The Lion’s Roar

Description

Anagarika Dharmapala (1864–1933) was a leading Sinhalese Buddhist reformer and national activist who ranks high among the makers of modern Buddhism. The Lion’s Roar is one of the first detailed accounts of Anagarika Dharmapala’s life and the pioneering role he played in the Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism at a time when resistance to colonial rule was mainly confined to the elite. The book explores his lifelong struggle for re-establishing Buddhist management of their own sacred places under Hindu control, particularly the Mahabodhi site in Bihar, India. Dharmapala’s association with the Bengali intelligensia, the ‘bhadralok’, and close interactions with Gandhi and Nehru in India, where he spent a greater part of his life, form an interesting part of the narration.

Using a rich variety of primary sources, most importantly, Dharmapala’s diaries, the book situates his life within the socio-political and cultural ethos of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and chronicles the zealous efforts of a Buddhist crusader and monk who wished to reform the religion in his native land and propagate it in the Western world.

About the Author

Sarath Amunugama is a senior Sri Lankan politician and is currently a cabinet minister in the Government of Sri Lanka. He was a lecturer in social anthropology at the University of Ceylon, Sri Lanka, before joining the then Ceylon Civil Service.

Table of contents

Preface

1. Buddhists Awake!
2. ‘Peacocks in the Rain’: Early Phase of the Buddhist Revival
3. Situating Dharmapala
4. A Sinhala Buddhist ‘Babu’
5. The Lion’s Roar
6. The Printing Press, a Sinhala Novel, and New Buddhist

Ideology

7. John de Silva and the Sinhala Nationalist Theatre
8. Last Days
9. Dharmapala and His Critics

Bibliography

Index

About the Author