Tuesday, September 07, 2004
JHU claims that History was Distorted
By Damitha Hemachandra
Leader of Jatika Hela Urumaya and Archeological expert, Puravidyachakrvarthi, Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera yesterday accused the Christian Church of deliberately trying to distort the Sri Lankan history in order to prove a ‘baseless Sinhala Christian heritage’ in the country.
Hitting hard at a recently released book called ‘Iparani Sirilaka Kithunu Ithihasayen Bindhak’ (Some facts of Ancient Christian history of Sri Lanka) Ven. Thera said that this is a newest face of an old plot to destroy Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
The book claims that the beginning of Christianity in Sri Lanka could be traced as back as 72 AD and that the faith was introduced to this country by St. Thomas the Apostle. The book claims that the Christians may have lived from the first century in Sri Lanka and that the North Central province is supposed to be their motherland. The Book also alleges that the first Christian church was built in Sigiriya and that King Mugalan was the first Christian king of Sri Lanka.
Ven. Medhananda Thera pointed that any local archeological evidence or any written evidence does not indicate the presence of Christianity in Sri Lanka before the arrival of Portuguese 1505.
He pointed out that not a single stone inscription notes of a visit of the St. Thomas the Apostle despite the fact that ancient Sri Lankans were in the habit of recording almost all the important incidents.
Ven. Thera strongly denied the speculations that Sigiriya was the first Christian monastery in the country questioning as to what happen to the archeological evidence of the monastery and how it came to look like the palace of a ‘play boy king’.
He questioned as to what solid historical evidence this Christian group is basing its book on and alleged that the book is the second round of a plot, which seeks to destroy Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
Leader of Jatika Hela Urumaya and Archeological expert, Puravidyachakrvarthi, Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera yesterday accused the Christian Church of deliberately trying to distort the Sri Lankan history in order to prove a ‘baseless Sinhala Christian heritage’ in the country.
Hitting hard at a recently released book called ‘Iparani Sirilaka Kithunu Ithihasayen Bindhak’ (Some facts of Ancient Christian history of Sri Lanka) Ven. Thera said that this is a newest face of an old plot to destroy Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
The book claims that the beginning of Christianity in Sri Lanka could be traced as back as 72 AD and that the faith was introduced to this country by St. Thomas the Apostle. The book claims that the Christians may have lived from the first century in Sri Lanka and that the North Central province is supposed to be their motherland. The Book also alleges that the first Christian church was built in Sigiriya and that King Mugalan was the first Christian king of Sri Lanka.
Ven. Medhananda Thera pointed that any local archeological evidence or any written evidence does not indicate the presence of Christianity in Sri Lanka before the arrival of Portuguese 1505.
He pointed out that not a single stone inscription notes of a visit of the St. Thomas the Apostle despite the fact that ancient Sri Lankans were in the habit of recording almost all the important incidents.
Ven. Thera strongly denied the speculations that Sigiriya was the first Christian monastery in the country questioning as to what happen to the archeological evidence of the monastery and how it came to look like the palace of a ‘play boy king’.
He questioned as to what solid historical evidence this Christian group is basing its book on and alleged that the book is the second round of a plot, which seeks to destroy Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
