakkaduwe Pragnarama (1918-1986). Yakkaduwe\nwas head of Vidyalankara Pirivena from 1934. He spent\nhis entire life developing the Vidyalankara Pirivena, said Meegama.  It was Yakkaduwe\nwho developed Vidyalankara, said Walpola Rahula. The idea of converting Vidyalankara Pirivena\nto a University was first mooted by Yakkaduwe, said DB Dhanapala. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ven.\nYakkaduwe Pragnarama<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

DB Dhanapala\nsaid that Yakkaduwe rarely shaved, chewed betel all day,\nwas slow in movement and speech and appeared sleepy looking. \u2018He would sit cross legged on a   couch and write throughout the night and in\nthe morning would lie down on the same couch and sleep.  Meegama said Yakkaduwe was very austere\nin his ways.  He was\nrarely seen in the public. He rarely\nparticipated in functions  and he\ndid not make public speeches.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\nYakkaduwe was actually very active and very influential at several levels. Yakkaduwe\nhad set up a Council to examine and revise the Buddhist texts.  He was\nalso a  respected Sinhala scholar. Peradeniya\nand Vidyodaya gave him honorary degrees. He had tried to bring the written and\nspoken Sinhala closer to each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yakkaduwe wanted\nthe bhikkhus around him to take an interest in the political goings on of the\ntime.  He was a strong influence on several\nbhikkhus, including Walpola Rahula. There was series of strikes in 1942-44. Walpola\nRahula, Nattandiye Pannakara, Kotahene Pannakirthi  inspired by Yakkaduwe , spoke  to the public. They drew attention to the poor\nliving conditions of the masses and the huge gap between the rich and the poor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yakkaduwe was\nalso behind the bhikkhu movement which campaigned in support of the Free Education\nAct of 1945. Walpola\nRahula and other bhikkhus were seen regularly in the galleries of the State Council\nduring the free education debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DS Senanayake\ndid not like the stance the bhikkhus were taking regarding the Free Education\nBill. He saw the implications and decided that the political bhikkhus had to be\nstopped in their tracks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On January 13\n1943 at prize giving at Dharmaraja Vidyalaya, Matale he criticized the bhikkhus\nfor their interest in the activities of State Council and their present in the\ngalleries there. Bhikkhus not dabble in politics, he said, they   should stay safely confined to the forest or\ntemple as persons who had retired from the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walpola\nRahula replied at the speech at Prince College, Kotahena a few days later. Dinamina<\/em> and Daily News<\/em> carried full reports of DS Senanayake\u2019s speech. Lake\nHouse called these monks \u2018Kahakadayo\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a\npublic furor but in addition, the public interest was aroused as to what the\nactual role of the bhikkhus was. Vidyalankara thought a public reply was\nnecessary. On February 13 1947 Vidyalankara issued a manifesto under the\nsignature of Kiriwattuduwe Sri Pragnasara,   Principal of Vidyalankara.This document was\nto become the manifesto of the Vidyalankara monks. It  was written by Yakkaduwe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nwas Yakkaduwe  who , behind the scenes,\nencouraged the bhikkhus  to  be activist , said Meegama,. Yakkaduwe had\ntold the bhikkhus of Vidyalankara that if they agreed to this document, they\nwould have to face much danger and worry in the years to come and not to\nsupport it if they were scared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nVidyalankara manifesto prepared by Yakkaduwe said, of course Vinaya rules must\nbe observed and of course bhikkhus must promote religion. But conditions today\nare different from those in the time of Buddha and the life of the monk has\nalso changed. Bhikkhus  are now actively\nengaged in anti temperance work, social work etc. They are Presidents of\nsocieties as well.   working for the\nwelfare of society,  is not enough, said\nthe Manifesto. bhikkhus must  also take\naction to  obstruct that which is\ndetrimental to the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea that\nreligion and politics should be kept separate is something introduced by the\nBritish, concluded the Manifesto. They are attempting to create a gulf between bhikkhus\nand laity. We should not give into this. In ancient times bhikkhus were in the\nforeground of political movements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DS Senanayake\nwanted the Manifesto withdrawn.   He also wanted State Council to pass laws\ngiving the Mahanayake right to disrobe, fine or \nimprison political monks. He tried to  \nprevent these bhikkhus from receiving alms as well .Nothing came of\nthis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\ninfuriated the  bhikkhus .They held a\nmeeting at the BTS headquarters,  \nchaired by Ven. Palannoruwe Wimaladharma and decided that they alone\nshould determine what they should and should not do. Laymen cannot decide and\nthey cannot interfere. The bhikkhus   formed the Lanka Eksath Bhikshu Mandalaya to\ndefend themselves, propagate their ideas, and to educate and waken the public. Vidyalankara\nstarted a weekly paper Kalaya\u2019 to propagate their views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DS Senanayake\nhad roused a hornets\u2019 nest.  Political leaders\ndid not usually criticize the Maha Sangha. \nThere was a furor in the country.  Speeches, articles, letters were written, for\nand against. Opinion in the country was divided. Then in June 1946 came the\ndefinitive Bhikshuvakage Urumaya<\/em> by Walpola\nRahula. The book sold out in three weeks. A second edition appeared   in 1948.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Yakkaduwe Pragnarama therefore  has a special place in the 1956 revolution,\nsaid Meegama.  It was he who prepared the\ntext on the duty and role of the Sangha which led to Bhikshuvakage Urumaya\u201d by\nWalpola Rahula. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vidyalankara\nmonks campaigned for the 1947 election, throughout the country, but mostly in\nMirigama and Kelaniya, the constituencies of DS Senanayake and JR Jayawardene. DS\nSenanayake asked Ven. Henpitagedera Gnanasiha,\na formidable monk, to support his \nelection campaign, promising to fund Gnansiha’s Bhikkhu institute at\nPathakada when he won, but Senanayake he did not keep his word   <\/em> and Henpitagedera\nwas displeased. The UNP did not get a large majority at the 1947\nelection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 JR Jayewardene was even more determined than DS\nSenanayake to crush the political bhikkhus. In September 1947 when Walpola\nRahula and another monk were traveling they were stopped by mob led by Aspa John,\na strongman supporter of JR . The mob pulled out the two bhikkhus and assaulted\nthem till they were unconscious. They were saved form   death only because the crowds that had\ngathered protected them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buddhist\nwere not crushed by any of this. Buddhist demands  intensified in the 1950s. They wanted specific\ngains. Bandaranaike speaking in  \nMay   1950 said that Buddhism should be given a special\nplace. This had been promised in the 1815 Convention. Lanka Eksath Bhikshu\nMandalaya under Polwatte Buddhadatta supported  the  \nidea. GP Malalasekera, President of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress\nsaid that the 1815 provision must be enforced without delay.  The 1815 Convention said, The religion of\nBoodho, professed by the chiefs and inhabitants of these provinces, is declared\ninviolable, and its rites, ministers, and places of worship are to be\nmaintained and protected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The idea of a special place for Buddhism was\nridiculed, by its opponents, with cartoons, and editorials. DS Senanayake said\npublicly at meetings, that there should be no state intervention for Buddhism. That\nwould lead to religious dissension. When a Buddhist delegation went to meet\nhim, DS Senanayake had said’ Anaduwa saranan gatcchami,’ which angered the\npublic as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1950 session\nof the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress sessions saw   Malalasekera and P de S Kularatne responding\nto what DS Senanayake had said. 11 resolutions were passed at this Sessions and\na\nbook titled Buddhism and the state<\/em>\nwas published in 1951, giving these 11 resolutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these\nefforts, the Buddhist lobby   failed to get anywhere with the UNP\ngovernment   of DS Senanayake (1947-1952)\nor Dudley Senanayake (1952-1953). Then Sir John became Prime Minister  in  1953\n. Sir John was even worse. He had threatened to disrobe political\nbhikkhus. The\nBuddhists were agitated and angry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\n1953 session of the ACBC was a turbulent one, with\ndelegates shouting that the ACBC must wake up.  This session was\na historical one. At this session a committee, later known\nas Buddhist Commission, was appointed to look into\nthe position of Buddhism in Ceylon. \nFrom June 1954 to May 1955 the Buddhist Commission\nwent round the country, taking evidence.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\nheld sittings in 37 towns. Henpitagedera Gnanasiha had in 1953, formed Buddha\nSasana samithis in Ratnapura district. these had expanded into other districts .\nThe Buddhist Commission found these samiti very helpful for their work. The\nsamitis also spread the Commission findings among the Buddhist public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nreport of the Buddhist Commission was released in February 4, 1956. A week\nlater the government was dissolved   and the country got ready for the General\nelection of 1956.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The year 1956\nalso saw the formation of the Eksath Bhikshu Peramuna, this was the successor\nto Lanka Eksath Bhikshu Mandalaya formed in 1946. The  Peramuna was the most effective body of\npolitical monks of the modern period said PA Saram .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The emergence of an aggressive Buddhist movement which\nbrought the Maha Sangha to the forefront  was another significant development of 1956,\nsaid Wiswa Warnapala. The Sangha became an active social and political\nforce in modern Sri Lanka, he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In ancient\ntimes the Sangha had a legitimate role in the political affairs of the country.\nThey guided the king. They did not wield power directly. This traditional role was\nnow resurrected in a modern setting.  The\nSangha is now a permanent part of the political culture of Sri Lanka, concluded\nWiswa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BUDDHA JAYANTI 1956<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One\nof the first events the new government had to organize was the Buddha Jayanti,\nwhich was celebrated on 23 May, 1956. The Buddha Jayanti of 1956\ncommemorated the 2500th<\/sup> anniversary of the birth, enlightenment, and\nParinibbana of Gautama Buddha. Buddha Jayanti was celebrated on a massive scale\nin Sri Lanka. These\ncelebrations, which I recall clearly, gave a great fillip to the\nBuddhist revival of the time. It evoked much enthusiasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During Buddha\nJayanti, each month a foreign leader would preside over the celebrations in\ndifferent towns.  Those who came were\nMahendra of Nepal, Sihanouk of Cambodia, MIkasa of Japan and Chou en Lai, of\nChina. Chou was a\nmedia favorite. He was cheerful, friendly, quotable and displayed a zest for\nexploration. Ven. Othani\nhigh priest of Japan also came.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nBuddha Jayanti project was started by the previous UNP government but SWRD was\non the Executive Committee at that time too.  SWRD took over the Buddha Jayanti when he won\nthe 1956 election.  He continued to be keenly interest in the Buddha\nJayanti despite his duties as PM, said   Ananda Guruge, who administered the Buddha\nJayanti project.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bandaranaike   \u2018put his heart and soul into the project and\nworked with exemplary devotion and diligence,\u2019 said Guruge. We met frequently\nand he never missed a meeting.  Often he\nwould come a few minutes early, and send for me or one of my assistants to get\na clarification on the agenda, or gather facts.  Bandaranaike looked carefully at the\ncomposition of the Buddha Jayanti committee and the Cabinet memorandum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lanka Bauddha Mandalaya   with a Sangha Sabha of 175 and a gihi Sabha\nwas set up to carry out the event. The Sangha could not agree as\nto who should speak at the main celebration and SWRD dealt with the matter\ntactfully. He showed flexibility and refreshing sense of humour which led to\nsatisfactory results, recalled Guruge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bandaranaike was interested in three Buddha Jayanti projects,\nrestoration of Maligawa, encyclopaedia of Buddhism, and the religious awakening\nmovement.   He suggested a Board of\ninternational editors for the Buddhist encyclopaedia and also that they meet in\nColombo to decide on format, coverage and comprehensiveness.  He offered many valuable suggestions on the\ntechnical aspects of the project, said Guruge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guruge says an elephant stampeded at Buddha Jayanti\ncelebration at Attanagalla Raja Maha Viharaya. Instead of running away, SWRD\ntook charge and had the people taken to safety. He had dragged Guruge to a side,\nby his collar. (Continued)  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS The Maha Sangha played a significant role in mobilizing support for the 1956 victory. The Sangha used their traditional leadership role in the villages to influence the public to vote for the MEP. 1956 was the climax of a political awakening that had started long before. Ananda Meegama traces the beginning of this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112918\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}