77th Anniversary of the Construction of the Mulagandha Kuty Vihara – Sarnath, Varanasi
by Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona
(November 13, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) It gives me great pleasure to be provided this opportunity to say a few words on the occasion of the 77th Anniversary of the construction of the Mulagandha Kuty Vihara in Sarnath, Varanasi in its present form. A son of Lanka, Anagarika Dharmapala, was the leading light behind the rehabilitation of the Mulagandha Kuty Vihara. The Maha Bodhi Society of India which was the vehicle used in this endeavour, has now been in existence for 117 years.
Again, it was the Anagarika himself who played the seminal role in the establishment of the Maha Bodhi Society of India and the revival of Buddhism in the land of its birth. His role in the reawakening of Buddhism is unparalleled and the Buddhist world owes him an enormous debt of gratitude. I am also particularly humbled by this unique honour to be here today, given the incomparable excellence of those who had graced this hallowed land before me. This is where the Buddha spoke and where countless men and women of great piety worshipped. This is also where the Enlightened One spent the first Vatsana, the rainy season.
Sri Lanka and India have enjoyed a complex and multi-faceted relationship over the centuries. History tells us that the majority of the people of Sri Lanka trace their origins to India. Two waves of migrants reached our shores around 500 years before the present era from both the Western and the Eastern ends of India. Others followed later. With them came the accumulated cultural wealth of India, which then intermingled with the culture of the land.
The mix produced astounding results. The magnificent ruined cities in Northern Lanka bear testimony to that glorious influx. Sri Lanka’s culture owes much to the Indian influence, although we have developed our own unique characteristics over the years. Our religious inspiration came largely from India. As we all know, Buddhism was peacefully introduced to Lanka around 400 BC and swept through our land in a very short period. It co-existed well with existing beliefs. Sri Lankan villagers still pay homage to local deities whose origins are lost in the mists of time. Our entire ethical outlook is conditioned by Buddhism. Hinduism came with other migrants and is a significant factor within our milieu today. Even Sri Lankan Islam has been influenced by India, because many of the teachers came from Southern India. Our dance, our music, our legends all have some traces originating in India. Many place names in Sri Lanka are linked to Valmiki’s Ramayana. What is unique is that despite the extensive impact of India, we have maintained and developed many characteristics which are our own. In many aspects, Sri Lanka’s cultural traits are specific to the Island. The geographical separation of twenty two miles of sea has been responsible for some of these features including the survival of Buddhism after it almost disappeared from India.
The religious impact of India which spans 2500 years, is immediately noticeable in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan kings maintained very close ties with Indian Buddhist rulers. After all, it was Emperor Asoka who sent his own son, Arhat Mahinda, to preach the Dhamma in Sri Lanka. His first convert was the Sovereign of the Island, Devanampiyatissa. Emperor Asoka’s daughter led a second group of missionaries who established the female order of monks and brought a sapling of the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained Enlightenment. This Tree still survives and is the oldest tree in the world with a meticulously recorded history. It was to Sri Lanka that Indian kings and princes thought fit to send the Tooth Relic and the collar bone relic of the Buddha in times of strife. Our kings maintained a massive pilgrims’ rest in Bodh Gaya for almost a thousand years. Destroyed by 12th Century invaders, its impressive ruins are visible even today. Sinhala kings maintained this structure with funds sent from Anuradhapura and subsequently from Polonnaruwa for all those years. It was at Anuradhapura, that Buddhagosha translated the Sinhala Tripitaka into Pali. The Tripitaka was first reduced to writing in Sinhala at Aluvihare, Matale. More recently, it was the Sri Lankan Anagarika Dharmapala who was largely instrumental in restoring the Buddhist influence in places such as Bodh Gaya and Isipatana.
The Buddhist relationship between the Sub-Continent of India and Sri Lanka is a factor that we cannot ignore in the modern context. Sri Lankans have, over the years, looked to India for religious inspiration, even after Buddhism ceased to be a major religion in India. Buddhists in Sri Lanka continue to maintain an eternal allegiance to the land from where their religion originated. Today, thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from Sri Lanka continue to visit the places associated with the Buddha’s life, whether Bodh Gaya, Varanasi, Isipatana and Kusinara. Our legend has it that when the Sinhala rebel, Keppetipola was about to be beheaded by the British, his last wish was to be reborn in the “Land of the Buddha”. The linkages between the two countries are that strong.
Sri Lanka also considers India to be its closest partner in the world. We are neighbours separated by the narrow strip of sea, the Palk Straits. Our cultures are inter-mingled, our religions are inter-linked, our people are inter-connected. For good or for worse, we are bound to each other by history, geography, culture, religion and increasingly by simple economics. The trade between the two countries is now in the region of Three Billion Dollars annually. Sri Lanka is emerging as a significant market for India. There are over 120 flights between Sri Lanka and India every week. Our airline is the major beneficiary of this development. Thousands travel between the two countries. India is the biggest source of tourists for Sri Lanka. Indian trucks, motor vehicles and three-wheelers are to be found in almost every village in Sri Lanka. Indian businesses thrive in every aspect of our business sector, including in some critical ones. As India’s economy expands further, it is our hope that these linkages will continue to prosper and the cooperation between our two countries will get firmer. It is also Sri Lanka’s goal, while encouraging people-to-people linkages, deepening economic contacts and consolidating political connections, to ensure that our relationship is strengthened on the basis of trust and confidence. Given our multi-faceted historical commonalities which reach beyond ethnic, racial and other divisions, this should pose little challenge. The Government of President Rajapaksa has invested heavily in creating the necessary policy environment and the psychological underpinnings for this purpose. Sri Lanka is a democracy, like India. Our democratic instincts are strong and in many respects similar to India’s. Our commitment to global standards is as strong as India’s. Sri Lanka and India were pioneering members of the Non-Aligned Movement and our leadership has always enjoyed a cozy relationship with the Indian leadership. Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, have all visited Sri Lanka. It is our wish that these features will continue to be fostered in the future. A strong, prosperous and confident Sri Lanka should provide India with the reassurance that is necessary on its Southern flank. Similarly, India should be confident that Sri Lanka will be a friend and a partner in the deepest sense. The multitudinous bonds that bind us should facilitate this.
Let me thank you for providing me with an opportunity to address you today. I wish you a peaceful time in Sarnath, and a safe journey back to your respective homes.
( The writer is a Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs , the government of Sri Lanka )- Sri Lanka Guardian
(November 13, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) It gives me great pleasure to be provided this opportunity to say a few words on the occasion of the 77th Anniversary of the construction of the Mulagandha Kuty Vihara in Sarnath, Varanasi in its present form. A son of Lanka, Anagarika Dharmapala, was the leading light behind the rehabilitation of the Mulagandha Kuty Vihara. The Maha Bodhi Society of India which was the vehicle used in this endeavour, has now been in existence for 117 years.
Again, it was the Anagarika himself who played the seminal role in the establishment of the Maha Bodhi Society of India and the revival of Buddhism in the land of its birth. His role in the reawakening of Buddhism is unparalleled and the Buddhist world owes him an enormous debt of gratitude. I am also particularly humbled by this unique honour to be here today, given the incomparable excellence of those who had graced this hallowed land before me. This is where the Buddha spoke and where countless men and women of great piety worshipped. This is also where the Enlightened One spent the first Vatsana, the rainy season.
Sri Lanka and India have enjoyed a complex and multi-faceted relationship over the centuries. History tells us that the majority of the people of Sri Lanka trace their origins to India. Two waves of migrants reached our shores around 500 years before the present era from both the Western and the Eastern ends of India. Others followed later. With them came the accumulated cultural wealth of India, which then intermingled with the culture of the land.
The mix produced astounding results. The magnificent ruined cities in Northern Lanka bear testimony to that glorious influx. Sri Lanka’s culture owes much to the Indian influence, although we have developed our own unique characteristics over the years. Our religious inspiration came largely from India. As we all know, Buddhism was peacefully introduced to Lanka around 400 BC and swept through our land in a very short period. It co-existed well with existing beliefs. Sri Lankan villagers still pay homage to local deities whose origins are lost in the mists of time. Our entire ethical outlook is conditioned by Buddhism. Hinduism came with other migrants and is a significant factor within our milieu today. Even Sri Lankan Islam has been influenced by India, because many of the teachers came from Southern India. Our dance, our music, our legends all have some traces originating in India. Many place names in Sri Lanka are linked to Valmiki’s Ramayana. What is unique is that despite the extensive impact of India, we have maintained and developed many characteristics which are our own. In many aspects, Sri Lanka’s cultural traits are specific to the Island. The geographical separation of twenty two miles of sea has been responsible for some of these features including the survival of Buddhism after it almost disappeared from India.
The religious impact of India which spans 2500 years, is immediately noticeable in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan kings maintained very close ties with Indian Buddhist rulers. After all, it was Emperor Asoka who sent his own son, Arhat Mahinda, to preach the Dhamma in Sri Lanka. His first convert was the Sovereign of the Island, Devanampiyatissa. Emperor Asoka’s daughter led a second group of missionaries who established the female order of monks and brought a sapling of the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained Enlightenment. This Tree still survives and is the oldest tree in the world with a meticulously recorded history. It was to Sri Lanka that Indian kings and princes thought fit to send the Tooth Relic and the collar bone relic of the Buddha in times of strife. Our kings maintained a massive pilgrims’ rest in Bodh Gaya for almost a thousand years. Destroyed by 12th Century invaders, its impressive ruins are visible even today. Sinhala kings maintained this structure with funds sent from Anuradhapura and subsequently from Polonnaruwa for all those years. It was at Anuradhapura, that Buddhagosha translated the Sinhala Tripitaka into Pali. The Tripitaka was first reduced to writing in Sinhala at Aluvihare, Matale. More recently, it was the Sri Lankan Anagarika Dharmapala who was largely instrumental in restoring the Buddhist influence in places such as Bodh Gaya and Isipatana.
The Buddhist relationship between the Sub-Continent of India and Sri Lanka is a factor that we cannot ignore in the modern context. Sri Lankans have, over the years, looked to India for religious inspiration, even after Buddhism ceased to be a major religion in India. Buddhists in Sri Lanka continue to maintain an eternal allegiance to the land from where their religion originated. Today, thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from Sri Lanka continue to visit the places associated with the Buddha’s life, whether Bodh Gaya, Varanasi, Isipatana and Kusinara. Our legend has it that when the Sinhala rebel, Keppetipola was about to be beheaded by the British, his last wish was to be reborn in the “Land of the Buddha”. The linkages between the two countries are that strong.
Sri Lanka also considers India to be its closest partner in the world. We are neighbours separated by the narrow strip of sea, the Palk Straits. Our cultures are inter-mingled, our religions are inter-linked, our people are inter-connected. For good or for worse, we are bound to each other by history, geography, culture, religion and increasingly by simple economics. The trade between the two countries is now in the region of Three Billion Dollars annually. Sri Lanka is emerging as a significant market for India. There are over 120 flights between Sri Lanka and India every week. Our airline is the major beneficiary of this development. Thousands travel between the two countries. India is the biggest source of tourists for Sri Lanka. Indian trucks, motor vehicles and three-wheelers are to be found in almost every village in Sri Lanka. Indian businesses thrive in every aspect of our business sector, including in some critical ones. As India’s economy expands further, it is our hope that these linkages will continue to prosper and the cooperation between our two countries will get firmer. It is also Sri Lanka’s goal, while encouraging people-to-people linkages, deepening economic contacts and consolidating political connections, to ensure that our relationship is strengthened on the basis of trust and confidence. Given our multi-faceted historical commonalities which reach beyond ethnic, racial and other divisions, this should pose little challenge. The Government of President Rajapaksa has invested heavily in creating the necessary policy environment and the psychological underpinnings for this purpose. Sri Lanka is a democracy, like India. Our democratic instincts are strong and in many respects similar to India’s. Our commitment to global standards is as strong as India’s. Sri Lanka and India were pioneering members of the Non-Aligned Movement and our leadership has always enjoyed a cozy relationship with the Indian leadership. Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, have all visited Sri Lanka. It is our wish that these features will continue to be fostered in the future. A strong, prosperous and confident Sri Lanka should provide India with the reassurance that is necessary on its Southern flank. Similarly, India should be confident that Sri Lanka will be a friend and a partner in the deepest sense. The multitudinous bonds that bind us should facilitate this.
Let me thank you for providing me with an opportunity to address you today. I wish you a peaceful time in Sarnath, and a safe journey back to your respective homes.
( The writer is a Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs , the government of Sri Lanka )- Sri Lanka Guardian
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