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History of the Tamil Buddhist in Sri Lanka and the Present Situation

Conference Paper · May 2024

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International Conference - Buddhism Relationship of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka – Presented Paper
"History of the Tamil Buddhist in Sri Lanka and the Present Situation" organized by the
Department of Tamil, History and Ancient Tamiloli Buddhist Cultural Council, at Arul Ananda
College, Madurai India, 26th February 2024.
Presented by
Dr. Ven. Kukurampola Gnanawimala Thero, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sinhala, Faculty of
Languages, Humanities & Social Science, National Institute of Education Sri Lanka.
(wimalum@nie.edu.lk)

History of the Tamil Buddhist in Sri Lanka and the present situation
Buddhism in an ancient Indian religion which arose in and around the ancient kingdom of
Magada (Now in Bihar, India)
The topic under discussion here is History of the Tamil Buddhist in Sri Lanka and its
present situation. It can be discussed under three themes as mentioned below.

• Origin of Tamil Buddhist

• History of Tamil Buddhist in Sri Lanka
• Current Status of Tamil Buddhist

Origin of Tamil Buddhist

There are two main countries inhabited by Tamil people. They are India and Sri Lanka. The
main land area where they live in India is the state of Tamil Nadu, and in Sri Lanka they are spread
in North- Eastern region. Tamils who have migrated from these countries are also living in different
countries of the world. The most of them are Hindu People.
It is important to analyze facts about questioning of origin of the concept of Dravida
Buddhist before the origin of Tamil Buddhist. The people who live in South India are all
Dravidians. They speak Dravidian language. But not all of them speak the same Dravidian
language. There are different Dravidian languages created in each state. Accordingly, the
Dravidian language used in Andra Pradesh is Andra or Telugu. In Karnataka the people use
Dravidian language of Kannada. The Dravidian language used in the state of Kerala is Malayalam
and the Dravidian language used in the state of Tamil Nadu is Tamil. Accordingly, Tamils are
Dravidians. But not all Dravidians are Tamils.
In the past there were Buddhist monks and nuns in the state of Tamil-Nadu. There were
Tamil Buddhist worshippers too. There were Tamil Buddhist kings and ministers too. There were
also Tamil Buddhist devotees. There were Tamil Buddhist temples and monasteries. Tamil

1
Buddhist books were also written. Therefore, it is debatable that when and where this Tamil
Buddhist order start.
The Lord Buddha appeared in North India. The Buddhism originated in South India. The
time when the Buddha appeared is 6th century BC. But the time when the Tamil Buddhist order
established is unclear. There are two standpoints about it.

The first standpoint is that Buddhism came to South India at the same time as Budda lived.
The second standpoint is that Buddhism came to South India during the era of Emperor Ashoka,
3rd century BC.
According to the first standpoint not the Tamil Buddhist order but, the Dravidian Buddha
Order was established first during the Buddha’s era. That is the Buddha order in Andra Pradesh
where people who speak Dravidian language called Andra.
Most of the historians, authors and Andra scholars mention that the Buddhism came into
Andra Pradesh during the era of Buddha’s existence.
There are many evidences to prove this view. Among them, views of Hanumanth Rao and G.P.
Saroja are there. Some of their viewpoints can be extracted as examples.
According to Vimana Vaththu commentary, there was a monk named Maha Kathyayana
during the Buddha’s era. He inducted a Prabhu King named Assaka into the monastic ground.
Since then, thousands of monks entered into priestly life in Andra Pradesh.
XIII stone inscription of emperor Ashok also confirms that the people of Andra have been
educated Buddhism since ancient times. According to that, people in Andra Pradesh followed
disciplined lives called ‘Raja Vaishya’. They behaved in Dhamma. According to Kathavattu, Andra
monks took the first place in third Buddhist Council in 247 BC.
Hattipolu Stupa is considered to be the oldest Buddhist ruins in Andra Pradesh. It is stated
in a manjusa itself that the Buddha’s physical relics are treasured there. It is a 200 BC old stupa.
It is mentioned in the Mahayana work, ‘Manju Shri Mulakappa’ written in Sanskrit
language that Amarawathiya or Daanyakrutha stupa is also built to store the physical relics of
Buddha. On a prakrit document found in Amarawathi, it is mentioned the word “Dhanyakataka”
in Mauryan script dating back to 2000 BC. According to the Andra archeologists, the first phase
of Amarawathi is older than Sanchi and Bodh Gaya temples.
Andra scholars believe that Andra Salihundam Temple which is believed to have enshrined
the bone relics of Buddha, may have been a Buddhist center since 3rd century AD. The stone
inscriptions belonging to 1st and 3rd century AD also can be seen in above mentioned Salihundam
temple and in them the words used for Buddhist monks such as ‘Aryasagha, Haghasa and Saghasa
can also be seen.
We hear from the Manimekhalai that the early Cola King Killivalan (2nd Century AD)
converted a prison house in to a charity house at the request of the Buddhist Nun Manimekhalai
and gifted it to Buddhist who utilized the building for a Pali work, Rasawahini, refers to a Cola
king who while engage in structuring a Shiva temple at Kaveriority of Buddha, Dhamma and in

2
return got from him the Shiva temple with they converted into a Shrine of the Buddhist
(T.N.Ramachandran,2010).

Hanumanth Rao, Buddhism in Andra, In religions of Andra, P.54). According to

archeological and epigraphic evidence, it is shown that there was a bright Buddhist base in Andra
Pradesh for more than a thousand years from 400 BC.
Thus, it seems that the Andras were the first Dravidian race to embrace Buddhism. Further,
facts are provided that Tamils are the second nation to embrace Buddhism. Andra scholars say that
Buddhism migrated from Andra to Tamil Nadu. It is through Kanchi Puram which is closest to
Andra Pradesh. The worship of stupa developed in Andra Pradesh and spread to Madurai.
According to Andra scholars, Andra monks belonging to different schools of thought came to Sri
Lanka to spread the Dhamma through the Tamil Nadu. This is the time of emperor Ashoka.
According to the other stand point mentioned above, not only Dravidian Buddhism but also
Tamil Buddhism prevailed before Ashoka period. Those who hold that opinion present two things.
The first one is the arrival of Buddha to Sri Lanka. According to Sinhalese genealogy, Buddha
arrived at Ceylon three times and converted the people of Sri Lanka into Buddhists. If so, it is
unable to say that Buddhism did not exist in Tamil Nadu, which is close to Sri Lanka. The second
is the arrival of Vijaya.
According to Dr. Valpola Rahula Thero, although it is the standard belief that Buddhism
was brought here by Mihindu Thero who visited Sri Lanka by 3rd century BC and it may be the
first time that Buddhism was properly brought to Sri Lanka, the information about Buddha and his
teachings may have been known to the people of Sri Lanka before the arrival of Mahinda Thero.
According to Rahul Thero, since the time of Vijaya, there were continuous transactions between
India and Sri Lanka.
The Pandavas of South India were an earlier Arya Kshatriya dynasty. They came to South
from the middle land where the Buddha was engaged in preaching the Darma. It is reasonable to
think that the Pandavas who came here in the distant past may have brought some information
about Buddha and Buddhism to this country.
According to the Devananda (2010) the remains of a Buddhist monastery excavated at
Kaveri Patunam which could be assign to forth century are believe to be the earliest archer
ecological relics of Buddhism in Tamil Nadu the major urban centers of Kanchipuram, Kaveri
Putunam Uragapura (Uraiyur) and Madurai not only centers of Buddhism, but these were also
important centers of Pali learnings.

History of Tamil Buddhist in Sri Lanka

In all eras of Sri Lanka Buddhists were not all Sinhalese and there were also Tamil
Buddhists. The spread of Buddhism in South India and Sri Lanka in the second century AD can be
considered as contemporary events and Mihindu Thero is credited with introducing it. Due to the
existence of very close cultural ties between Sri Lanka and the Tamil country since time
immemorial, Buddhist activities in South India influenced Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

3
 According to the Devananda (2010) the Palk strait which lies between Thamil Nadu and
Sri Lanka Land mases is seen as a divider separating two deferent distinct ethnic tics religion
cultural and political entities, but there was a phase in history Thamil Nadu and Sri Lanka enjoyed
very closed ties. During the early the early period Palk straits was not seen as a divider but it was
a unifier. At that time Buddhism was a bridge between Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu.
According to Walpola Rahula Thero, the narrow strait between Thalei Mannar and
Danushkodi in India was not a hindrance to maintaining continuous relations between two
countries. Later, some kings of South India invaded the country from time to time, but India was
always ready to help Sri Lanka like a caring mother who treats her baby. (History of Buddhism in
Sri Lanka, p.62)
When Sri Lanka and South India went to the history of the Tamil Buddhist concept, King
Vijaya and his companions brought their wives from Maurapura in South India (Mahavansa,
chapter. 48-58 verse).
From the time of Pandukabhaya until the demise of Sinhalese state in the 19th century, the
lordship of the Sri Lankan state was entrusted to a Buddhist only. Regardless of the nationality of
the kings in the country, the religion should have been Buddhism.
In a fifth century CE, inscription on alms donated to a temple by king Khuddaparinda’s
concubine, (E.Z.iv., p114). Parinda, the Tamil king who ruled Ceylon before him, mentions in one
of his inscriptions an offering of treasures to a Buddhist monastery (E.Z.iv., p.113).
King Dhatiya was also one of Parinda Tamil dynasty. He has offered alms to KAtharagama
Kirivehera too (E.Z., iii.p.218). Professor Senarath Paranavithana says that these Tamil kings who
ruled the country for twenty-seven years were Buddhist by religion. Paranavithana has shown that
they were not only Buddhists, but added Sinhala names such as Abhaya, Maha -na (Mahanaga) to
their names to confirm that they were the same group as their countrymen when discussing the
state of Sri Lanka (E.Z. iv., p.114).
The Mahavamsa mentions that Tamil ministers Poththakutta, Poththaghasatha, Mahakanda
who served king Aggabodhi made a monastery and constructed monasteries in villages
(Mahavansa, 46.,19-23 Verses).
Poththakutta had constructed the monastery called ‘Mathambhiya”. Two villages, a tank
and servants were offered to it. Further, he also built Palace to Camphor monastery and Kurinda
Pilla Monastery. Poththasata constructed monasteries in Jethawana Temple in the name of his king
and in the name of Mahakanda.
As Ariyarathne (2006) mentions, according to the Veeleikkara Stone inscription of
Vijayabahu I, the king handed over the protection of Temple of Tooth in Polonnaruwa to the
Veeleikara Army came from South India. The fact that there were Buddhist among
Veeeleikkara’swill be revealed because of the discovery of a stone inscription in Tiriyaya in

4
Trincomalee district which states that a Veeleikkara general ‘Wickrama Shala Megha PerumPalli’
named Ghanapathi,made a monastery and handed it to the king Wikramabahu I.
Two inscriptions found in Anuradhapura district and Periyapuliyan kulam in Vauniya
district mention that Tamil Buddhists offered caves to Buddhist monks (E.Z.v., p.242).
In many cases of disasters, Sinhala Buddhist monks fled to Dravidian countries. Dravidian
Buddhist monks from the Dravidian country fled to Sri Lanka. Dravida Buddhist monks were
anxious to popularize various sects in Sri Lanka. Dravidian Buddhist monks wrote commentaries
and nurtured Pali literature in Sri Lanka.
From 1923 to 1926, professor Senerath Paranavithana, lived in Tamil Nadu and studied
archeology in Tamil and then he read and edited 09 inscriptions in Sri Lanka. Professor Karthigesu
Indrapalan, a Tamil scholar says that no Tamil scholars in the world except Paranavithana were
able to read,understand and publish Sri Lankan Tamil inscriptions in the 34 years from 1926 to
1960. Information about Tamil Buddhists can be seen in above Tamil inscriptions and inscriptions
found in Periyakulam in Trincomalee, inscriptions found in Madawachchiya Horoupathana, Stone
inscriptions in Wewelketiya, and inscriptions found in Thalgahagoda Temple in Matara.
History has recorded information about a Sinhala Buddhist temple which was renovated
by a Dravidian king and gave it a Dravidian name. K. A. Neelakhanta Shastri mentions about that
temple in this way. In the chronicles of Ceylon, Cholas are mentioned as bitter enemies of
Buddhism. It is as if the shrines belonging to the nation which were protected with great respect
by Sinhalese were looted and destroyed by them.
Further, donations made by the Cholas to a Buddhist shrine are mentioned in several
inscriptions from Trincomalee district. One of these inscriptions belongs to king Rajendra I. They
state that the Sinhalese built temple called Welgamwehera Temple was named ‘Raja Raja
PerumPalli’ after the name of their greatest Chola king RajaRaja I (History of Ceylon, University
of Ceylon, Second category, p.395-396).
Ellawala Medananda Thero, who was considered as the expert in archeology, mentions that
there are 18 Tamil inscriptions in Welgam Vehera and he further says about the offerings done by
Sinhala and Tamil devotees.He has further translated 07 inscriptions into Sinhala (Sinhala
Buddhist heritage of Eastern and Northern provinces, p .462-648).
Medananda Thero has identified 72 Buddhist shrines in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka,
where the Tamil majority lives, and 25 in the Northern Province.
According to Devanand (2010) the cooperation between the Buddhist Sanga of South India
and Sri Lanka produced important results which are evident in the Pali work of this period. He
also says that the Tamil Buddhist monks were more orthodox than their counterpart in Sri Lanka.
Indeed, the relations between the Tamil and Sinhala Buddhist monks were closed that the latter
sought the assistance of the former in political turmoil. In Sri Lanka, the Tamil Buddhist who

5
followed Theravada Buddhism shared the common places of worship it the Sinhalese, but there
were also Tamil Buddhist who were following the Mahayana and they had their own Mahayana
temples.
It is evident from Tamil inscriptions found in the respective areas that Tamil Buddhism
existed not only in the North-Eastern province but also in the cities of Anuradhapura and
Polonnaruwa which were Sinhala Buddhist centers. A Tamil inscription found at a site believed to
contain Tamil Hindu ruins in Anuradhapura mentions the presence of a Buddhist temple there
called “Makko Daippaleei”.
Talking about Tamil Buddhist literature The Manimekalei, Tamil Buddhist epic poem by
Satanar, a Buddhist Tamil poet, is a work that popularizes the values of Buddhism. It also mentions
the Tamil Buddhists of Nagaeepaya.The oldest Tamil grammar (3rd century AD) called
‘Tholkaappiyam’ was also written by a Tamil Buddhist.
In this way, Tamil Buddhism reached its zenith in South India as well as in Sri Lanka from
the 3 century BC to the 3rd century AD. After 7th century AD, its subjugation began in the Tamil
rd

Counrty. During that time, Buddhism faced many challenges in Tamil Nadu and by 16th century ,
it was gradually declining from Tamil Country. According to Professor Peter Shak (Peter Shak,
1988) this was largely due to the negative attitude shown by the Pallawa Kings towards Buddhism,
giving priority to Hinduism.

Present Situation of Tamil Buddhist

When looking at the current state of Tamil Buddhist in Sri Lanka, it is important to first
analyze the reasons that influenced its decline. Scholars have analyzed and presented opinions on
this in various ways. It is important to examine some of them.
According to Dr. Ragupathi, Buddhism was spread in Jaffna till the beginning of Christ.
As K.Velupille and Peter Shak say, by the 6th century AD, the popularity of Tamil Buddhism in
Jaffna was waning. Two things may have contributed to this. The first one is that the Anuradhapura
kings spread their power over Jaffna. The second is that the Sinhalese preachers did not thank for
going to Jaffna. According to them, Hinduism spread rapidly from the 7th century AD centered on
Tamil Nadu. The Shaiva religious leaders, Sambandar and Appar persecuted the Jains and
Buddhists of South India. Criticism of Buddhism was also seen in devotional songs called
‘Thevarms’ written by Sambandar.
It is possible that the revival of Shaivism in Tamil Nadu may have affected Sri Lanka as
well. The Chola population who lived here may also have caused the spread of Shaivism in Sri
Lanka. Although the Cholas were staunch Siva devotees, they also patronized religions such as
Buddhism and Jainism.
As they further mention, Sinhalese Buddhism and Tamil Hinduism existed separately even
before the colonial period. As the Sinhalese people gathered around Buddhism, it became a

6
communal religion. It hindered the development of Tamil Buddhism. After independence in 1948,
Buddhism started again in Jaffna under the leadership of a few Sinhala Buddhist monks and a
small group of Tamils, but due to various reasons, Tamil Buddhism was failed.
The breakdown of this Sinhala-Tamil religious harmony may be the reason for the thirty
years of war in Sri Lanka. At present, Tamil Buddhism has almost disappeared in Jaffna. Only a
few remnants remain (Journal of Institute of Asian Studies, 1991).
According to Ariyarathne (2006), at present, Sri Lankan Buddhism seems to be very far
away from the Tamil People. It is also implied that a Sinhalese is a Buddhist and a Buddhist is a
Sinhalese. Nowadays, some Tamil people see Buddhism as their enemy. It is a tragedy not to know
that in the past the Tamils took refuge in Triple Jem, that there were Tamil temples, that there were
Tamil monks, that sermons were preached in Tamil, that the Tamil Buddhist book was written.
According to Ariyarathne (2006), the reasons for this tragedy are allowing the Tamil
Buddhist to become extinct, allowing the Tamil Buddhist order to crumble, not being considered
to establish Tamil temples, not giving half of motivation to propagation of Damma in other
countries than propagation of Damma in Sri Lanka, and marginalization of Tamil even from
institutions teaching oriental languages. They were also a strong reason for the escalation of the
Sinhala and Tamil terrorist war that lasted for thirty years.
In considering the current status of Tamil Buddhism, it is important to look at the situation
in India.
According to the census of India 2011, the Buddhist population India is around 8.4 million
which is around 0.7% to 0.05 the total population, which makes Buddhism minority religion in
India. The majority of Buddhists in India are concentrated in the northeastern states of Arunachal
Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland as well as in Maharashtra, west Bengal and the Union territory
of Ladakh.
According to statistics India 2011, the total population of the state of Tamil Nadu is
72,147,030 and of that Buddhist population is 11186.It is less than 0.002% of the total population.
Buddhism its peak in India during the Region of Asok but it's been declining India since
12th century AD and it's been replaced by Hinduism and Islam.
When considering the situation in Sri Lanka, Buddhism in Sri Lanka is predominately
practiced by many people. According to 2012 national census, the population as 70.2% Buddhist,
12.6% Hindu, 9.7% Muslim and 7.4% Christian. However, the 2012 Sri Lanka census revealed the
Buddhist. Population. Off. Among us, the Sri Lankan Tamil population, including eleven months,
account into roughly 17 of old Sri Lankan Tamils in Sri Lanka.
In regard to Buddhism in Ceylon in general and its present day, Theravada Buddhism is
the largest and official religion of Sri Lanka. It is permanently practiced by 7.2% of the population
as of 2012 National Census report. Practitioners of Sri Lankan Buddhism can be founded among

7
us. Of that majority is Sinhalese population, as well as among the minority of ethnic groups.
According to 2020 census report 12% are Hindus 9.7% are Muslims and 7.4% are Christians.
According to above data, practitioners of Sri Lankan Buddhism can be found amongst the majority
of Sinhalese population, as well as among the majority Ethnic groups. Sri Lankan Buddhist Share
many similarities with southeast Asian Buddhist especially Myanmar Buddhist and Thai Buddhist
due to traditional and cultural exchange. Sri Lanka one of the five nations with the Theravada
Buddhist majority. Sri Lankans are one of the oldest traditionally Buddhist countries.
On the other hand, the basic fact that is generally seen in this analysis of the data is that in
the past Buddhism which helped to shine in all sectors of the state through national harmony and
religious harmony between Sinhalese and Tamils, is now a religion that is limited to the Sinhalese
in a majority areas. In this way, the Sinhalese and the Tamil were divided according to race and
religion and had to suffer many unpleasant and bitter experiences. The thirty years war is the best
example for that. It is the duty and responsibility of those who make the country as well as all the
public in general to ensure that such negative conditions do not arise in the country in the future
too. For that, we must pave the way for the re-establishment of national and religious harmony
between the Sinhalese and the Tamils as in the past.

Suggestions
Opportunities should be provided for the re-establishment of Tamil Buddhist in Sri Lanka
as its primary task. The Tamil temples should be established again for that. Opportunities and
incentives should be provided to learn Tamil language. Tamil patriarchs should be ordained. Alms
should be begged house to house from Tamil Theros. Tamil worshipers should listen to Tamil
sermons and engage in virtuous meditation activities. Interest and concern should be given to
propagation of Damma in foreign countries as well as in the Tamil areas in the country. In this way,
opening the way to re-establish the Tamil Buddhist order will not only create national and religious
harmony, but in general it will lead to the economic, social, political, cultural and spiritual
development of the country.
It will be important for the Tamil people to understand the uniqueness of the Buddhist
religion, not to embrace the Buddhist religion, but to propagate the Buddhist philosophy. The place
of Tamil Buddhist in history and information about the religious service of the Tamil Buddhist
should be brought to the common people. Further, the time has come to write the necessary books
to spread the teachings on Buddhist philosophy from the simple level to the academic level in
Tamil. At the same time, we have the responsibility of creating the cultural environment for the
Tamil people to become Tamil Buddhists. It is important to show how Buddhist philosophy can
substituted to shape practical social life and how that philosophy can be used by any non-Buddhist
by birth to live a meaningful life.

8
 Reference
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Dhammarathana, Hiselle. (1970). Dakunu Indīya Bauddha Ithihāsaya. Colombo: Gunasena.
Medhananda, Ellawala. (2003). Negenahira Palāthe hā Uthuru Palāthe Sinhala Bauddha
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Neelakanti, Sasthri. (1962). Dakunu Indīya Ithihāsaya. (Translate) Piyasena, Chandra, Colombo:
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