Preserving the Sri Lankan Buddhist-pothgul tradition Amid English Colonial Rule: The role of Atthadassi Thero of Doratiawe and Hanguranketha Pothgul Maliga vihara

Abstract

Of the most valuable gifts which the world received from Sri Lanka, during the period of time from antiquity to the present day, the Sri Lankan Buddhist Pothgul tradition holds an important place. From the period of Rajarata civilization AD among the Buddhist institutions that preserved the tradition of Sri Lankan Buddhist books until 1815, regional monasteries such as Maha Vihara, Abayagiriya, Situlpavwa, Ashtamulayatnaya, Vijayasundararamaya, Sunethra Devi Pirivena in Papiliyane, Karagala Padmavathi Pirivena and Niamakande Shrine, Suriyagoda Rajamaha Vihara are significant. Amidst the Buddhist Institutions that secured the Pothgul tradition in this country during the English colonial period, the Hanguranketha Pothgul Maliga Vihara, which was modernized by Atthadassi Thera of Doratiawe, holds a prominent place. The aim of this research is to examine how the Portugal tradition in Sri Lanka was preserved through the Pothgul Vihara at Hanguranketha during the English colonial period. Historical research method is research method in this research. Atthadassi Thera of Doratiawe first searched for the center of the Pothgul Viharaya of Hanguranketha and collected the Tripitaka, local medicine, animal medicine, Yantra Mantra history and Buddhist literature subjects which were scattered on the island through his disciple monks and by himself. Furthermore, Atthadassi Thera of Doratiawe gathered the puskola in the Hanguranketha Vihara and went around the island by himself to collect money from the Buddhist sages and built a complete library and stored about 2000 puskola in cabinets made of Black wood. In addition, he selected 25 disciple monks and through them collected the Palm-leaf manuscripts from the island and read and wrote new copies of them as assignments and placed them in the library. Today, Hanguranketha Vihara is the only temple in Sri Lanka with 2000 books as it is the largest library containing Palm-leaf manuscripts where the Tripitaka was written. Accordingly, it is logical to consider Atthadassi Thera of Doratiawe and the Hanguranketha Pothgul Vihara, which he ruled, as a center that secured the tradition of Pothgul Vihara in this country for a long time during the English colonial period. we must protect this knowledge hub.