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| Saturday, 13 September 2003 |
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90th death anniversary today Walisinghe Harischandra's life long struggle to revive Buddhism A Nationalist, Buddhist philanthropist, religious devotee, eminently practical and active and a persuasive speaker Walisinghe Edward de Silva turned Walisinghe Harischandra who was born to the family of Walisinghe Hendrick de Silva and Pehandi Marthnanda de Silva Gunasekera on June 9, 1876 at Maha Hunupitiya in Negombo had been a law student at the age of 22 years. Today (13) is his 90th death anniversary. It was a time the people, especially the Sinhala Buddhists and Tamil Hindus had a common goal which it was to regain independence from foreign domination for the purpose of gaining political independence. Among one of them was Brahmachari Walisinghe Harischandra who carried on a life-long struggle to wake up the Sinhalese people and revive Buddhism. At that time all the lands at Anuradhapura had been claimed by the Government of our colonial masters. Dingy boutiques had been sprung up in the very front of the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi and Buddhist shrines at Anuradhapura and had no land attached to them. Further there had been liquor shops, taverns, butchers' stalls. He saw the need to preserve the character of the Sacred City and to protect it from secular commercial enchroachements. He wrote all these to the local administrators who were under the pressure of Catholic Missionaries. But it was in vain. Subsequently he wrote to the colonial office in London explaining that the residential and commercial places including non-buddhist elements should be shifted from the vicinity of the sacred places in Anuradhapura. It was later granted. A contemporary associate of Anagarika Dharmapala, young Harischandra highly inspired by the mission of the former, gave up his studies and successfully organised a series of 'Anusasana' commencing from his home town, Negombo, and carried on a long struggle to wake up Sinhalese and review Buddhism.He travelled all over the island and gave his message to the crowds who gathered for the purpose. He succeeded in his mission to bring about a great cultural renaissance to Sri Lanka. His appeals to the nation was enriched with great Buddhist Value and thought. He published a book entitled 'The Sacred City of Anuradhapura' where he described the adversities and abuses caused by the British. He also sent a copy of this book to King Edward VII to appoint a commission to inquire into the grievances of the Buddhist population. Walisinghe Harischandra protested detached attitude of the early archaeologists. When the whole of Mihintale was about to be declared Crown Land under the Waste Land Ordinance, he agitated on behalf of the Buddhists and was successful in getting a part of it as temple property. Walisinghe Harischandra decided to take the life of a 'Brahmachari' at the General Meeting of Maha Bodhi Society held in January 1899 presided over by the Parivenadhipathi of Maligakanda Vidyodaya Pirivena Ven. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Maha Thera. He rendered a yeoman service for the restoration of ancient Buddhist shrines in Anuradhapura and Mihintale. His efforts caused the restoration of Ruwanmeli Maha Seya and other ancient ruins in Rajarata. Further he was actively working in india for two years for Maha Bodhi society. He had published a considerable number of books such as 'Description of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura', 'Great Story of King Dutugemunu', 'Lumbini', 'Mahabodhi', 'The Significance of Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi', 'Life of King Devanampiyatissa'. He was also the Editor of the magazine 'Mahabodhi'. He breathed his last on September 13, 1913, with the satisfaction that he had been able to save the Sacred City of Anuradhapura. - Walter Wijenayaka |
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