Dharmaraja News

125th Anniversary of the Buddhist Flag

Background : The colonial powers, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British had pursued a policy of suppressing the indigenous intellectual leaders who were the Buddhist monks. The Portuguese had destroyed all temples along the coast and the ancient university-like centres of learning (pirivenas), and churches were built on their foundations. The Dutch had made Sunday a holiday and Poya Day a working day. This was continued by the British. It was only after the British granted religious freedom in 1806, the first temples were established in Colombo – Jayasekeraramaya, Kuppiyawatta in 1823, Dipaduttamaramaya, Kotahena in 1832, Mirandaramaya, Mutwal in 1833, Pahala Pansela, Kotahena in 1855 and Thilakeratnaramaya, Borella, also in 1855. Migettuwatte Gunannda Thera of Dipaduttamaramaya with the intention of showing the numerical strength of Buddhists in Colombo which was then dominated by Catholics organized peraheras with drums. Such processions were attacked in Kochchikade in 1872 and in Madampitiya in 1880. Migettuwatte Thera had planned a seven week ceremony in celebration of a netra puja of a new Buddha image at Dipaduttamaramaya. Every day one or two processions came to the temple from different parts of Colombo. On the last day of the celebrations which fell on March 25, the Easter day in 1883, the Catholics were greatly annoyed by a false rumour that a crucified monkey was being carried in the procession. When the procession approached the Roman Catholic church near Dipaduttamaramaya, the cathedral bell sounded, followed by bells in other churches. Around a thousand men descended on the procession with clubs, swords and stones and a riot ensued. Consequently, a Buddhist by the name of Juan Naide died and forty others were injured. This resulted in a ban of Buddhist processions. When the Buddhist leaders did not see any solution coming from the government, they formed a Buddhist Defence committee under the leadership of Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera who was the head of Vidyodaya Pirivena. Muhandiram A. P. Dharma Gunawardena was elected as chairman; Don Carolis Hevawitharana was elected vice chairman, H. A. Fernando was its treasurer and Mr. C. P. Gunawardena was elected as secretary. This committee unanimously resolved that Col. H. Olcott residing in Madras at the time be sent to England as its representative. At the request of the Buddhist Defence Committee, Col. Olcotte arrived in Colombo, and undertook to carry out the assignment. He went to England to meet the Secretary of State for Colonies. The document submitted to the Secretary of State contained two major demands: 1. The Vesak Full moon day be declared a full holiday for the government servants of Ceylon; and 2. All rules and regulations be removed in order to enable the holding of processions depicting the religious and cultural significance of Sinhalese Buddhists. The document also mentions: "Although Europeans hate the sound of torn toms the Asiatic people love and appreciate it as good music and without it, they think the ceremonies are lifeless and tasteless". These two demands were granted and accordingly the Vesak holiday was declared with effect from Vesak full moon day that fell on the 28th of April 1885. Vesak Festival Committee : A Vesak Festival Committee was formed by the Buddhist Defence Committee to organize the Vesak celebrations on a grand scale and the following ten members were appointed: 1. Hikkaduve Sri Sumangala Thera, 2. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera, 3. Don Corolis Hewavitharana, 4. A. P .Dharma Gunawardcna, 5. C. P. Gunawardena, 6. William de Abrew, 7. Charles A de Silva, 8. N. S. Fcrnando, 09. Peter de Abrew, and 10. William H. Fernando. The following activities were included in the Vesak Programme: 1. A procession to be conducted starting from the neighbourhood of Don Carolis Hevawitharana's business premises in Pettah to the Vidyodaya Pirivena on April 27, 1885, organized by Muhandiram A. P. Dharma Gunawardena, 2. In the morning of April 28th 1885, the Buddhist flag was to be hoisted ceremoniously at the Dipaduttamarama temple at Kotahena and 3. In the evening of the same day, a religious oration to be delivered at the Kelaniya temple by Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera on the signifi­cance of the Vesak holiday. Who designed the Buddhist Flag : The Vesak festival committee requested the committee members to submit designs for such a flag. Headed by Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera, all the committee members put forward various designs. But the one that was designed and submitted by Mr. C. P. Gunawardena, which depicted the emission of the six coloured rays of the Buddha was adopted as the best. The six colors - blue, yellow, red, white, scarlet and the mixture of these six colors represent the colours of the aura that emanated from the body of the Buddha when he attained Enlightenment. Sometimes the design of the flag is erroneously attributed to Col. Olcott. But, he himself has noted down in his diary that he did not design it. Col. Olcott who was away from the Island when the Buddhist flag was devised returned to Ceylon on January 1886 and was pleased to see the Buddhist flag for the first time at the Dipaduttamaramaya at Kotahena. He suggested that the long streaming shape be modified in order to keep in with the standard of other national flags. In the centenary souvenir of the Colombo Buddhist Theosophical Society, published in 1985, it has been mentioned that Mr. C.P. Gunawardena was the designer of the flag. Introduced internationally : In 1889 the Buddhist flag was introduced to Japan by Anagarika Dharmapala and Col. Olcott. Anagarika Dharmapala attended the Darjeeling Buddhist Conference of 1892 carrying the Buddhist flag with him. At the inaugural conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists on 25 May 1950, held in Sri Lanka, its founder President Professor G.P. Malalasekera proposed that this flag be adopted as the flag of Buddhists throughout the world. This motion was unanimously passed. Subsequently, the Buddhist flag spread into other Buddhist countries in Asia. In 1963, the Catholic President of South Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem invoked a law prohibiting flags other than that of the nation, to ban the Buddhist flag from being flown on Vesak day. This led to a protest by the Buddhists which was brutally suppressed by the government. This eventually led the way to oust the regime.