News
Deepavali celebrations draw together all faiths at Walpola Rahula Institute
View(s):By Malaka Rodrigo
The Hindus of Sri Lanka and around the world celebrated the Deepavali festival a few days ago, on October 31. In line with Deepavali, a group of Hindu followers gathered to celebrate the festival that welcomed participants from various religions, primarily Buddhists.
The event took place on October 25 at the Walpola Rahula Institute (WRI), located by the banks of the Diyawanna Oya. It featured traditional poojas and rituals performed by Hindus to commemorate Deepavali, along with cultural performances of dance and music presented by Hindu children and youth. This provided a unique experience for the Buddhist attendees and followers of other faiths as these are practiced only in Hindu households.
“We aim to make our teachings practical, promoting the message of humanity beyond religious boundaries. Understanding the basic values, practices, and traditions of other faiths is a crucial step towards achieving religious harmony and the Deepavali celebration is part of WRI’s initiative to foster interreligious and cultural dialogue,” said Head of WRI Galkande Dhammananda Thera.
A similar event was held on the last Vesak Poya day, giving followers of other religions insight into Buddhist celebrations. Ven. Dhammananda Thera mentioned that similar events for major Christian and Muslim occasions would also follow.
“Deepavali, known as the Festival of Lights, symbolises the triumph of light over darkness and is a significant event for Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus,” said Kanagarathnam Alagan, who helped organize the event. “We are delighted to celebrate Deepavali alongside our Sri Lankan brethren of other faiths, and we hope to see the light together.”
Events like this can help dispel misunderstandings between communities. Mr. Kanagarathnam shared that the Tamil community appreciated the invitation to participate in a Buddhist center’s cultural celebration. “Many members of my community have never stepped into a Buddhist institute or met a Buddhist monk, often believing it wouldn’t be appropriate or that they wouldn’t be welcomed. This event helps break that misconception, and now many participants want to visit Dhammananda Thera to continue the religious dialogue,” he added.
For any community, society, or nation that has experienced violent conflict and is striving to rebuild, it is essential to consider healing the minds and hearts of all involved—victims, perpetrators, and those who witnessed the conflict from a distance.
Dhammananda Thera said that we all carry wounds in our hearts in different ways. “When we are unaware of our own wounds, we continue to hurt others, perpetuating a cycle of conflict. Our goal is to raise awareness of these wounds and to promote religious harmony,” he said.
The late Dr. Walpola Rahula Thera, founder of WRI, championed the idea of transcending religious, ethnic, or social labels to uplift society. He was the first Buddhist monk to enter a university, in the 1930s, despite facing resistance from the majority of the Buddhist community at that time. It was Sarawanamutthu Thangaraja, a Tamil gentleman from Jaffna, who supported Walpola Rahula, demonstrating that people from different faiths can and should support one another when necessary, concluded Dhammananda Thera.
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!