Mapitigama Buddharakkitha
Encyclopedia
Mapitigama Buddharakkitha (1921−1967) was the chief conspirator of the assassination of fourth Prime Minister
of Ceylon (later Sri Lanka
), S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike. He served as the chief incumbent (chief priest) of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
, one of the most sacred Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka
from 1947 to 1959.
, another Buddhist monk killed Bandaranaike on September 25, 1959, under the direction of Buddharakkitha.
, which was an offense for a buddhist monk
. He allegedly had a sexual relationship with Wimala Wijewardene MP
, Minister of Health and the only woman member of the Bandaranaike's Cabinet in 1959. Wimala Wijewardene was the sister of D. R. Wijewardena
and the widow of Don Charles Wijewardene, author of The Revolt in the Temple. She also is an aunt of Ranil Wickremasinghe
, the current Leader of the Opposition
in the Sri Lankan parliament.
(the only radio broadcasting service at the time) on the attempt to kill the Prime Minister was Mapitigama Buddharakkitha. Sri Lankan Government called Scotland Yard
to undertake extensive investigations of the incident. Investigations revealed that Buddharakkitha was the mastermind behind the assassination. Subsequent court case sentenced him to death in 1961. The sentence was later changed to one of life imprisonment. He died in 1967 by heart attack following 6 years of hard labour.
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of Ceylon (later Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
), S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike. He served as the chief incumbent (chief priest) of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara or Kelaniya Temple is a Buddhist temple in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, seven miles from Colombo. The Chief Incumbent is Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkhitha Thera....
, one of the most sacred Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
from 1947 to 1959.
Background
Buddharakkitha played an important role in bringing S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike to power in 1956 parliamentay elections. He was the driving force behind the Eksath Bhikku Peramuna or the United Bhikku Front. He has been described as a virtual kingmaker at that time. Later, he attributed Bandaranaike's failure to aggressively pursue the nationalist reforms as the sole motive to assassinate him. But it was revealed that the real motive for the assassination came as a result of the Prime Minister's refusal to award business deals, in particular, a government contract for the construction of a sugar factory and government concessions for a shipping company he planned to set up. Talduwe SomaramaTalduwe Somarama
Talduwe Ratugama Rallage Weris Singho better known as Talduwe Somarama was a Sri Lankan Sinhalese Buddhist monk who shot and killed Solomon Bandaranaike, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in 1959...
, another Buddhist monk killed Bandaranaike on September 25, 1959, under the direction of Buddharakkitha.
Notoriety
Buddharakkitha's various notorious acts only surfaced after he was convicted. He was described as a rich businessman who was involved in various high profile businesses. Buddharakkitha routinely consumed whiskyWhisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
, which was an offense for a buddhist monk
Bhikkhu
A Bhikkhu or Bhikṣu is an ordained male Buddhist monastic. A female monastic is called a Bhikkhuni Nepali: ). The life of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis is governed by a set of rules called the patimokkha within the vinaya's framework of monastic discipline...
. He allegedly had a sexual relationship with Wimala Wijewardene MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Minister of Health and the only woman member of the Bandaranaike's Cabinet in 1959. Wimala Wijewardene was the sister of D. R. Wijewardena
D. R. Wijewardena
Don Richard Wijewardena was a Sri Lankan press baron who was a leader in the Sri Lankan independence movement. A successful entrepreneur, he established the Lake House newspapers and played major role in the independence movement.-Family:D. R...
and the widow of Don Charles Wijewardene, author of The Revolt in the Temple. She also is an aunt of Ranil Wickremasinghe
Ranil Wickremasinghe
Ranil Shriyan Wickremesinghe , MP, is a Sri Lankan politician and current Leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lankan parliament. He was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka twice, from May 7, 1993 to August 19, 1994 and from December 9, 2001 to April 6, 2004...
, the current Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Sri Lanka)
The Leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lanka is the politician who leads main opposition. This is the leader of the largest party not within the government, usually the leader of the second largest party in the Parliament...
in the Sri Lankan parliament.
Aftermath
Surprisingly though, the first person to express his anger and sadness over the Radio CeylonRadio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon is the oldest radio station in Asia. Broadcasting was started on an experimental basis in Ceylon by the Telegraph Department in 1923, just three years after the inauguration of broadcasting in Europe.- Edward Harper :...
(the only radio broadcasting service at the time) on the attempt to kill the Prime Minister was Mapitigama Buddharakkitha. Sri Lankan Government called Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
to undertake extensive investigations of the incident. Investigations revealed that Buddharakkitha was the mastermind behind the assassination. Subsequent court case sentenced him to death in 1961. The sentence was later changed to one of life imprisonment. He died in 1967 by heart attack following 6 years of hard labour.
Further reading
- A.C. AllesA.C. AllesHon. Justice Anthony Christopher Alles or A.C. Alles was a former Judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and also a non-fiction writer.-Early life:...
, Famous Criminal Cases of Sri Lanka, Volume III: The Assassination of Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike (Dec-1979): Published by the author. Hardcover published by Vantage, Inc., N.Y., U.S.A. 1986 as The Assassination of a Prime Minister. ISBN 0-533-06636-0. - Lucian G. Weeramantry, The Assassination of a Prime Minister - The Bandaranaike Murder Case (Hardcover, Geneva, Switzerland, 1969).
- Firoze Sameer, dOSSIEr COREA: A portfolio on crime (Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1999) ISBN 955-96740-0-5.
- Weeramantry, L.G: Assassination of a Prime Minister – The Bandaranaike Murder Case, Geneva, 1969.
- Seneviratne, H.L: Buddhist monks and ethnic politics. Anthropology Today, April 2001; 17(2): 15-21.