Buddha statues being used for land grabs in the North, warns Tamil MP
Thurairasa Ravikaran, a Member of Parliament from the Northern Province, has raised alarm over the increasing use of Buddha statues as markers for land encroachment in the Tamil homeland.
Speaking in Parliament on 17 March, Ravikaran condemned the activities of Sinhala Buddhist monks who are spearheading illegal land grabs in the North-East, a move he said renders them ‘unfit to wear the saffron robe’.
Ravikaran accused the Sinhala Buddhist monks and their political backers of using religious imagery to legitimise territorial expansion, particularly in the North. “Statues of Lord Buddha are being erected not as places of worship, but as boundary markers for encroachments,” he stated, pointing to widespread concerns amongst Tamils, particularly in the Mullaitivu district.
“As the MP representing the Vanni Electoral District and a native of Mullaithivu, I speak clearly about the problems that have occurred and continue to occur in those regions. Our intent is to rebuild this nation, and in that regard, we seek your cooperation,” he said.
Sri Lanka’s Department of Archaeology, which has played a central role in many of these land disputes, also came under scrutiny. Ravikaran questioned its neutrality, noting that its official seal bears a Buddhist temple and the Ashoka Chakra.
The MP also challenged the conduct of the Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs, his deputy, and the 159 MPs representing the current government, urging them to work inclusively rather than through racial or religious bias.
“Where the previous administration had only four MPs, the present government has 159 seats, having removed certain racists from positions of power,” he remarked. However, despite this shift, he warned that Buddhist nationalist forces remain active and continue to infringe upon Tamil lands, culture, and religious freedom.
Ravikaran emphasised the historical connection between Hinduism and Buddhism, stating that the two religions have coexisted across South Asia for centuries. He noted that Siddhartha, who became the Buddha, was born to Hindu parents, King Suddhodana and Queen Maya Devi, and was married to Yasodhara before his renunciation.
Despite these deep-rooted connections, Sri Lanka stands as an outlier, where Buddhism is wielded as a political weapon rather than a philosophy of peace, he said.