RELIGION IN SRI LANKA
Buddhism
Theravada Buddhism is the major religion in
Sri Lanka, with about 70% of the country's population as followers. Arahath
Mahinda son of Indian Buddhist emperor Ashoka, led the mission to Sri Lanka in
246 BC where he converted the Sri Lankan king of that time Devanampiya Tissa to
Buddhism. Arahath Sanghamitra, daughter of King Ashoka, brought a sapling of
the Bodhi tree in Buddha Gaya to Sri Lanka. She also established the Order of
Nuns in Sri Lanka. The Sapling of the Bodhi tree, known as Jaya Sri Maha Boghi
was planted in the Mahameghavana Park in Anuradhapura by the King Devanampiya
Tissa.
From then on, the royal families had helped to
encourage the spread of Buddhism, aiding Buddhist missionaries and building
monasteries. Around 200 BC, Buddhism became the official religion of Sri Lanka.
The Sacred Tooth Relic was brought to Sri Lanka in 4th century by Prince Danta
and Princess Hemamala. Sri Lanka has the longest continuous history of Buddhism
of any Buddhist nation. During the periods of decline, the Sri Lankan monastic
lineage was revived through contacts with Myanmar and Thailand. However, later
on, Hindu and European colonial influences contributed to the decline of
Buddhism in Sri Lanka. By the mid-19th century, Buddhist leaders such as
Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera, Colonel Henry Steel olcott and Anagarika
Dharmapala started a successful national Buddhist movement for the revival of
Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
Hinduism
Hindus make up 12.6% of Sri Lanka's
population. Hinduism was the major religion practiced on the island prior to
the introduction of Buddhism in the 3rd century BC and the subsequent adoption
of the new religion by the Sinhalese population. Nonetheless, Hinduism survived
and endured in Sri Lanka, supported by South Indian and Orissan dynasties that
conquered parts of the island through history.
As with other religions, it experienced some
decline during the European colonization of the country as a result of the
heavy emphasis on Christianity. In modern times the religion is still dominant
in the Northern and Eastern provinces, among the Tamil ethnic group, though
modern day conversions to Christianity still represent some decline.
With 16% of the total population Hinduism is a
minority religion in Sri Lanka, though it continues to flourish among the Sri
Lanka Tamil diaspora; with many temples and religious establishments being
built by this community in their new homelands. The most important Hindu
religious figure in Sri Lankan modern history is Satguru Siva Yogaswami of
Jaffna. One of the mystics of the 20th century, Yogaswami was the official
satguru and counseling sage of Lanka's several million Tamil Hindu population.
Islam
By the 15th century, Arab traders had
controlled much of the trade on the Indian Ocean, including that of Sri
Lanka's. Many of these traders settled down in Sri Lanka, encouraging the
spread of Islam. However, when the Portuguese arrived at Sri Lanka during the
16th century, many of the Arabs' Muslim descendants were persecuted, thus
forcing them to migrate to the Central Highlands and to the east coast.
In modern times, Muslims in Sri Lanka have the
Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Department, which was established in the
1980s to prevent the continual isolation of the Muslim community from the rest
of Sri Lanka. Today, about 9.7% of Sri Lankans adhere to Islam; mostly from the
Moor and Malay ethnic communities on the island.
Christianity
According to Christian traditions, Thomas the
Apostle first arrived in Sri Lanka[ (as well as India) during the
1st century. After his arrival, small Christian settlements were recorded to
have been established on Sri Lanka's coastline. However, the population of
Christians in Sri Lanka didn't dramatically increase until the arrival of
Portuguese missionaries during the 15th century. In the 17th century, the Dutch
took over Sri Lanka and Dutch missionaries were able to convert 21% of Sri
Lanka's population to Christianity by 1722.
In 1796 the Dutch were displaced by the
British and in 1802 Ceylon became a Crown colony. Anglican and other Protestant
missionaries arrived at Sri Lanka during the early 19th century, when the
British took control of Sri Lanka from the Dutch. Under British rule missionary
work was undertaken by English societies: Baptist, Wesleyan Methodist, the CMS
and SPG. The Salvation Army and Jehovah’s Witnesses are also strong in Sri
Lanka.
Even so, Christianity has heavily declined in
Sri Lanka ever since the end of colonial rule. By the 1980s, the population of
Christians (mostly concentrated in the northwest of Sri Lanka) reached
1,283,600, 8% of Sri Lanka's population. Of these Christians, about 88% are
Roman Catholics and the rest are Anglican and Protestant.
