A seat of Buddhist learning is born

At a time when the missionaries were very active spreading Christianity in our country, a few Sinhalese Buddhist leaders in Colombo met and discussed the plight of the people and were looking for ways and means of protecting the nation, the religion and the language. Having heard of an erudite monk residing in a temple at Hikkaduwa down South, they decided to meet him and invite him to come to Colombo and start a Buddhist educational institution.

The monk, Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera who was residing at Tilakaramaya in the coastal town accepted their invitation. The group of 13, led by Don Philippu Silva, Epa Appuhamy and Mudaliyar Don Carolis Hewavitarana bought a block of land at Maligakanda, Maradana and put up a building to start the institution. Thus was born the Vidyodaya Pirivena on December 1, 1873.

Vidyodaya Pirivena was primarily meant as a place of learning for the Buddhist monks. Lay students could also follow classes which dealt mainly with oriental languages and Buddhism. The name of the monk was well-known not only in Sri Lanka but in other countries as well. Thus many laymen came over to join the Pirivena and learn the Dhamma and the Pali language. Even subjects like Astrology and Ayurveda, the native science of medicine were taught. Among the foreign students were many from Tibet, Japan, India, Siam (Thailand), Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia and China.

Soon young monks well versed in the Dhamma, were establishing temples in numerous places in the island. The Buddhists were thus able to learn the Dhamma and young monks in turn followed classes and gathered knowledge in the Pirivenas they set up at village level.

Vidyodaya Pirivena flourished as one of two Buddhist seats of learning, the other being Vidyalankara Pirivena, established by Ratmalane Dharmaloka Nayaka Thera in 1875. On January 1, 1959, both institutions were upgraded to university status on the initiative of the then Prime Minister, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and the Education Minister, W. Dahanayake.

The name Vidyodaya was later changed to Sri Jayawardenapura while Vidyalankara became Kelaniya University, indicating the locations of the two. Meanwhile the Vidyodaya Pirivena continues at Maligakanda just as Vidyalankara Pirivena continues at Peliyagoda, Kelaniya where it was first established.

Newspaper with the Buddhist viewpoint

The voice of the Buddhists came to be heard with the publication of 'Sarasavi Sandaresa' on December 3, 1880 by the Buddhist Theosophical Society (BTS) established by Colonel Henry Steele Olcott, the American theosophist who came over and played a prominent role in the revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

Hikakduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera suggested the name 'Sarasavi Sandaresa'. Its first editor was Veragama Punchi Bandara.

The paper came out once a week every Friday. With increasing demand, it came to be published twice a week from May 1887 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The newspaper carried many interesting feature articles on timely issues and initiated intelligent debates on the Sinhala language and literature.

In 1915 following the Sinhalese-Muslim clashes, the newspaper was banned by the British administration. That was to prevent the Sinhalese opinion being highlighted.

Army volunteer force

It was on December 1, 1861 that the volunteer force of the Army was established. As the name suggests, volunteers are not regular soldiers. Although they form part of the army, they are given training and called upon to serve whenever a need arises. They are employed elsewhere when they are not serving in the army. The regulars, in the meantime, form the permanent arm of the army.