By Saman Indrajith

Following a colossal waste of money and extensive environmental damage, the Shakya Janapadaya project, planned to be built in Piliyandala as a replica of Prince Siddhartha’s kingdom, now resembles a jungle straight out of Tarzan, NPP Colombo District MP Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi told Parliament on Tuesday.

“This was intended to be a replica of the Shakyan Kingdom, with an inauguration plaque that reads, ‘A unique gift to Buddhist people all over the world.’ However, anyone visiting the site today might think the Shakyan Kingdom looked exactly like Tarzan’s jungle,” the MP said.

Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hinduma Sunil Senevi, concurred with MP Nipuna Arachchi’s observation.

The Minister explained that the site spans 76 acres and was originally part of the Regidale Estate in Kahapola, owned by Don Simon Wijewickrama Samarakoon. The land was placed under the Public Trustee after being donated by philanthropist Samarakoon Mudliyar years ago for Buddhist religious activities or other public welfare purposes. In January 2017, the then-President inaugurated construction of the Shakya Janapadaya on this land.

Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the government provided the land to the Light of Asia Foundation, which agreed to finance the construction. The MoU stipulated a three-year completion period; however, by the end of that period, only five percent of the project had been completed, leading to the agreement’s cancellation.

Dr. Senevi said that the land had since been transferred between multiple entities, including the Board of Investment, the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, and the National Zoological Gardens Department, before returning to the Ministry of Buddha Sasana. “It has now been discovered that these ownership transfers were riddled with irregularities,” he said. “I submitted a Cabinet paper on December 20, 2024, seeking approval to allocate five acres from this site for the construction of a multi-cultural center. The Cabinet has now approved this request,” the Minister said.