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Anagarika Dharmapala hounded by British administrators and their local camp followers

by Rohan Jayetilleke

The activities of Anagarika Dharmapala (Don David Hewavitharana) at the turn of the nineteenth century in India to regain control of Buddha Gaya from the Hindu Mahanta, to Buddhists and the identification of Buddhist sites in India, motivating the 1860 British inaugurated Archaeological Survey of India for their conservation and preservation are well documented.

Anagarika Dharmapala set up the Maha Bodhi Society at Calcutta in 1891 and in 1915 with Sir Anutosh Mukherjee as the president of the society was registered under the Companies Act of Calcutta. These untiring efforts involving long drawn law suits culminated, nineteen years after the death of Anagarika Dharmapala (1933 April 29th) in the State Government of Bihar in terms of the Buddha Gaya Management Act of 1949 entrusting the control of Buddha Gaya management to a committee consisting of eight members, i.e, four Hindus and four Buddhists, with the Collector of Gaya as chairman.

Anagarika Dhamrapala's fame spread globally, when on invitation to the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago, USA, in 1893 and his address to this Parliament. He attended it in the white robes of Buddhist 'upasaka' and delivered a masterly discourse on 'Theosophy, its relation to Eastern Religions'. His lucid exposition of the cardinal tenet of Kamma roused immense interest.

The newspaper, 'The St. Louis Observer' of 21st September 1893, reporting his speech in extension remarked, "With his black curly black locks thrown back from his broad brow, his keen clear eyes fixed upon the audience, his long brown fingers emphasizing the utterances of his vibrant voice, he looked the very image of a propagandist, and one trembled to know that such a figure stood at the head of the movement to consolidate all the disciples of Buddha and to spread the "Light of Asia" throughout the civilized world".

These observations became the password to the spread of Buddhism in the West but, irked the British administrators and their henchmen in Sri Lanka to target the suppression of Dharamapala's activities. Their fear was motivated by the fact that the Sinhala-Buddhists would destabilize the British administration of the colony of Sri Lanka.

The Sinhala officials serving in the British establishment and one prominent among them Mudliyar Simon de Silva on October 21, 1907 had prepared a dossier on Anagarika Dharmapala, giving a brief account of his family background, education, employment, foreign tours and the law suits against Hindu Mahanta who was in occupation of Buddha Gaya. His dossier said "Dharmapala next quarrelled with Colonel Olcott and severed his connection with the Theosophical Society. He started a newspaper called 'Sinhala Bauddhaya' in connection with the Mahabodi Society, of which Sri Sumangala High Priest is the President and Mr. Dharmapala is the General Secretary. This is a dangerous society always anxious to stir up, racial or religious animosity. "This dossier being submitted to the Governor, the British administrators decided to watch the activities of Dharmapala with vigilance.

On 20th of September 1911 Dharmapala wrote a strong article in the Mahabodhi Society journal urging the Sinhalese to aspire for self-government, under the caption 'The country of the Sinhalese should be governed by the Sinhalese'. The Colonial Secretary submitted this article to the Governor with the minute - "Mr. Dharmapala is an extremist but, negligible, I think......". The Governor proceeded with no action. But this complacency dramatically changed when another of Dharmapala's articles appeared in the 'Sinhala Bauddhaya' citizing the English people.

This article was put up to the Colonial Secretary, who ordered the Attorney General to prosecute Anagarika Dharmapala. But, Attorney General replied, "This seems to me the language of a religious fanaticism and not of sedition. I do not think it would be a judicious case for a prosecution." The Governor was cut to the quick at this rebuff of the Attorney General.

The Governor thus being frustrated queried from the Attorney General, "Is Attorney General aware of who Anagarika Dharmapala is and his antecedents. He is stirring up sedition under the veil of religion". This resulted in the Attorney General warning 'Sinhala Bauddhaya' that it would be struck of the list of registered newspapers. The Inspector General of Police was directed to investigate into the case of alleged sedition against Dharmapala.

On May 1st 1912, in a face-saving device by rubbing the correct side of the Governor, the Attorney General reported, "I confirm that I thought we had to deal with an ignorant local fanatic but, I see from the papers His Excellency has ordered to be submitted to me that this man is a calculating and conceited poseur.

The last extract submitted brings him within the criminal law, if it is thought worthwhile to do so, depends upon the extent of his influence. When he returns from India it might be well to have him watched, and his utterances and writings recorded. If it were shown that his seditious utterances were calculated and systematic, i.e., that he was deliberately sowing disaffection and if a series of charges were presented together, the result would I think be more effective to a prosecution on a single utterance".

The Colonial Secretary's office kept a very sritct and confidential surveillance to garner incriminating evidence against Dharmapala for a successful prosecution to sentence him to a long term of rigorous imprisonment on charges of treason to overthrow the British King and the Empire.

The subterfuges unleashed against Anagarika Dharmpala by the British colonial administrations gained substantial assistance from A. Reginold Fernando, editor of Sinhala newspaper 'Lakmini Pahana (1862 - 1919). Incidentally according to the British Blue Book (annual administration report of the colony of Ceylon), Lakmini Pahana, published by a Christian missionary organization, probably Wesleyans, at their printing press at Colombo, (the first Sinhala newspaper in Sri Lanka) registered under the Newspaper Ordinance a newspaper known as the 'Lankalokaya' too had been published in 1860, copies of which are now extant.

The Lakmini Pahana editor Fernando submitted to the Colonial Secretary extracts of Anagarika Dharmapala's writings and prevailed upon him to take legal action against him, as an expedient measure. On October 17, 1912 Fernando wrote to the Colonial Secretary, "As far as I am concerned I propose to vigorously oppose Mr. Dharmapala's campaign against the Government. As no action, was forthcoming and infuriated Fernando wrote again to the Colonial Secretary on January 23, 1913, "You will excuse me pointing that the article taken as a whole is seditious and I have got the authority of a well-know lawyer for making this statement........ I Shall not be surprised to hear one morning that Mr. Dharmapala is in the vicinity of Colombo, with an army of Sinhalese Buddhists".

The Colonial Secretary just formally only acknowledged the receipt of Fernando's letter. Fernando wrote again to the Colonial Secretary on June 2, 1914, enclosing an article from Sinhala Bauddhaya of May 30, 1914. He said, "It is not through newspaper rivalry or petty-mindedness that I take courage to approach you once more in regard to this matter but, for the sake of justice, decency and purity.

This newspaper which is owned by Hon'ble L.W.A. de Soysa and E.L.F. de Soysa has exposed Mr. Dharmapala from its very start and I am glad to say, Mr. Dharmpala is not today the hero he used to be".

The Government being thus forced by their camp-followers the Christian coterie, decided to take action against the Printer and Publisher of the 'Sinhala Baudhaya' D.R. Goonesekere. He was summarily convicted and sentenced to a term of three months rigorous imprisonment on framed-charges of sedition and treason.

Anagarika Dharmapala having heard in Calcutta of the outrageous act of injustice meted out to Goonesekera, on the eve of his departure to the United Kingdom from India on June 27, 1914 wrote to the Inspector General of Ceylon, courting prosecution, come what may. He wrote, "I have received information from Ceylon that the Police authorities are going to arrest me when I land in Colombo. ... If you want me please wire me at my expense".

What Dharmapala meant by 'wire at my expense' is there was a system, I believe it is still there, when a person could send a telegram through a Post and Telegraph Office, under the category of 'Receiver To Pay' where in the addressee on being delivered the telegram would pay the department the telegraph charges.

The Inspector General of Police submitted this letter to the Attoney General, with the following endorsement. "From the attached copy of letter - it does not appear Mr. Dharmapala has any idea of the possibility of his being convicted. He courts prosecution, knowing apparently that he will not be convicted. Every line of securing evidences sufficient for conviction has been listed without success. It would be fatal for Dharmapala to be acquitted".

Anagarika throwing the gauntlet, in writing asked the Inspector General of Ceylon, "Before I leave for the United Kingdom I am anxious to receive an assurance from you in case you are contemplating criminal prosecution against me on any charge or charges". This inquiry was never replied.

The Buddhist Muslim riots that broke out in 1915 in Ceylon, dawned on the British Governor to act immediately against Anagarika Dharmapala who was in Calcutta. On the orders of the Governor the Calcutta Police searched the residence of Dharmapala and seized some papers and despatched them to Ceylon. The Governor's order to the Bengal authorities were very peremptory. The order dated June 28, 1916, reaching Bengal on July 29, 1916 ordered Anagarika Dharmapala not to leave Calcutta on pain of imprisonment, by sea or surface transport.

Armand de Souza, the leading journalist-editor of the Times of Ceylon, made a plea on behalf of Anagarika Dharmapala's confinement to Calcutta. The Governor on this memorandum minuted", I have read sufficient of these papers to decide that under no pretext whatever will I permit this man to return to Ceylon, while it lies in my power after the Order-in-Council ceases to be operative, he will return at his peril.

After much agitation Anagarika Dharmapala returned to Ceylon in December 1919, and again on April 15, 1922 and addressed 20 meetings in Ceylon. On June 17, 1922, the Inspector General of Police of Ceylon reported to the Colonial Secretary", "It would be safe to get rid of him at once. He is out for doing harm and not good. There is no reason why he should be permitted to deliver addresses in this strain. The longer he is allowed in the colony, the more dangerous he will become. He is sowing discontent and trouble will arise. The easiest method of dealing with Dharmapala is to notice him to quit". On 19th June 1925 Anagarika Dharmapala left for Marseeles, UK, USA.

Anagarika Dharmapala, the great patriot Sri Lanka produced and the most illustrious son of Ruhunu, probably the reborn Emperor of Asoka, was 'enfant terrible' for the British administrators and their local 'black nincompoops.

Appeal

In my recent extensive tour of India, I made inquiries from all the Buddha replica makers of Patna, Calcutta, Gaya, Chennai and even Kathmandu, whether it was possible for them to turn out replicas of Anagarika Dharmapala in miniature form, both his bust and complete figure and these companies replied in the affirmative but, were not prepared to launch themselves into production as they were not certain of their marketability. I would make an appeal to either brass or plaster of paris statue makers in Sri Lanka to address their minds to it, as every mantlepiece of every Sinhala Buddhist home should have a replica of Anagarika Dharmapala.

(The writer is a retired senior government service Official, ISSP Switzerland International Awardee for outstanding English journalism and a freelance writer ).

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