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Hinduism in Sri Lanka

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Sri Lankan Hindus
Hindu temple festival in Colombo in 1900's.
Total population
2,561,299 (2012)
12.6% of its total population
Religions
Hinduism
Shaivism (majority)
Vaishnavism and Shaktism (minority)
Scriptures
Ramayana and Vedas
Languages
Old Tamil and Sanskrit (sacred)
Tamil and Sinhala (majority)

Hinduism by country
Africa
Asia
Europe
North America
Caribbean
Oceania
South America
Full list

Hinduism is one of Sri Lanka's oldest religions, with temples dating back over 2,000 years.[1] As of 2011, Hindus made up 12.6% of the Sri Lankan population.[2] They are almost exclusively Tamils, except for small immigrant communities from India and Pakistan (including the Sindhis, Telugus and Malayalees). Hinduism has also taken a major influence on Buddhism, which is practiced by the majority Sinhalese.

According to the 1915 census, Hindus made up about 25% of the Sri Lankan population (including indentured labourers brought by the British).[3] Hinduism predominates in the Northern and Eastern Provinces (where Tamils remain the largest demographic), the central regions and Colombo, the capital. According to the 2011 census, there are 2,554,606 Hindus in Sri Lanka (12.6% of the country's population). During the Sri Lankan Civil War, many Tamils emigrated; Hindu temples, built by the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora, maintain their religion, tradition and culture.[4][5]

Most Sri Lankan Hindus follow the Shaiva Siddhanta school of Shaivism, and some follow Shaktism. Sri Lanka is home to the five abodes of Shiva: Pancha Ishwarams, holy places built by King Ravana. Murugan is one of the country's most popular Hindu deities, venerated by Hindu Tamils. The Buddhist Sinhalese and Aboriginal Veddas venerate the local rendition of the deity, Katharagama deviyo.[6][7]

Yogaswami of Jaffna is a significant modern Hindu religious figure in Sri Lankan history. A 20th-century mystic, he was the Satguru and counselling sage of the country's Tamil Hindu population. The Ramakrishna Mission is active in the Amparai and Batticaloa districts, and the Shaiva Siddhanta school is prevalent in the north.[8] Yogaswami was the 161st head of the Nandinatha Sampradaya, and was succeeded by Sivaya Subramuniyaswami.[9]

Legendary origins

The first major Hindu reference to Sri Lanka is found in the epic Ramayana.[10] Sri Lanka was ruled by the Yaksha King Kubera. The throne of Lanka was usurped by Kubera's half-brother Ravana, the epic's chief antagonist, who was killed by Rama (the seventh avatar of Vishnu).[11] The Ramayana also mentions Rama's Bridge, between India and Sri Lanka, which was built with rocks by Rama with the aid of Hanuman and others. Many believers see the chain of sandbars, connecting Sri Lanka to India in satellite images, as remnants of the bridge. Archaeological evidence supports the worship of Siva in parts of Sri Lanka since prehistoric times, before the arrival of Prince Vijaya. Ravana was also a devotee of Siva.[12]

Historic roots

Evidence indicates that the island's earliest inhabitants were the Nagas and Yakkas. The Nagas practised an early form of Hinduism, worshipping Shiva and serpents. This animistic Shaivism is also common in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India.[13] The Nagas who inhabited the Jaffna Peninsula were probably the ancestors of Sri Lankan Tamils. They began absorbing the Tamil language and culture during the 3rd century BC, and lost their separate identity.[14][a] The Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple in Nainativu is believed to be one of the Shakti Peetha.[17]

Buddhism was introduced by Mahinda, the eldest son of Ashoka, during the reign of Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura.[18] The Sinhalese embraced Buddhism, and the Tamils remained Hindus.[19] Activity from across the Palk Strait in Tamil Nadu set the stage for Hinduism's survival in Sri Lanka. Shaivism (worship of Shiva) was dominant among the Tamils, and most of Sri Lanka's Hindu temple architecture and philosophy of Sri Lanka drew from that tradition. Thirugnana Sambanthar noted a number of Sri Lankan Hindu temples in his works.[20]

Culture

Rituals

In common with South India, local rituals include Kavadi Attam and firewalking.[21] These rituals have also influenced the Sinhalese on southern cost of the island; For an Instance, the inhabitants of Tangalle, Kudawella and the surrounding area perform Kavadi.[22]

Religious teachers

Religious teachers include Kaddai Swami, his shishya Chellappaswami, and Chellappaswami's shishya Yogaswami.[23]

Temples

Main article: List of Hindu temples in Sri Lanka

Most of the Hindu temple in Sri Lanka have Tamil architecture, most of which are ancient with Gopuram and Ratha in them.[24] Alike many Hindu temples, which are dedicated to Hindu deities, many temples in Sri Lanka are also for their Village deities which is mainly among the Tamil community.[25]

The Pancha Ishwarams are:

Demographics

According to the 1981 census, there were 2,297,800 Hindus in Sri Lanka; the 2012 census reported 2,554,606 Hindus in the country. Twenty thousand people died during the 2004 tsunami in LTTE-held areas alone.[26][27][28]

Hindus in Sri Lanka
YearPop.±% p.a.
1881 593,600—    
1891 615,900+0.37%
1901 826,800+2.99%
1911 938,300+1.27%
1921 982,100+0.46%
1931 1,166,900+1.74%
1946 1,320,400+0.83%
1953 1,610,500+2.88%
1963 1,958,400+1.98%
1971 2,238,666+1.69%
1981 2,297,806+0.26%
1991 2,406,852+0.46%
2001 2,481,495+0.31%
2012 2,561,299+0.29%
*The 2001 census did not cover all regions, due to political instability; however, the overall population increased by 1.02 percent per year.[29]

Decadal population

Hinduism in Sri Lanka by decades[30][31][32]
Year Percent Increase
1881 21.51% -
1891 20.48%

-1.03%

1901 23.2%

+2.72%

1911 22.85%

-0.35%

1921 21.83%

-1.02%

1931 22%

+0.17%

1946 19.83%

-2.17%

1953 19.9%

0.07%

1963 18.51% -1.39%
1971 17.64% -0.87%
1981 15.48% -2.16
1991 14.32% -1.16
2001 13.8% -0.52
2012 12.58% -1.22

The Hindu percentage have declined from 21.51% in 1881 to 12.58% in 2012.[33] Mainly because of the Indian Tamil returning to India.

District-wise population

S. No. District Total pop. Hindus pop. Hindus (%)
1. Colombo 2,324,349 274,087 11.79%
2. Gampaha 2,304,833 112,746 4.89%
3. Kalutara 1,221,948 114,556 9.37%
4. Kandy 1,375,382 197,076 14.32%
5. Matale 484,531 45,682 9.42%
Total 20,359,439 2,561,299 12.6%
Source: 2012 Census, p. 1

See also

Notes

  1. ^ According to several authors, they may have been Dravidians.[15][16]

References

Citation

  1. ^ "Buddhism in Sri Lanka: A Short History". www.accesstoinsight.org. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Census of Population and Housing, 2011". Sri Lanka: Department of Census and Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  3. ^ "During Mahinda Rajapaksa's India visit, New Delhi likely to raise Sri Lankan Hindu Tamil's issues". The Indian Express. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Bradley, Mark (2018). "Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus and other Tamis in the Montréal diaspora". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ^ "Success story of a 'victim diaspora'". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 28 December 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 May 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. ^ Goonasekera, Sunil (2007). Walking to Kataragama. International Centre for Ethnic Studies. p. 520. ISBN 978-955-580-110-2.
  7. ^ Obeyesekere, Gananath (1977). "Social Change and the Deities: Rise of the Kataragama Cult in Modern Sri Lanka". Man. 12 (3/4): 377–396. doi:10.2307/2800544. ISSN 0025-1496.
  8. ^ Lion of Lanka. Himalayan Academy. p. 816.
  9. ^ "Shivaya Subramaniam". Himalayan Academy.
  10. ^ Henry & Padma 2019, p. 43.
  11. ^ Heather (25 February 2021). "The Ramayana and Sri Lanka". Asian Art Newspaper. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  12. ^ Gokhale, Namita (23 October 2012). Book of Shiva. Penguin Books. p. 104. ISBN 978-81-8475-863-4.
  13. ^ Meeadhu, Kalabooshanam (13 June 2008). "Nainativu Nagapooshani Chariot festival". Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  14. ^ Holt, The Sri Lanka Reader: History, Culture, Politics & Duke University Press, 2011, pp. 73–74.
  15. ^ Laura Smid (2003). South Asian folklore: an encyclopedia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Great Britain: Routledge, p. 429.
  16. ^ Chelvadurai Manogaran (1987). Ethnic conflict and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. United States: University of Hawaii Press, p. 21.
  17. ^ "Nainativu Nagapoosani Amman Temple, Sri Lanka - Info, Timings, Photos, History". TemplePurohit - Your Spiritual Destination | Bhakti, Shraddha Aur Ashirwad. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  18. ^ Asian Religions in British Columbia, UBC Press (2011), p. 125.
  19. ^ "Buddhism among Tamils. An Introduction" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Lecture on Hindu sculpture and architecture of Sri Lanka Archived 2012-10-12 at the Wayback Machine Sunday Times - September 29, 2010
  21. ^ Gilles Flament (July–September 2003). "Walking on Fire". Hinduism Today. Archived from the original on 26 March 2006.
  22. ^ "Reach out to the minority" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ Mookerji 1998, p. 76.
  24. ^ Acharya, Prasanna Kumar (1996). Hindu Architecture in India and Abroad. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Limited. p. 187. ISBN 978-81-215-0732-5.
  25. ^ Acharya, Prasanna Kumar (1997). A Dictionary of Hindu Architecture. Low Price Publications. ISBN 978-81-7536-113-3.
  26. ^ 2012 Census, p. 2.
  27. ^ "Sri Lanka Statistics, 2006" (PDF). Government of Sri Lanka. 7 October 2007. p. 202. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Sri Lanka Population Stastics" (PDF). Sri Lanka Statistics. Retrieved 27 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. ^ "Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka, 2012" (PDF). Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 April 2015.
  30. ^ "Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka, 2012 - Table A4: Population by district, religion and sex" (PDF). Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 December 2014.
  31. ^ "Table 2.13: Population by religion and census years" (PDF). Statistical Abstract 2013. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015.
  32. ^ "Population by religion". LankaSIS Sri Lanka Statistical Information Service. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  33. ^ "Sri Lanka Religious Statistics". www.worldgenweb.org. Retrieved 23 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Sources

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