Religion in Sri Lanka

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sri Lanka's population worships a variety of religions. 70% of Sri Lankans are Theravada Buddhists, 15% are Hindus, and 7.5% are Muslims and Christians. [1]

Contents 1 Buddhism 2 Islam 3 Christianity 4 Hinduism 5 External links

[edit] Buddhism

Main article: Sri Lankan Buddhism

Theravada Buddhism is the majority religion in Sri Lanka, with about 70% of the country's population as followers. Mahinda, son of Ashoka, an early supporter of Buddhism, lead the mission to Sri Lanka in 246 BC where he converted the king of Sri Lanka to Buddhism. From then on, the royal families had helped to encourage the spread of Buddhism, aiding Buddhist missionaries and building monasteries. Sanghamitra, daughter of King Ashoka, brought a shoot of the Bodhi tree in Buddha Gaya to Sri Lanka and established the Order of Nuns. Around 200 BC Buddhism became the official religion of Sri Lanka. The Tooth Relic of the Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka in 4th century AC by Prince Danta and Princess Hemamala.However, later on Hindu and European colonial influences attributed to the decline of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. By the mid 19th century, Gunananda, a Buddhist monk, started a revival movement in Sri Lanka. This movement eventually helped to return Buddhist dominance in Sri Lanka.

[edit] Islam

Main article: Islam in Sri Lanka

By the 15th century, Arab traders had controlled much of the trade on the Indian Ocean, including that of Sri Lanka's. Some of these traders settled down in Sri Lanka, encouraging the spread of Islam. However, when the Portuguese arrived at Sri Lanka during the 16th century, many of these Muslims were persecuted, thus forcing them to migrate to the Central Highlands and to the east coast.

In modern times, Muslims in Sri Lanka are handled by the Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Department, which was established in the 1980's to prevent the continual isolation of the Muslim community from the rest of Sri Lanka.

[edit] Christianity

According to Christian traditions, Thomas the Apostle first arrived in Sri Lanka (as well as India) during the 1st century. After his arrival, small Christian settlements were recorded to have been established on Sri Lanka's coastline. However, the population of Christians in Sri Lanka didn't dramatically increase until the arrival of Portuguese missionaries during the 15th century. In the 17th century, the Dutch took over Sri Lanka and Dutch missionaries were able to convert 21% of Sri Lanka's population into official Christians by 1722. Anglican and other Protestant missionaries arrived at Sri Lanka during the early 19th century, when the British took control of Sri Lanka from the Dutch. The Salvation Army is also strong in Sri Lanka.

Even so, Christianity has heavily declined in Sri Lanka ever since the end of colonial rule. By the 1980's, the population of Christians (mostly concentrated in the southwest of Sri Lanka) reached 1,283,600, only 8% of Sri Lanka's population. Of these Christians, about 88% are Roman Catholics and the rest are Anglican and Protestant. By the 1970's, there has been a movement for all Protestant churches to join together in a united Church of Sri Lanka, though this has been strongly opposed by the Sinhalese people.

[edit] Hinduism

Main article: Hinduism in Sri Lanka

Hindus make up 15% of Sri Lanka's population. It is currently dominant in the Northeastern province, among the Tamil ethnic group, though Buddhist and Christian conversions have caused the decline of Hinduism in Sri Lanka. The earliest accounts of Hindus arriving to Sri Lanka were the Prakrit speaking immigrants from India, though they eventually converted to Buddhism during Ashoka's influence over Sri Lanka. It was actually the activities from the Palk Straight (such as the South India and Orissan rulers) that had aided the survival of Hinduism in Sri Lanka. Hinduism faced further difficulties during the European colonization of Sri Lanka when Christianity was heavily encouraged in Sri Lanka. Currently, the Hindu population is a minority in Sri Lanka, continually decreasing because of civil war, lower fertility rates, emigration and gradual conversion and assimilation into the mainstream Sinhala Buddhists way of life.

[edit] External links

• The Buddhist World
• About.com-Religion in Sri Lanka