The annual Anagarika Dharmapala commemoration lecture was delivered by Dr. Risiman Amarasinghe, Director, Dharmapala-Olcott International Research Foundation of Sri Lanka last Saturday at Suvisuddharama Hall, Wellawatte. This lecture titled, ‘Dharmapala and his work’ was sponsored by the Colombo South Research Circle.
Dr. Risiman Amarasinghe said that Lanka’s history does not record the activities of a layman who has rendered such an enduring service to Buddhism and its survival as Anagarika Dharmapala since king Parakramabahu VI of Kotte. When the observance and practice of Buddhism was at a serious decline in the country due to the pressure exerted by the colonial government at the time Dharmapala strove hard at the risk of his life to revive Buddhism here. He toured various places in the island in his caravan inculcating Buddhist principles and the value of living according to the Buddhist culture. Thereby he brought about a renaissance in Buddhist practice.
In this endeavour he was ably assisted by another eminent Buddhist leader, Valisinghe Harischandra, who spent all his wealth to clear the jungles, then covering the shrines in the city of Anuradhapura and around it. After he had cleared the jungle and restored most of the ancient shrines, Buddhist monks were able to occupy them. Thereafter many monks were able to enjoy the incumbency of most of the ancient Buddhist shrines there.
When Colonel Olcott began his Buddhist educational campaign after founding the Buddhist Theosophical Society in Colombo, Dharmapala wholeheartedly supported him. He went round the country translating into Sinhala the speeches delivered by Olcott in English. He supported the Buddhist Theosophical Society and the Buddhist Defence Committee Olcott initiated as an active member of both.
With the support of leading Buddhist monks like Vens. Migettuwatte Gunananda, Hikkaduwe Sumangala and Weligama Sumangala he restored many Buddhist places of worship in India including Buddhagaya for generations of Buddhists all over the world to worship. In Dharmapala’s religious propagation activities he received the financial support of his affluent grandfather, Lansage Don Andiris Perera Dharmagunawardena, whose munificence as a Buddhist leader of the time is recorded by Col. Olcott in the journal, Buddhist’, Vol. III, 1889-1890. In fact he financially helped his father Hewavitaranage Don Carolis to set up the famous furniture shop H. Don Carolis & Company in Colombo. Don Carolis however changed his name from Hewavitaranage to Hewavitarana by dropping the ‘ge’ ending in the original name when the British government conferred on him a Muhandiramship, following the normal practice of the time.
Dharmapala visited foreign countries to propagate Buddhism. In this regard his epoch making addresses at American Institutions are well known. His address to the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 impacted vastly in the spread of Buddhism in the west. Dharmapala helped to found Ananda College in Colombo and Dharmaraja College and Mahamaya Girls’ College in Kandy.
