{"id":98618,"date":"2020-02-03T16:28:43","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T23:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=98618"},"modified":"2020-02-03T16:28:43","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T23:28:43","slug":"how-tamil-and-european-invaders-destroyed-sri-lankas-enviable-overall-independence-in-the-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/02\/03\/how-tamil-and-european-invaders-destroyed-sri-lankas-enviable-overall-independence-in-the-past\/","title":{"rendered":"HOW TAMIL AND EUROPEAN INVADERS DESTROYED SRI LANKA\u2019S ENVIABLE OVERALL INDEPENDENCE IN THE PAST"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

For a nation, to be politically\n\u2018independent\u2019 means, not to be subjugated, not to be under control, not to be\nliving in fear, not to be harassed, plundered and exploited. However, political\nindependence becomes less forceful and less meaningful in the absence of other\nimportant forms of independence, including economic independence, cultural\nindependence, spiritual independence, freedom to lead a life that is safe and\nsecure and to be led by and inspired by patriotic leaders who are selfless in\ntheir service to the nation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TAMIL INVASIONS AFFECTING OVERALL\nINDEPENDENCE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka\u2019s history provides ample\nevidence that this type of overall independence prevailed in the country, to a\ngreat extent, before the dawn of the colonial era in the early 16th<\/sup>\ncentury. Basically, this was during the golden age\u201d of Sri Lanka or the\nAnuradhapura and Polonnaruwa period from the 3rd century BCE until about the\n13th century CE – a period that exceeds 1500 years. This was a time when the\ncountry was ruled by Sinhala Buddhist royalty and when the large mass of people\nenjoyed overall independence, and when economic and cultural development of the\ncountry was at its peak.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The island\u2019s recorded history including\nwidespread archeological evidence and records of foreign travelers and traders\nin the past and the extensive ancient irrigation system   bear testimony to the greatness of the\ncountry\u2019s civilization that was based overall freedom generated by Buddhism which\nwas the basis of the national culture. Political independence was stable and\nsecure under the leadership of the nation\u2019s royalty, nobility and Buddhist\nmonks who were in the forefront as advisers to royalty. Governance was based on\nBuddhist principles and was focused on the welfare of the common man. The\nextensive irrigation system was developed during this time, which is still in use,\nis considered as engineering marvels today. It led to a sustainable farming\nsystem. Sri Lanka was able to develop a highly productive agricultural economy\nand was an exporter of food crops to other countries. Economic and social\ndevelopment went hand in hand with cultural advancement and spiritual\ndevelopment of the people at large. The peaceful  way of life provided sufficient leisure time\nfor people to pursue cultural and spiritual  activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The enormous patronage provided by the\nroyalty was the major driving force for cultural pursuits at that time. A rich\nlanguage of our own \u2013 Sinhala, and a mass of equally rich literary works in the\nform of prose and verse developed within our island during this period.\nDevelopment of fine arts attained great heights. Indigenous architecture, rock\nsculpture, wood sculpture, paintings on various surfaces and other forms of\nfine arts attained great heights. Some of the greatest Buddhist stupas were\nbuilt during this time. Buddhism was the source of inspiration for this\ncreativity and the products of this creativity which are still evident in the country\nare marked by serenity, peace and spirituality and are of extreme aesthetic\nappeal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The greatness of the cultural\ndevelopment of this time is well evident in the remains of ancient cities and\nhistoric places of the past. The UNESCO has designated five of these historic\nsites as World Heritage Sites owing to the masterpieces of human creativity and\nimagination evident in these places \u2013 Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya,\nDambulla and Mahanuwara (Kandy). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were occasional interruptions to\nthe independence enjoyed by the country during the Anuradhapura-Polonnaruwa\nperiods, owing to South Indian Dravidian invasions.   These were periods marked by violence, atrocities\nand plunder by these ruthless invaders. Buddhist temples and places of learning\nwere ransacked and destroyed. Monks suffered much harassment and hardship.\nLiterary works were set on fire and irrigation systems were damaged. During the\nlatter part of the 13th century, constant Dravidian South Indian invasions,\natrocities and terrorist activities led kings to abandon their historic\ncapitals and drift with their people to the southwest of the country for safety.\nRoyal Capitals were changed constantly during the 13th to 17th centuries and finally\nconsolidated in Kande-Udarata or the hill country with Mahanuwara (Kandy) as\nthe royal capital. It is noteworthy that the overall independence enjoyed by\nour people was severely affected by the invasions and atrocities brought about\nby South Indian Tamil-speaking Dravidians.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

EUROPEAN\nINVASIONS \/ OCCUPATION AFFECTING INDEPENDENCE  
\n <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

European colonial powers arrived in Sri\nLanka during the 16th to 18th century period. The Portuguese who arrived in\n1505 occupied the coastal areas and soon became a constant source of\naggression, annoyance and terror to the large mass of people. They had two\nmajor objectives \u2013 trade with maximum benefits to them, and to convert local\npeople to the Catholic religion using force and other unethical means. It is\nreported that they came with a gun in one hand and the bible in the other. The\ndestruction they caused to Buddhist temples and places of learning and the\nkilling of Buddhist monks and people in the name of religion was unprecedented.\nAlmost all Buddhist shrines in the coastal areas that they occupied were\ndestroyed, including the Kelani Raja Maha Viharaya. Among seats of learning\ndestroyed were the famous Totagamuwe Vijayaba Pirvena,  Padmavathi Pirivena of Keragala and Sunethra\nDevi Pirivena of Pepiliyana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dutch ousted the Portuguese in 1640\nand occupied places under Portuguese control. Continuing similar trade\nactivities like the Portuguese, they started converting people to Protestant\nChristianity. They too were instrumental in destroying Buddhist temples,\nmonasteries and the royal palace at Hanguranketa. The Dutch were followed by\nthe British who ousted the Dutch in 1796. Their well-planned program of\nactivities, for a continuous period of about 150 years, led to the greatest of\ndamage to the country\u2019s overall independence, culture, social cohesion, unity\nand dignity. In 1815 the British captured the Sri Lankan king and the entire\ncountry came under their control. This ended Sri Lanka\u2019s long history of\nroyalty with some 295 kings. The British rule continued until 1948. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All colonial powers\nacted on pure and absolute self-interest\u201d. British occupation of Sri Lanka was\none of sheer exploitation and devastation. Whatever benefits that were derived\nby local inhabitants were merely incidental to their exploitation of the\ncountry\u2019s natural and human resources in order to reap enormous benefits for\nthe British government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often we have heard\npeople saying that Sri Lanka did not shed blood for freedomunlike\nIndia. This is plain nonsense. Those who are conversant with Sri Lanka\u2019s\ncolonial history know that much blood was shed for freedom. Prior to the\nKandyan Convention of 1815, thousands upon thousands of Sinhala people\nsacrificed their lives to free the country from colonial repression. More were\nkilled during the rebellion of 1818 and 1848. During the Kandyan rebellion of\n1818, every man over 14 years was ordered by the British to be killed and some\nsixty thousand Sinhala people were massacred. Large numbers of local leaders\nwere annihilated by the British – – Veera Keppetipola, Veera Puran Appu and\nVeera Gongalegoda Banda are the better known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DESTRUCTION OF ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The economic independence of the country\nwas destroyed by the British by converting the self-sufficient sustainable\neconomy to an outer oriented unstable commercial economy dependent on\nfluctuating external world markets. Sri Lanka\u2019s economy was transformed to\nbecome a cheap source of agricultural raw materials such as coffee, tea, cocoa\nto be exported to Britain. The economy became totally outer- oriented, so much\nso, a greater part of essential food requirements of the mass of people had to\nbe imported from other countries. Forested mountain slopes, were cleared in the\nmost haphazard manner to be converted to commercial crops for export. Some of\nthis land included farmlands of local inhabitants. This had a drastic impact on\nthe natural resources base of the country leading to drastic changes in\nenvironmental processes resulting in excessive soil erosion, landslides,\nincreased flooding alternating with severe drought conditions. These calamities\nmostly affected local inhabitants in rural areas. l slaves for the British in\ntheir newly opened coffee and tea plantations. This led the British to import Tamil\nlabourers from South India who later became a new element in the demographic\ncomposition of the country. The excessively poor living conditions of the large\nmass of rural folk led to migration, especially of youth to Colombo and other\nbig towns. Most were subjected to the influence of the extremes forms of\nundesirable urban culture that was gaining ground in urban areas. The use of\nalcohol was a common element of urban culture. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DECLINE OF TRADITIONAL FARMING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditional agriculture declined rapidly\nwith vast areas of former productive paddy land either being abandoned owing to\nneglected irrigation facilities or because part of the agricultural land were\nbought over or taken over by the British for development of coffee, tea and\nrubber for export. Traditional agriculture was a way of life for the people. It\nhad the influence bringing about togetherness among people. They worked jointly\nhelping in each other in their farm activities. It provided them with\nsufficient leisure time to be engaged in other productive and creative pursuits\nincluding cultural and religious activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Royal patronage was the strongest form\nof motivation and support and Buddhism was the supreme source of inspiration\nfor those involved in creative cultural pursuits in ancient times. These\nsupports were no longer available to the people. Besides, most rural people\nwere frustrated owing to great difficulties faced by them in meeting even their\nessential needs. Loss of freedom and privileges that they enjoyed under their\nkings and their traditional leadership had a strong psychological impact on\npeople making them overly passive, subservient and backward. Traditional places\nof learning were the Buddhist temples where Buddhist monks were teachers of\nboth religious and secular subjects. These centers and Buddhist monks were not\naccorded the same privileges and support accorded to Christian missionary\nschools and teachers in urban areas. The monks who were in the forefront with\nthe royalty in affairs of governance, were now kept deliberately in the\nbackground with no special privileges. This situation did not permit the\nemergence of leaders from rural areas where the large mass of the dominant\ncommunity lived. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DIVIDE AND RULE POLICY OF BRITISH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vast changes that they brought about\nin almost all areas of life in the country, led to the disruption of the\nlong-held culture, values and way of life of local inhabitants, particularly\nthe Sinhala community.  To serve their\nself-interests the British practiced the <\/strong>divide and rule\u201d policy by\nsetting one community against the other. The Tamil minority were given special\nprivileges, were provided with better opportunities for education, employment\nand government services. The small Tamil community soon became a privileged\ncommunity. Besides, all those who were converted to Christianity and those who\nsubscribed to British interests and their administration, had preferential\ntreatment in education and employment. When the British left Sri Lanka in 1948,\nthey made sure that power remained in the hands of the English educated and\nEnglish speaking few, who were toeing their line. The British also left a\nhighly outer oriented and dependent economy at the mercy of the British and\nworld market. The political party system that was introduced to the country\nhelped to further divide and disintegrate the people, because the principles of\nparty system was not fully understood by the people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make matters worse, power \u2013\npolitical, administrative, and economic was inherited by those belonging to the\nColombo sub-culture. Most of the qualified professionals also belonged to or\nsubscribed to this sub-culture.  During\nthe colonial period, the British made sure that Tamils and Christians were\nplaced in positions of authority and influence in the administration of the\ncountry and in major professions.  Tamil\nleaders in various spheres including politics and Christianity were sponsored\nby these colonialists and some became agents of these foreign exploiters of the\ncountry, helping to undermine the interests of the dominant community of the\ncountry. This trend gained strength after the country attained independence\nowing to the enormous foreign funding that supported minority interests of\nChristians and Tamils. Among them were Tamil politicians leading racist\npolitical parties and later the racist\u2019s terrorist LTTE organization whose\nleadership is Christian.  These Tamils\nand Christians have been engaged in propaganda against the rights of the Hela\nBuddhist culture all along.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

POST\n\u2018INDEPENDENCE\u2019 DEVELOPMENTS <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

On February 4th, 1948, the country was\naccorded Dominion Status with the Queen of England as the Head of State and\nwith the British maintaining military bases in Katunayake andTrincomalee.\n <\/strong>The country did not have true\npolitical independence. In 1957 with the initiative of then Prime Minister that\nthese bases were taken over by the government. It was in the year 1968, or 52\nyears ago, that our country became a Republic without any links with the\nBritish crown and in every sense acquired political independence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TAMIL\nTERRORIST MENACE AFFECTING NATION\u2019S INDEPENDENCE  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until 2009, for\nabout three decades, the most serious national problem affecting overall\nsovereignty and independence of the country, and for that matter, all aspects\nof life of our country was caused by the racist, separatist and extremist\nattitudes and actions of a powerful and privileged segment of the\nnon-indigenous minority Tamil community. Social harmony and economic well-being\nof our nation was destabilized and threatened to an extreme extent by\nideologies based on ethnocentric exclusivity propagated by this segment of the\nnon-indigenous minority Tamil community. The terror, horror and violence that\nwas brought about by Tamil LTTE terrorist went  \nagainst all norms and ethics of the civilized world. Extremist Tamil\ngroups living within and outside Sri Lanka were resorting to tribalistic\nrhetoric ostensibly to achieve their communal aspirations and engage in\nviolence and terror. Sri Lanka\u2019s overall independence and development, were severely affected\nfor several decades owing to problems caused by misguided racist Tamil\nterrorists. The nation is indebted to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his\nSecretary of Defense Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the popularly elected President of\nthe country at present, to have provided the long-awaited leadership  to eliminate the Tamil terrorist menace from the\ncountry and restoring security and territorial integrity and overall independence\nin the Sinhala Buddhist Nation Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane For a nation, to be politically \u2018independent\u2019 means, not to be subjugated, not to be under control, not to be living in fear, not to be harassed, plundered and exploited. However, political independence becomes less forceful and less meaningful in the absence of other important forms of independence, including economic independence, cultural […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-daya-hewapathirane"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98618","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=98618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98618\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}