Features

One Hundred Years of the Siri Vajirarama Library

Published

2 years ago

2024/07/14

“Don’t follow anyone blindly, be it a scripture or a great man’s thought. Let your own conscious and intelligence be the judge of any principle.” This is an interpretation of the Buddha’s advice given to verify for oneself. And where best is verification possible? In libraries, information centres and now e-libraries.

I asked Ven Siri Vajiraramaye Nanasiha Thera if the above quote was correct. His cautious reply: “Many a time I find that the Buddha is misquoted when referring to the Kalama Sutta. The Buddha has given criteria for judgement but not a blank cheque.” Nonetheless, I wish to retain the quotation above because I write about a library that is a century old which has been refurbished, its building reconstructed and expanded; its collection rearranged; and readers’ use made easier with online access from anywhere in Sri Lanka and globally too.

The library that has been updated for greater use by the Sangha, school students; undergraduates, graduates and researchers is the Siri Vajirarama Library within the premises of the Siri Vajiramaya temple in Bambalapitiya. It will be declared open later today.

The temple has been one of the best known in Ceylon/Sri Lanka while the library was known to scholars down the years since 1924. Even some of the furniture like the unique tall cupboard constructed according to the then Head Monk’s directions is a hundred years old; added to over the years with functional library furniture

The Vajirarama Vihara was founded and inaugurated as a place of worship and residence to monks in 1901, by residents of the area inviting the Most Venerable Pelene Siri Vajiragnana Thera, soon after his education and higher ordination were complete, to accept the small residence they had been constructed alongside a bana preaching hall built earlier. He accepted their invitation. On September 6, 2009, the government of Sri Lanka declared the vihara a Sacred Site.

As is well known, Ven Pelene Vajiragnana Thera was a scholar and collector of books, which he greatly appreciated and valued. He inherited his father’s library and later was gifted books on Buddhism and related subjects by relatives, well-wishers, and organisations such as the British Pali Text Society. His personal collection was around 2,000 and that became the core of the present vastly expanded collection of journals, books and tomes in the present library. The ancient books are still intact.

The Library

The Oriental Library of Siri Vajirarama Vihara with its book lined eight cupboards started by Head Monk Ven Pelene Siri Vajiragnana Maha Thera, was formerly declared open in 1924.

by Colonial Secretary Hon. Cecil Clement. Mr and Mrs G J Silva, chief benefactors, Hon James Peiris, Mr T D Reid, Mayor of Colombo were present. To quote a then published weekly newspaper, The Searchlight, Saturday July 19, 1924: “The collection of 2000 odd books of rare value and importance, the gift of the learned High Priest, ought to, as Mayor Reid remarked, ‘be a source of enlightenment and good to the citizens of Colombo.” This religious and cultural historic event was worded thus in a recent plaque:

Siri Vajirarama Library

The historic Siri Vajirarama library that conserved the books and papers of

Most Venerable Pelene Siri Vajiraňāṇa Mahānāyaka Thera was opened by

Hon. Cecil Clement, Colonial Secretary of Ceylon, on 15 July, 1924.

As is evidenced by the dates given, much later a further refurbishment was noted thus:

As an expression of great devotion to the Buddha Sasana, this three-storied library was constructed and offered to the Maha Sangha by

Mr. Ishara Nanayakkara,

Chairman of LOLC and the Browns Group of Companies

for the good and welfare of both the Buddha Sasana and humanity,

and particularly to offer merit and Nibbanic bliss

to his late father, the philanthropist Raja Mahinda Nanayakkara, and

to wish long life to his mother, Mrs. Indra Nanayakkara,

Honorary Patron of the Siri Vajirarama Sâsana Sâvika Samitiya,”

21st June, 2022/2566

Succeeding Scholar monks

Over the years the erudite Head Monk and temple in Bambalapitiya attracted many scholar monks, writers themselves, who, educated in English, soon engaged in dhammaduta work, preaching in all corners of the island and overseas, particularly South East Asia and Europe. The best known of them are Ven Narada and Ven. Piyadassi Mahâ Theras, whose published books and manuscripts are preserved and available for reference in the Library. They very well may be the only extant copies.

Other monks followed who not only maintained the prestige of the temple but helped maintain and add to the library collection; many of them having scholarly Buddhist books to their names. Mentioned are some of the more widely known: Ven Madihe Paňňāsīha Mahanayaka Thera, Ven Gangodawila Soma, Ven Kheminda, Ven Ampitiye Rāhula, Ven Panwila Vipassi – (undertook merciful hospital service); Ven Amritananda of Nepal, Ven Kasappa (formerly Dr Cassius Perera), Ven Ňāṇavīra and Ven Ňāṇamoli, (both British).

Monks who had ordained before 1940 and were pupils of Most Ven Pelene Mahanayake Thera resorted to self-study and thus the heavy use of the library which was their resource centre.

Mention is made here of just a few famed persons who spoke or wrote complementarily on the library: Most Ven Balangoda Maitreya Maha Thera; Kalukondawe Pragnasekara Maha Thera; W A Silva and Prof. G P Malalasekera.

Process of improvement

A new era dawned with the appointment of Venerable Tirikunamale Ananda Maha Thera, a senior pupil of Most Venerable Madihe Paňňāsīha Mahānāyaka Thera, as the chief abbot of Vajiraramaya in February, 2009. By then he was also the Anunāyaka of the Amarapura Sri Dhammaraksita Nikāya. He is now Mahanayake of the Dhammaraksita Nikaya. Comparatively young and very receptive to new ideas and innovation, he gave a listening ear to suggestions proposed by Ven Vajiraramaye Nanasiha Thera, (in lay life Deshabandhu Olcott Gunasekera), who had visions of updating and making the library and prized collection better known and accessible to a wide clientele, initially in Sri Lanka and later worldwide.

In 2016, a committee was appointed with monks – Ven Kurunegala Caranadhamma (bhikkhu-in-charge of the library), Ven Siri Vajiraramaye Nanasiha and four laypersons. Ven Bandarawela Ňāṇaruci was appointed the bhikkhu-in-charge in 2019 and was assisted by a layperson with basic knowledge of librarianship. Two librarians and an expert on computerisation of library services were consulted during 2019 and meetings held. However, Covid happened and lock downs ensued. In 2022 consultation was again resumed this time with the National Library and Documentation Services Board.

Library Resources

The collection has grown and is now vast. 210 ola manuscripts in scrolls and book form cover the subjects of Buddhism with suttas, ayurveda medicine, so also grammar and linguistics of Sinhala mostly. The piece de resistance of the ola manuscripts. is the one that contains all 550 Jataka stories. Ancient tomes, those gifted by the British Pali Texts Society and others acquired among which are the Bhagavad Gita, a monumental Tripitaka,

Dhammapada along with innumerable dictionaries sit alongside complete collections of books authored by monks such as Narada Mahâ Thera. Thus the building needed expansion and modification, both of which were done. Reading and reference areas/rooms were demarcated and suitably furnished with adequate infrastructure. Journals too are in the collection.

Subject wise too resources are varied, the main subject covered being Buddhism, mainly Theravada but including texts on Mahayana, Tibetan and Zen sects. History of Buddhism is widely covered. Books on other religions are included; so also literature, mainly Sinhalese with one or two other languages. Strangely a few books on subject as diverse as medicine, physics, yoga, deities, social practices, festivals and customs have widened the subject mixture.

The collection can be classified as scholarly since much of the collection is not meant to be read through for information or recreation, but referred to in research. The library is targeted to be a research library and with electronic access being made available, visits to the library will not be necessary; online searching is facilitated.

The collection is undoubtedly distinct and priceless. Not only are rare books within it, but many out of print books may be possessed by only this library. Also the entire range of publications of certain authors – monks mostly – are available.

Another factor of significance is that this library is a ‘descendent’ of ancient temple libraries named vihara pothgul which came to existence after the Tripitaka was committed to writing in ola scrolls in Matale in the first century before CE.

The present

The Siri Vajirarama Library has been ‘restructured’ successfully and will gain in fame and usage. The logo selected for it to be recognised is an utterance of the Buddha on gaining Enlightenment: “Aparuta tesam amatassa dvara”: meaning “Open are the doors to the deathless.”

Very many from the Sangha and lay persons have helped; however the prime movers were Most Ven Tirikunamale Ananda Maha Thera and Ven Siri Vajiraramaye Nanasiha Thera, who were assisted ably by Ven. Batuwatte Dhammananda, the current bhikkhu-in-charge of the library. In Ven Nanasiha Thera’s article in the centennial publication commemorating this outstanding event of celebrating the hundredth year of the library, he writes that with the emergence of new technology and digilatization “… the survival of libraries is extremely challenging… The challenge before the Siri Vajirarama Library is to make it a resource centre for Buddhist studies, and using modern technology to make accessible the message of the Buddha Dhamma to each and every one who wishes to benefit.”

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Features

New US sanctions on ICC, a fillip to worldwide political repression

Published

17 hours ago

2026/10/15

Thilina Walpola

The International Criminal Court in session. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s warning to the International Criminal Court (ICC) was stark: ‘Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.’ It followed US central administration accusations that the court was unfairly targeting Americans on the basis of trumped-up war crimes charges.

However, a new plethora of sanctions has been clamped on the ICC by the US, which in turn has spurred accusations by sections of the world that the latter has unleashed an ‘assault’ on the international legal order.

What some of the sanctions would mean for the ICC was outlined by Rubio: ‘We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling their ability to operate against us.’

The ICC has shown consistency of purpose over the years. Despite some operational constraints it has indicted a large number of political strongmen from around the world, accused of war crimes and other governance excesses that come under its purview. Two such recent figures are: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Rather than enjoy a mere nominal presence in the world community, the ICC has proved its effectiveness by detaining and bringing to justice scores of VIP politicians and others of their ilk who have been found guilty of human rights abuses and kindred excesses that come within the terms of reference of the ICC.

Accordingly, the international justice system would be stymied considerably as a result of the ICC being dis-empowered, particularly financially. Needless to say, potential and real perpetrators of the species of crime coming under the jurisdiction of the ICC would stand to gain most from such anarchic tendencies. That is, political repression globally would be enabled to enjoy a new lease of life.

A detailing of the types of crime coming under the purview of the ICC provides an idea of what it would cost the international community if the ICC’s operations are gravely hampered. They are mainly: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.

That is, the part of the world to be worst affected would be the global South, since the latter is awash with the mentioned crimes. Needless to say, a chronically-disaffected South will sooner rather than later undermine the well being of the world dangerously. The world is already being put through these paces.

At the time of writing, ‘illegal migrants’ from the South, for example, are aggravating many a Western economy’s woes, besides creating for them acute law and order issues. The fact that these migrants’ presence goes on to become a virtual test of the migrant receiving states’ ability to forge domestic social inclusion in the face of jingoistic protests by mainly white supremacist groups is evidence of the latter. As is known, the US, to take just one example, has been up against this crisis for quite a while.

Accordingly, it will be in the best interests of the West if ‘illegal’ migrant arrivals on their shores are stemmed. If the socio-political and economic problems assailing the South are effectively managed through North-South collaborative, ‘trouble-shooting’ efforts the causes leading to ‘illegal’ migration and connected issues could be resolved at source as it were. For, it is the aggravation of the South’s material questions that lays the basis for the emergence of repressive and anti-democratic regimes in the hemisphere.

Until such time that the aforementioned issues in North-South relations are visited afresh and addressed urgently, a vibrantly functioning ICC would be needed. For, the latter would prove a deterrent to Southern political and military strongmen, highly prone to power abuse and like excesses, from coming into being in the wake of the South’s chronic material woes and the wars and conflicts that result from them.

It stands to reason then that the US would be acting in its own interests by enabling the ICC to perpetuate its mandate without hindrance. For a crop of issues that impinges negatively on internal law and order would be defused.

Meanwhile, there needs to be a meeting of minds among the rest of the West to put back in place a North-South dialogue process aimed at reducing some of the economic pressures that are weighing on the South.

Since economics usually drives politics it will be in the interests of the world community to scrutinizingly re-visit North-South issues of the past and put in place economic relief packages for Southern publics that would enable them to tide over their material hardships rather than permit the latter to aggravate into social disaffection and eventually armed militancy. It is the latter juncture that paves the way for the emergence of authoritarian rulers in the South who then go on to be a blight on their publics.

Accordingly, the Southern-based global development thinking of the past that envisaged a more equitable world economic order needs to be seen as an urgent need. That is, NAM’s international development paradigms need to be resuscitated to the extent possible.

It is unlikely that rightist governments of the West, such as the current Republican administration in the US, would find these projects feasible, but democratic states of Europe, led by perhaps the UK, are likely to think otherwise. For it would not be beneficial for the democratic world to be having on their hands repressive governments in the South who would be gravitating towards the major military and economic actors of the South, such as Iran and North Korea, who tend to be in constant power struggles with the West.

However, until such time that the mentioned, pro-people initiatives are given serious thought the ICC would need to be enabled by the international community to be in place comfortably and carry on with its mandate of bringing repressive rulers to book. Besides the ICC should pave the way for the peoples of the developing world to enjoy some substantial respite from the political repression and even terror which tend to be their lot.

Meanwhile, the wars of West Asia are relentlessly aggravating the economic hardships of people everywhere, driving the point home to enlightened sections that there is no alternative to peacemaking. A challenge is to convert the US under President Trump to this line of thinking.

Features

Clear, soft and shine-free skin

Published

17 hours ago

2026/10/15

Thilina Walpola

This week, I give you five simple, time-tested homemade remedies that help reduce the appearance of blemishes, control excess shine and leave your skin feeling softer and smoother.

The Honey and Lemon Brightening Dab:

For stubborn blemish marks, this is a classic. Mix one teaspoon of pure bee honey with three to four drops of fresh lemon juice. Apply gently, only on the affected spots, and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water. While honey soothes and softens, lemon helps to brighten naturally. Use twice a week in the evening.

Besan and Rose Water Oil-Control Pack:

An ideal remedy to combat shine, especially on the T-zone. Take two teaspoons of besan (gram flour) and mix with sufficient rose water to form a smooth paste. Add a pinch of turmeric for its antiseptic goodness. Apply evenly, keep for 15 minutes and wash off. It absorbs excess oil without over-drying, leaving a beautiful matte finish.

Aloe Vera and Cucumber Ice Soother:

Blend fresh aloe vera gel with the juice of a grated cucumber and freeze the mixture in an ice tray. Each morning, wrap one cube in a soft muslin cloth and gently rub over a cleansed face for 30 seconds. It calms, tightens pores and imparts a baby-soft smoothness.

Oatmeal and Curd Gentle Polish:

Roughness and old blemish marks need gentle exfoliation. Combine one tablespoon of finely powdered oatmeal with one tablespoon of fresh curd (yoghurt). Massage very gently, in circular motions, for one minute, leave for five minutes and rinse. It removes dead cells and unveils softer, clearer skin.

Multani Mitti and Green Tea Magic Mask:

Brew some green tea and allow it to cool completely. Mix one and a half teaspoons of Multani Mitti (Fuller’s Earth) with the tea water to make a fine paste. Apply for 10 to 12 minutes – do not let it dry and crack completely – and wash off. It draws out impurities, fades blemishes and bestows a fresh, shine-free glow.

A Gentle Reminder:

As with any natural remedy, always do a patch test on your inner arm first. For those with oily or combination skin, avoid heavy coconut oil application and harsh scrubbing, as they tend to aggravate shine and blemishes.

Features

Compete, shine and be discovered at WCOPA 2027

Published

17 hours ago

2026/10/15

Thilina Walpola

Dream of performing on a world stage? Well, here is your unique, golden opportunity!

The World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) — the one and only official “Talent Olympics” — is the world’s premier global platform for aspiring singers, dancers, actors, models, instrumentalists, etc., to compete, shine and be discovered!

And, yes, this world stage is open to YOU, Sri Lankans living in Sri Lanka and overseas!

Held annually in glittering Las Vegas, WCOPA brings together over 70 countries, all competing for Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals, just like the traditional Olympics.

Lakisha Bernard: Will represent Team Sri Lanka at WCOPA 2027

Outstanding performers vie for the coveted titles of Junior and Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World, with winners and standout participants awarded over $500,000 in scholarships, cash awards and prizes to catapult their education and careers!

Sri Lanka is already making waves! At WCOPA 2026, Natharie Wickramasinghe, representing Team Sri Lanka, made the nation proud by winning a Bronze Medal in the Ethnic/Folklore Dance category!

Lakisha: Accomplished freelance Model and Fashion Design graduate

Recruitment for this prestigious competition is handled through a system of scouts and licensed National Directors — and this is where our very own Chris Rajendra, now based in Las Vegas, and National Director for Team Sri Lanka, comes into the scene.

If you are a singer, dancer, actor, model, instrumentalist — if you have talent burning inside you — contact Chris Rajendra today for registration and, who knows, you may find yourself in Las Vegas, and proudly draped in the Sri Lankan flag, at WCOPA 2027!

The contact address is: Chris Rajendra, wcopa.nationaldirector.sl@gmail.com

or chris.rajendra@gmail.com

Meanwhile, a star is born for 2027, in the form of Lakisha Bernard who is all set to represent Team Sri Lanka at WCOPA 2027.

Originally hailing from the sun-drenched coastal city of Colombo and now carving out her creative career in Canada, 22-year-old Lakisha is stepping into the international spotlight.

This accomplished freelance Model and Fashion Design graduate has officially been appointed as the Team Sri Lanka Promoter for Canada as she prepares to represent Team Sri Lanka at WCOPA in Las Vegas.

Lakisha brings a unique blend of high-fashion sensibility, captivating camera presence and expert garment design to the Team.

Having built her career, from local college shoots to high-glamour concepts, Lakisha’s inspiring journey embodies the true spirit of cultural bridge-building and creative resilience, bringing immense pride and recognition to Sri Lanka on the global stage.

WCOPA 2027 will be held at the legendary Westgate Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, from 12th to 20th July – the very same iconic arena where the late, great Elvis Presley himself performed!

Your moment is now. Your stage is Las Vegas, so hurry and contact Chris Rajendra.