Sinhala-Buddhist Culture & Reconciliation

By Upali Cooray –February 18, 2016

Upali Cooray

Since the end of the war against terrorism in Sri Lanka the people’s expectations of a peaceful country to live in was achieved to a great extent in 2009, but unfortunately no government so far has been able to douse the flickering embers of nationalism and ethnocentrism though six years have passed since.

With the present government’s attempts in implementing the UNHRC resolution it co-sponsored with the US in which the ultimate goal is said to be reconciliation among all communities living within the country, there has arisen a tendency even among the so called educated individuals who boldly rundown and despise the cultures which they see as the cause and the curse of ethnocentrism in this country. With the relatively improved media freedom gained after the government change in 2015, there is open disparaging battles we see among those leaned towards this culture or the other.

I was watching in dismay the other day, how one of the participants on a TV talk show analysing the well known story, the origin of the Sinhalese; the story of “Sinhabahu”.

As the narrative goes briefly, a Lion King cohabitated with a royal princess having imprisoned her in a cave in the jungle and had two children by that relationship. Then the grown up son, Sinhabahu rescues the mother and the sister by killing his Lion father and cohabitates with his sister. King Vijaya, who is the progeny born out of the Lion killer prince Sinha Bahu’s relationship with his sister, Sinha Seewalee, is said to be the first Sinhalese who arrived with his entourage in Sri Lanka. A son born by the cohabitation of a brother and sister. That is how the story goes. Vijaya is supposed to have been banished from India with his followers on grave crimes and aggression against people in India

According to this talk show participant, the Lion king a beast living with a human female is “against the law”(Neethi virodee). He did not say whether it is the current law or the law in the era they lived which is applicable!. Secondly, he claimed it is incest when sister and brother cohabitates. Therefore the Sinhalese should be ashamed of their origins. Rationally correct. This be will be commented on later in this piece.

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