SRI LANKA: a brief history of Christianity
By Dr. Leonard Pinto
September 22, 2013
In recent years the History of Sri Lanka has become an important subject, not only because it is in school curriculum,
but also because it has been used to shape politics and justify the ethno-religious basis for State policies. Sri Lankan
history has been rewritten, amplifying Portuguese atrocities, making authoritative claims on myths and mere conjectures
and overlooking historical facts and archaeological discoveries.
Some Buddhist monks and nationalists are preaching an exclusive Buddhist-Sinhalese history that ends in intimidation,
verbal abuse and violence against minorities. Prof. W.I. Siriweera, (Emeritus Professor of History at the University of
Peradeniya) expressed his concerns on the misuse of History in Sri Lanka in saying that “the challenge for Sri Lankan historians today is to study, teach and write history, stripped of its myths, distortions,
deformations and communal or religious bias...We are one people. Patriotism should encourage living in harmony” (The Sunday Times, March 17, 2013).
The History of Christianity in Sri Lanka can be divided into 3 eras;
(1) Pre-colonial (72-1505)
(2) Colonial (1505-1948) and
(3) Post-colonial eras (1948- current).
The history of the pre-colonial era is aptly described by Archbishop Emeritus Dr Oswald Gomis (2004), in his book, ‘Some
Christian Contributions in Sri Lanka’. During the pre-colonial era, two groups of Christians, St. Thomas Christians and
Nestorian Christians lived in Sri Lanka, and later they established union with the Catholic Church. Historia Ecclesiastica of Nikephoros Xanthopulos written from Constantinople (present Turkey) states that St. Thomas the Apostle of Jesus
preached to Brahamins on a hill at Ginthupitiya in the island of Taprobane. In the 5th century during the Sigiriya
period, 75 ships carrying Murundi Christian soldiers from Mangalore (India) landed in Chilaw at the request of queen
Sangha to protect her son King Dhatusena, after he defeated the Pandyans. Migara, King Dhatusena’s nephew and the
commander of army was a Christian. His wife, the sister of Mogalan and Kashyapa was also a Christian. The discovery of
coins of King Dhatusena with Christian symbols, statues of ‘Abissheka Buddha’ (Paranavithana 1972) and a carved cross on a granite column in Anurhadapura testifies for the presence of Christians in
the 5th century. This was the 3rd such cross to be discovered, as De Queyroz (1688), the Jesuit Portuguese historian
referred to a cross discovered by the Portuguese in the ruins of St. Thomas Church at the Mouth of Kelani River, Mutwal.
When the Anurhadapura cross was discovered in 1912, the Archaeological Commissioner R. Ayrton thought that it was a
Portuguese Cross, as it resembled the 2nd cross, found at Kotte, and Kotte was associated with the Portuguese. Later W.
Cordrington confirmed that Anuradhapura cross was indeed the cross of St. Thomas Christians found in Mylapore, Chennai
and not a Portuguese or Nestorian cross as previously thought (Figure 1).
Cosmos Indicopleustes, an Egyptian monk who visited Sri Lanka in 550 wrote “The island has a church of Persian Christians who have settled there, and a presbyter who is appointed from Persia, and
a deacon and a complete ecclesiastical ritual”. Muhammad Al-Idrisi, the Sicilian cartographer, who visited Sri Lanka between 1100 and 1166, found four of the16
advisors of the king were Christians. After Yahbalaha III, the Nestorian Primate accepted the union with the Catholic
Church Fr. Jordanus Catalha arrived in Sri Lanka in 1329 and Fr. Giovanni de Marignolli as Papal Legate in 1348/49 to
assist the Christians in the country. So, there were Christians in Sri Lanka before the arrival of Portuguese in the
16th century.
Fig.1. (A) Anuradhapura cross, (B) St. Thomas’ cross, India (C) Nestorian cross, China, (D) Portuguese cross, Colombo
Jetty. Note the typical lotus at the foot of the oriental crosses (St. Thomas’ & Nestorian crosses).
Portuguese arrived in Sri Lanka by accident in 1505, and established friendly relations with King Vira Parakramabahu
VIII. Portuguese were involved in trade for the next 13 years. In 1521 the three sons of Vijayabahu VI killed him,
divided the kingdom to three and ruled from Kotte, Sitawake and Raigma. When the ambitious Mayadunne of Sitawaka became
a threat to Kotte of Buvanekabahu VII, he requested military aid from the Portuguese. In 1542 King Buvanekabahu sent a
delegation to Portugal with a silver effigy of Prince Dharamapala, his grandson to be crowned by the king of Portugal
and Franciscan missionaries were welcomed in Kotte. When Don Juan Dharmapala died in 1559 without an heir, he bequeathed
his kingdom to the king of Portugal, the greatest betrayal of the country. The invitation of the Portuguese for
assistance turned into a Portuguese invasion, as Portuguese claimed the right to the kingdom.
When Rajasinghe I, son of Mayadunne invaded Kandy in 1581, King Karalliyadde Bandara, baby daughter Kusumasana Devi and
nephew Yamasinghe escaped to Portuguese territory. Following the death of Karalliyadde Bandara, Kusumasana Devi was
brought up by the Portuguese as Dona Caterina in Mannar. Yamasinghe became Don Phillip and went to Goa. When Rajasinghe
I conquered Kandy and appointed Virasundara Bandara of Peradeniya to govern Kandy, Rajasinghe imposed the policy of
persecuting Buddhist monks. Rajasinghe had embraced Hinduism after killing Mayadunne and monks have rebuked him that he
will be punished in his next births. The Hindu priest Arittakeevendu Perumal had offered an alternative through animal
sacrifices. As Virasundara Bandara did not obey king’s orders, he was killed and his son Konappu Bandara took refuge
with the Portuguese. He was baptized as Dom John of Austria and trained in Goa. In 1592, Portuguese took over Kandy,
installed Yamasinghe (Don Phillip) as the king and Konappu Bandara (Dom John of Austria) as the commander of the
Gannoruwa Fort. Shortly, Yamasinghe was poisoned by Konappu Bandara. When the Portuguese proclaimed his 12-year son, Dom
Joao as king, Konappu Bandara overthrew him and chased away the Portuguese from Kandy.
In 1594, Portuguese brought the 13-year old Dona Catarina to Kandy, hoping to make her the queen of Kandy. Konappu
Bandara defeated the Portuguese at Danture and took Dona Catarina as his queen becoming king Vimaladhrmasuriya I. Dom
Joao, the son of king Yamasinghe joined the Portuguese, studied at the University of Coimbra, Portugal and was ordained
a Catholic priest. He was the parish priest of the Church of Our Lady of the Gate of Heaven that he built at Telheiras
Portugal, which exists to date. The King of Portugal looked after him well, with a royal grant. Prince Nikapitiye
Bandara of Sitawaka also studied at the University of Coimbra, but died before his ordination. Vimaladharmasuriy I
instituted the Temple of the Tooth. As they were familiar with Catholic environment, they had their children educated by
Franciscan priests. When Vimaladharmasuriy I died in 1604, his cousin Senarat, an ex-Buddhist monk married Dona
Catarina. King Senarat poisoned Dona Catarina’s eldest son Mahastane by Vimaladharmasuriya, and she spent the rest of
her unhappy life at Wellimantotta, Kegalle. Before her death in 1613, at the age of 35 she called Marcellus Boschouwer,
the Dutch Envoy and Kuruwita Rala and handed over the children to their care. She was given a Royal Catholic funeral.
The perpetually burning lamp and the Mausoleum built by Kuruvita Rala and the 7 acres archaeological site set aside by
H.C.P. Bell, the Archaeological commissioner in Rock Hill Estate have disappeared.
Portuguese also invaded Jaffna in 1560 after King Cankili I of Jaffna Kingdom killed 600 Catholics, the ‘Mannar Martyrs’
for their faith. Fishermen of Mannar had invited St. Francis Xavier from Goa to preach and baptize them in 1543.
Paranirupacinkam, the elder brother of Cankili and king Pararasesekeram, princesses Dona Clara and Dona Antonia and
prince Dom Constantino of the Jaffna became Catholics. The Catholics of the Kandian royalties included Jayaweera
Bandara, Karalliyadde Bandara, Yamasinghe, Dona Catarina and her sons Kumarasinghe and Wijepala.
Church law forbids forced conversion to Catholicism, then as it is now. The spiritual values that the missionaries
preached, their example, preference for life-style and some fringe benefits may have contributed to their conversions.
The destruction of temples by the Portuguese needs to be assessed in the context of thinking of people (paradigm) about
500 years ago, when idolatry was considered to be an evil and when there was no international Human Rights Law or
International Humanitarian Law. War is a great evil, and we have experience its atrocities, even in the 21st century.
The recent ethnic war in Sri Lanka killed more than 100,000 and fully destroyed 93 churches and affected 2076 Hindu
temples and shrines. Sri Lankan kings made the mistake of fighting among the brothers for power rather than
co-operating, invited a foreign military force and bequeathed Sri Lanka to a foreign country.
Vimaladharmasuriya I invited the Dutch to evict the Portuguese. Admiral Joris van Spilbergen landed in Batticaloa in
1602 and by 1658 Admiral Rykloff van Goens captured Jaffna, evicting the Portuguese from the entire island. The Dutch
banned Catholicism, expelled all Catholic priests and took over Catholic churches and schools. After 30 years in 1687 an
Indian priest, Fr. Joseph Vaz came to Mannar, disguised as a coolie. In 1689 Dom Pedro, a layman had secretly arranged
Christmas masses to be celebrated in Jaffna houses by Fr. Vaz, when the Dutch apprehended the Catholics gathered for the
mass. Dom Pedro was badly beaten; he succumbed to flogging, becoming the ‘first Martyr of Jaffna’. Fr. Joseph Vaz
escaped to Puttalam and then to Kandy. He was imprisoned by king Vimaladharmasuriya II, but later he was released. When
an outbreak of smallpox occurred and people fled, Fr. Vaz and Fr. Carvalho cared for the sick and buried the dead,
without contracting the disease. Fr. Vaz was allowed to build a church in Kandy, but his church was destroyed in 1745
after his death in 1711. Another scholarly priest to arrive from India was Fr. Jacome Gonsalves, who learnt Sinhala from
the Buddhist monks of Malwatte. He excelled in poetry and music, and wrote 22 books in Sinhala, 14 in Tamil, 4 in
Portugues and 1 in Dutch. He introduced simile to the Sinhalese literature. The Nayakkar king, Sri Vijay Rajasinghe expelled all the Catholic priests from Kandy in
1746. When king Kirti Sri Rajasinghe went to war with the Dutch in 1762, they brought mercenaries from Europe that
included Catholics. As a result, Catholics were allowed to practice their religion.
British were also invited to replace king Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe, the tyrannical king of Kandy, by the Kandyan
chieftains who escaped to Colombo. Governor Thomas Maitland gave freedom of religions in 1806. British conquered the
entire Sri Lanka in 1815. Interested in developing the colony, the government invited institutions that could help in
education and welfare. As the pirivena education did not provide secular education, foreign missionaries were welcome. The American missionaries who went to
Jaffna established the first medical school in the country in 1848, twenty-two years before the Colombo Medical School.
Dr. Samuel Fisk Green translated 8 medical books, including Gray’s Anatomy to Tamil and opened a hospital in Manipay,
before the Colombo Hospital was established. The government adopted the denominational school system, which helped the
Christian schools to expand rapidly. In 1886 missionary nuns were invited to work in public hospitals.
A surge of nationalism against the colonialists occurred towards the middle of 19th century, which took diverse forms.
The anti-Christian feelings were high among the Buddhist-Sinhalese nationalists, and the expression of such feelings in
debates as in the Panadura debate of 1862 turned into a violent clash at Kotahena in 1883 and the burning of a Catholic
Church in Anuradhapura in 1903. After independence, anti-Christian sentiments were institutionalized in the take over of
the Christian schools in 1960, removal of nuns from all public hospitals and cancellation of visas of missionary
priests, Brothers and Sisters. During the 26 years of ethnic war, there was another surge of Buddhist-Sinhala
nationalism, which was characterized by the direct involvement of monks in politics, particularly through Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU). After the end of the war, triumphalism is directing Buddhist-Sinhalese nationalism in confrontational and
mutually exclusive direction through radical organizations, such as Bodu Bala Sena, Ravana Balaya and Sinhala Ravaya. The government shows little interest in applying the laws of the country to Buddhist monks, for their political
advantages. Catholic Church in Sri Lanka is handling these issues calmly, prudently and judiciously.
(A summary of the presentation delivered by the author, to the Ceylon Society of Australia, Sydney on 25 Aug 2013)
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ENDS