February 26, 2021
Sri Mohan Bhagwat
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters
Mahal,
Nagpur.
The State-Sponsored Destruction and Desecration of Hindu Temples is Continuing in the North East
Respected Sir,
Last Thursday, Indian TV channels and print media reported a meeting between Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner for India Milinda Moragoda (MM) and yourself at RSS Sangh headquarters in Nagpur.
According to news reports, you and MM discussed a range of issues, including the possibility of establishing a dialogue between Buddhism and Hinduism.
On this occasion, the High Commissioner gifted two framed photographs – featuring murals from the Kelaniya Rajamaha Vihara, which depict the gift of Buddhism to Sri Lanka by India. The first photo depicts a mural of Arahat Mahinda delivering the message of Emperor Asoka to the Naga King Devanampiya Tissa ( 247 BC – 180 BC ) on his visit to Sri Lanka. The second one shows the arrival of Theri Sangamitta to Sri Lanka, bearing the branch sapling of the Maha Bodhi Tree.
This is all fine and commendable, but in Sri Lanka Hindus and Hindu Temples are under siege by the government and Buddhist monks, and the armed forces. Hundred of Buddhist viharas, stupas, and statues of Buddha have been erected in the North and Eastern provinces where there are no Buddhists. Additionally, Buddhist monks aided and abetted by the government have laid siege to scores of Hindu temples. These elements have encroached on Hindu temples by erecting Buddhist viharas and Buddha statues. The excuse is that the temple sites were once Buddhist places of worship. (https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/india-maintains-nomination-milinda-moragoda-sri-lankan-high-commissioner)
The government has appointed a Presidential Task Force to identify Buddhist heritage sites in the eastern province. The PTF has identified several thousand acres of land that belong to Tamil Hindu farmers. The Hindu Tamils have filed cases in courts that are pending.
MM has been appointed as High Commissioner with the sole purpose of whitewashing human rights violations, war crimes, and crimes against humanity/ During the last phase of the war about 40,000 Tamil Hindus were killed by artillery fire and bombing from the air. Even hospitals and schools were bombed and the government claimed they were legitimate military targets.
While India is spending millions on restoring and renovating places of Buddhist heritage, the Sri Lankan government is doing the opposite, Buddhism has been declared almost a state religion. The present government has done away with the Ministry of Hindu Affairs. It is now replaced with a department under the Ministry of Buddha Sasana.
I hope the RSS leaders will not fall victim to the machinations of MM. He has earned a name as a hardline militant Buddhist. His appointment was a part of a sinister ploy to fill foreign service with military and hardline Sinhala Buddhists.
Yours truly
Thangavelu
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Pl. also see the following links:
Buddhas encroaching Kovils – Sinhalisation of Point Pedro
https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/buddhas-encroaching-kovils-sinhalisation-point-pedro
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Sri Lankan envoy and RSS chief discuss religious relations …
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Sri Lankan envoy and RSS chief discuss religious relations, the scope for dialogue
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The Monks’ Army: A vigilante group, religious police or a Sri Lankan Tea Party?
The State-Sponsored Destruction and Desecration of Hindu Temples is Continuing in the North East
https://www.sangam.org/2010/11/Destruction_Temples..php
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Sinhalization of Tamil Areas by Building Buddhist Shrines over Hindu Temples (thecitizen.in)
https://www.google.ca/search?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecitizen.in%2Findex.php%2Fen%2Fnewsdetail%2Findex%2F6%2F17293%2Fsinhalization-of-tamil-areas-by-building-buddhist-shrines-over-hindu-temples
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Nagpur, Feb 24 (PTI)
Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda on Thursday visited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters in the Mahal area here.
Two paintings depicting the arrival of Arahat Mahinda and his conversion of Devanampiya Tissa to Buddhism and Bringing the sapling of the tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment.
Sri Lankan envoy and RSS chief discuss religious relations, the scope for dialogue.
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