Hinduism in Sri Lanka - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Hindus
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

currently make up more than 15% of the 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...

n population, and are almost exclusively Tamils

Tamil people

Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...

apart from small immigrant communities from India and Pakistan such as the Sindhis

Sindhi people

Sindhis are a Sindhi speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh, a province Formerly of British India, now in Pakistan. Today Sindhis that live in Pakistan belong to various religious denominations including Islam, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity...

, Telugus, Kannadigas

Kannadigas

Kannadiga , or Kannadati is a reference to the people who natively speak the Kannada language. Kannadigas are mainly located in the state of Karnataka in India and in the neighboring states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and Maharashtra...

and Malayalees. In the 1915 census they made up almost 25% of the population, which included the indentured labourers the British had brought. Due to assimilation, emigration (over 1 million Sri Lankan tamils have left the country since independence) and conversion to various sects of Christianity and Islam, today they are a smaller and still dwindling minority. Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

is dominant in the Northeastern

North Eastern Province, Sri Lanka

The North Eastern Province was one of the provinces of Sri Lanka. The province was created in September 1988 by merging the Northern and Eastern provinces. This merger was declared illegal by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2006. The province was formally demerged into the Northern and Eastern...

province, where there is a significant number of Tamil people. Hinduism is also practised in the central regions (where there are significant numbers of people of Indian Tamil descent) as well as in the capital, Colombo

Colombo

Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...

. According to the government census of 2001, there are about 1,500,000 Hindus in Sri Lanka (including estimates for the districts in Northern and Eastern Provinces, in which the census was not carried out).

Theological origins

According to legend, Sri Lanka was formed when sage Narada

Narada

Narada or Narada Muni is a divine sage from the Vaisnava tradition, who plays a prominent role in a number of the Puranic texts, especially in the Bhagavata Purana, and in the Ramayana...

persuaded the God of Wind and Air, Vayu

Vayu

Vāyu is a primary Hindu deity, the Lord of the winds, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Lord Hanuman...

, to humble his close friend, Mount Meru

Meru

Meru may refer to:In geography:* Meru, Tanzania, a village in northern Tanzania . It is inhabited by the Meru people of Tanzania, known as the "Wameru" in Bantu** Arumeru District northern Tanzania...

(a huge mountain where the Gods lived). Vayu then spent the next year blowing strong winds at the mountain, which was shielded by Garuda

Garuda

The Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.From an Indian perspective, Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila and...

, a mythical bird. When Garuda took respite for a while, Vayu caused part of the apex of the mountain to fall into the sea, forming the island of Sri Lanka.

The first major Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

reference to 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...

is found in the great Hindu

Hindu

epic, the Ramayana

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

. The Ramayana tells of the conquest of Lanka by Rama

Rama

Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

, an incarnation of the Lord Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

. The Ramayana also mentions a bridge between India and Sri Lanka, known as Rama's Bridge

Rama's Bridge

Adam's Bridge , also known as Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu , is a chain of limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, off the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island, off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka...

, constructed with rocks by Rama with the help of Hanuman

Hanuman

Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...

and others. Many believers view the sand bar islands connecting Sri Lanka to India as the remains of the bridge as seen in satellite images. Archeological evidence is also found to support worship of Lord Siva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

in parts of Sri Lanka, from pre-historic times, prior to the arrival of Prince Vijaya.

Historic roots

The earliest Hindus were the indigenous Tamils who were traditional worshippers of Lord Shiva and followers of Saiva Siddhantam, the oldest existing Hindu school of thought. However, this assertion is not proven with evidence. Evidence states the earliest inhabitants of the island worshipped demons (Yakshas), serpants (Nagas) and spirits. The Prakrit

Prakrit

Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...

speaking immigrants from North India - Prince Vijaya and his followers, also joined with the Hindu Tamils. But they were converted to Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

during King Ashoka

Ashoka

Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...

's rule in India due to Buddhist missionary activities in Sri Lanka. However it was activity from across the Palk Strait

Palk Strait

Palk Strait is a strait between the Tamil Nadu state of India and the Mannar district of the Northern Province of the island nation of Sri Lanka. It connects the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with the Palk Bay and thence with the Gulf of Mannar in the southwest. The strait is wide. Several...

that truly set the scene for Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

's survival in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

. The invasion of Sri Lanka by the South Indian and Orissa rulers followed by slow and steady migration of people from the Deccan Peninsula brought Hindu religious practice and tradition to Sri Lanka. Shaivism

Shaivism

Shaivism is one of the four major sects of Hinduism, the others being Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas," and also "Saivas" or "Saivites," revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer,...

(devotional worship of Lord Shiva) was the dominant branch practiced by the Tamil peoples thus most of the traditional Hindu temple architecture

Hindu temple architecture

India's temple architecture developed from the sthapathis' and shilpis' creativit, but n general these are from the Vishwakarma . A small Hindu temple consists of an inner sanctum, the garbha griha or womb-chamber, in which the image is housed, often circumambulation, a congregation hall, and...

and philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

of Sri Lanka drew heavily from this particular strand of Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

. Thirugnanasambanthar mentioned the names of a number of Sri Lankan Hindu temples in his works

Conflict and coexistence

From 400 onwards, military campaigns in the form of invasions, by rulers from South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

and Orissa

Orissa

Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

(then known as Kalinga

Kalinga (India)

Kalinga was an early state in central-eastern India, which comprised most of the modern state of Orissa/Utkal , as well as the Andhra region of the bordering state of Andhra Pradesh. It was a rich and fertile land that extended from the river Damodar/Ganges to Godavari and from Bay of Bengal to...

Desa) and counter-attacks by the Singhalese Buddhists rulers in Sri Lanka, heralded a period of great turmoil wherein the Hindu Tamils from the affore mentioned areas in India and the Buddhist Singhalese would struggle for territorial control. In 1017, Rajaraja Chola annexes a large part of Lanka to Tamilakam

Ancient Tamil country

The Sangam period is the classical period in the history of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other parts of South India, spanning about the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE...

but later the Sinhala dynasty were able to oust the Cholas in the year 1070. In 1215 Cholas again briefly ruled SriLanka, for a period of well over 16 years and made to retreat into the Northern area of Jaffna Peninsula.

In time, after the mentioned invasion in 1215 and the retreat, a form of bloody stalemate was reached wherein Tamils from South India began to get firmly established in the Northern and Eastern areas, with the Singhalese inhabiting the South and Central regions. This period also saw the establishment of an Tamil

Tamil people

kingdom centered around Jaffna

Jaffna Kingdom

The Jaffna kingdom , also known as Kingdom of Aryacakravarti, of modern northern Sri Lanka was a historic monarchy that came into existence around the town of Jaffna on the Jaffna peninsula after the invasion of Magha, who is said to have been from Kalinga, in India...

.

There is also evidence, throughout history of Tamil kings from South India and Kalinga

Kalinga (India)

Hindus becoming Buddhists and ruling over both Hindus and Buddhists. Some such as Chola King Ellalan or Elara reigned as a Tamil but in a manner acceptable to the Buddhist. Great Sinhala Buddhist kings such as Nissanka Malla had Tamil ancestry and were born Hindus. This practice continued till the elapse of the Kandyan kingdom in 1815. Also Buddhist kings were also known donate resources towards the upkeep of great Hindu temples.

Further many Hindu deities who are Tamils such as Kannaki and Ayyanar

Ayyanar

Ayyanar is a Hindu village god, worshipped predominantly in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Tamil villages in Sri Lanka. He is primarily worshipped as a guardian deity who protects the rural villages...

have become part of the Sinhala Buddhist worship system. These deities are known as Pathini and Ayyanayake respectively. Along with other traditional gods within the Hindu pantheon such as Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

, Shiva

Shiva

and Brahma

Brahma

Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...

. It is norm for Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka to have shrines to Gods such as Skanda, Vishnu and Ganesha, who have now become part of the Sinhala Buddhist pantheon. Thus, hinduism although not the dominant religion of the majourity has had a central place in Sri Lanka, throughout history, showing the historical connections between the Sinhalese and the Tamils.

European invasion

The arrival of European colonialists brought profound consequences to both Hindu and Buddhist communities. In 1505, a Portuguese fleet, under the command of Captain–major Don Lourenço de Almeida, arrived off the coast of Sri Lanka. Eventually deals were struck between rival native rulers and the Portuguese. Formal treaties between the two groups thereby formerly heralded the entry of the alien forces in the political arena of Sri Lanka.

Eventually over time, the Europeans were able to take advantage of the fractured nature of Sri Lankan politics, eventually culminating in successful military wins against the rebellious natives, most notably against the Hindu Tamils in the North, whose leaders were made to swear allegiance to the king of Portugal in return for maintaining their distinct laws and customs.

However, any so-called rulers had merely become puppets of their European overlords until in the end, further rebellion caused the Tamil

Tamil people

Jaffna Kingdom

to fall in the hands of the Portuguese in June 1619, when the incumbent ruler and his family were arrested and taken prisoner. According to the Portuguese administrative arrangements, the jurisdiction of Jaffna

Jaffna

Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...

came directly under the Viceroy at Goa

Goa

Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

. In Goa, the deposed ruler was tried for high treason by the Portuguese High Court (Relaco), found him guilty of all charges leveled against him by the Europeans and the ruler was sentenced to death. Ultimately, the last Tamil Hindu king of the Jaffna Kingdom (1215 to 1619) was hanged in the year 1621.

Conversion attempts

While attempting to control their newly-won lands in Asia, the Portuguese were also actively encouraging Hindu

Hindu

Tamil

Tamil people

s to convert to Catholicism. Force conversion was also practiced. In 1618(??), following some serious Tamil revolts, the Council of the Jesuit Society had resolved that those Tamils who converted to Christianity would be spared of death. Others encouraged to embrace the Catholic creed included the wives and children of murdered Tamil leaders.

Tellingly, the surviving three children of the executed Tamil King of Jaffna, had been converted to Catholicism when young and were later sent to Portugal for their studies. The eldest of these children officially signed a declaration form handing over full control of Jaffna to the King of Portugal . This officially ended Tamil sovereignty, in Sri Lanka which began as an invasion in 1215, and permitted Catholic conversion activity in those formerly Tamil areas. The result of these actions explain why there are today Tamil Catholics to be found in Jaffna and surrounding parts.

Portuguese were marginally more successful in converting numerically more Tamils of the coastal regions of Both Sri Lanka and India as they were able to intercede on behalf of these fishing communities against the machinations of the Muslim merchant guilds who had monopolized pearling and other trading activities till then. By eliminating the Muslim middlemen, the Portuguese won the loyalty of these people. But further inland their attempts would yield only minimal results.

During the British colonial period a large scale attempt to convert Tamil Hindus to Protestantism

Protestantism

Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

by American Baptist

Baptist

Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...

, Presbyterian missionaries along with British Methodist and Anglican was attempted via building schools and hospices. Again they were only marginally successful. Conversion attempts today by various Buddhist, Christian sects, Bahá'í

Bahá'í Faith

The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....

s, and Mormon

Mormon

The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...

missionary activity is still ongoing. The ongoing civil war and the recent Tsunami

Tsunami

A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...

has given further impetus to these efforts. Nevertheless the vast majority of Sri Lankan Tamils still remain loyal to their ancestral Hindu religion.

Philosophical roots

The elite and the upper classes, consisting of the higher castes, amongst the Tamils adhere to what is known as the Saiva Siddhanta or Dvaita

Dvaita

Dvaita is a school of Vedanta founded by Shri Madhvacharya....

school of Shaivism

Shaivism

. Sidanta is opposed to the mainstream Vedanta

Vedanta

Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...

school of India. Adherents of various Dvaita

Dvaita

Dvaita is a school of Vedanta founded by Shri Madhvacharya....

school both amongst the majority Vaishnavites and minority Shaivites can been seen across India. But amongst Sri Lankan Hindus, it is the Dvaita

Dvaita

Dvaita is a school of Vedanta founded by Shri Madhvacharya....

Siddhanta school of thought that commands elite loyalty. Dvaita

Dvaita

Dvaita is a school of Vedanta founded by Shri Madhvacharya....

Saiva Siddhanta school differentiates between the soul, god and actions or Karma as opposed to the unity of the soul and god as expounded by the Vedanta school. Most elite temples follow what is known as Agamic

Āgama (Hinduism)

Agama means, in the Hindu context, "a traditional doctrine, or system which commands faith".In Hinduism, the Agamas are a collection of Sanskrit scriptures which are revered and followed by millions of Hindus.-Significance:...

rituals which are highly Sanskritzed rituals along with usage of Tamil hymns by specialized singers known as Ootuvar.

Most other Sri Lankan Hindus follow what is commonly known as folk Hinduism without the baggage of philosophical school of thought They usually worship a village, clan or tribal deity within or outside the accepted pantheon of Hindu deities. Some local Deities are Kannaki, Mariamman

Mariamman

Māri ,Tulu, also known as Mariamman , both meaning "Mother Mari", spelt also Maariamma , or simply Amman or Aatha is the South Indian Hindu goddess of disease and rain. She is the main South Indian mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and...

, Draupadi

Draupadi

In the epic Mahābhārata, Draupadi, also known as ' is the "emerged" daughter of King Drupada of Panchāla and the wife of the five Pandavas. When Yudhisthira becomes the king of Hastinapura at the end of the war, Draupadi becomes the queen of Indraprastha...

, Ayyanar

Ayyanar

, Vairavar

Bhairava

Bhairava , sometimes known as Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya or Bheruji , Kaala Bhairavar or Vairavar , is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with annihilation...

and worship of weapons such as Vel or the lance. They might worship it in a formal temple structure, forest grove or an open plain. They might or might not use the help of Brahmin

Brahmin

Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...

priests. Localized rituals are employed but share common features across India, specifically South India. Some such rituals are Kavadi Attam or penance dancing, Tee Midi or fire walking
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/2003/7-9/36-37_fire_walk.shtml, trance due to possession by local gods and animal sacrifices to appease local gods or spirits.

Religion is compulsory subject in Sri Lankan schools and Hindu students can chose from either Hinduism or Saiva Siddhanta as a compulsory subject from Grade 1 to Grade 11. Sri Lankan Tamils mostly study Saiva Siddhanta while upcountry Tamils mostly study Hinduism.

Social reformers & religious teachers

As a reaction as well as effort to arrest the conversion efforts of missionaries there arose many religious reformers that wanted to modify the existing Hindu practices to better able to stand up to western Christian critique. Few of them are prominent, such as Arumuka Navalar

Arumuka Navalar

Arumuka Navalar was one the early revivalists of native Hindu Tamil traditions in Sri Lanka and India. He and others like him were responsible for reviving and reforming native traditions that had come under a long period of dormancy and decline during the previous 400 years of colonial rule by...

and Vipulananda Adigal. Amongst religious teachers or Gurus, Kaddai Swamy and Yogaswami

Yogaswami

Jnanaguru Siva Yogaswami of Jaffna was Sri Lanka's most renowned 20th-century spiritual master, a Śivajnani and a natha siddhar revered by both Hindus and Buddhists...

http://www.tamilnation.org/sathyam/east/yogaswamy.htm stands out whose direct sannyasin sishya, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Sivaya Subramuniyaswami , also known as Gurudeva by his followers, was born in Oakland, California, on January 5, 1927, and adopted Saivism as a young man. He traveled to India and Sri Lanka where he received initiation from Yogaswami of Jaffna in 1949...

, founded Saiva Siddhanta Church

Saiva Siddhanta Church

Śaiva Siddhanta Church is a spiritual institution and identifies itself with the Śaivite Hindu religion. It is based on the precepts of the Nandinatha Sampradaya, and traces its origins to a two thousand year-old lineage of the Kailāsa Paramparā Gurus.The Church was founded in 1949 by...

in Hawaii in the United States.

Well known Hindu temples

As most prominent Hindu places of worship were concentrated on the coastal areas, all were destroyed by the Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

zealots during the post 1505 AD colonial era. Hindus in Sri Lanka believe that the Island once had 5 prominent temples dedicated to Lord Shiva

Shiva

. Namely

Naguleswaram in the North
Ketheeswaram in the North West
Koneswaram in the East
Muneswaram in the West and
Tondeswaram in the South.

All were destroyed by the Portuguese

Portugal

during the colonial period. Of these apart from the temple in the South all have been rebuilt during the British or post independent era.

Apart from these temples there are other prominent temples such as the newly constructed Ponnabalvaneswarm temple in the capital Colombo, the ancient Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Kovil and the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil constructed in Jaffna

Jaffna

during the medieval period that are still important to current day Hindus.

There are also places of worship and temples that are sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus in Sri Lanka. The prominent one is Katirkamam also known as Kataragama

Kataragama

Kataragama is a pilgrimage town popular with Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and indigenous Vedda communities of Sri Lanka and South India. The town has Ruhunu Maha Kataragama devalaya, a shrine dedicated to Skanda-Murukan also known as Kataragamadevio...

temple dedicated to Lord Murukan or Skanda. Also Adam's Peak

Adam's Peak

Sri Pada , is a tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka...

a mountain top that is also known as Sri Pada by the Buddhists and Sivanolipada Malai by the Hindus.

Well-known Hindu post-secondary institutions

Attiar Hindu College or Aathiya Hindu College
Batticaloa Hindu College or Batti Hindu College
Chavakacheri Hindu College, Sangathanai
Colombo Hindu College, primary to high school
Jaffna Hindu College
Jaffna Hindu College
Jaffna Hindu College is a boys public national school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1886 by a group of Hindu people who wanted an English language alternative to the Christian missionary schools. JHC is known throughout Sri Lanka as Hindu College.-History:In the late 19th century all the...

, primary to high school
Jaffna Hindu Ladies College
Jafnna Hindu College Old Boys'
Kilinochchi Hindu College
Kokuvil Hindu College
Kokuvil Ramakrishna M.V
Kondavil Hindu Maha Vidyalayam
Kondavil Ramakrishna Vidyalayam
Koneswara Hindu College or Sri Koneshwara Hindu College
Manipay Hindu College
Muthur Kalaimagal Hindu College
Pandatharippu Hindu College, Pandatharippu
Parameshwara College, Thirunelveli,Jaffna(1921-1974)
Puliyamkulam Hindu College, Puliyamkulam
Ratmalana Hindu College, primary to high school
Ramanathan Hindu Ladies College
Senguntha Hindu College
Sithy Vinayagar Hindu College, Mannar
Thevarayali Hindu College
Trincomalee Hindu College or Trinco Hindu College, primary to high school
Trincomalee Sri Koneswara Hindu College
Urumpirai Hindu College
Vaddukoddai Hindu College or Vaddukoti Hindu College
Valaichchenai Hindu College or Valaichenai Hindu College
Vivekananda Hindu College or Vivekananda College

Civil conflict and exodus

In the long term, as a dwindling minority, the future could appear uncertain for the survival of a community after almost 2,500 years of varying degrees of presence in Sri Lanka. The Tamils of recent Indian origin, in the plantations, which constitute over half of the Hindu population in Sri Lanka continues to exist, unaffected of the consequences of the civil war. The prohibition of naval travel between Sri Lanka and India has isolated Srilankan Hindus from their Indian neighbours.

Demographics

According to the 1981 census, there were 2,297,800 Hindus in Sri Lanka. The 2001 census reported 1,312,900 Hindus in all of Sri Lanka except for the Northeastern Province. According to the 2001 estimates there were a total of 2,233,624 Ceylonese Tamils and 859,052 Estate Tamils in all of Sri Lanka. It is widely believed that the estimates for Northeastern province were inflated. The Govt. gives total Tamil population in Sri Lanka as 3,092,676 constistuting 16.45% of the total population. (In 1981 18.5% of the total population). Outside the Govt. Census, 1,505,502 Tamils were estimated to be living in Northeastern Province (Excl.Amparai). Out of these Tamils it can be estimated that 1,285,000 are Hindus. Thus the total Hindu population in Sri Lanka stands at 2,597,000 as of 2001, making 13.81% of the total population (Down from 15.48% in 1981). It should be noted that 20,000 people died during the 2004 Tsunami in LTTE held areas alone. http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/PDF/p7%20population%20and%20Housing%20Text-11-12-06.pdf http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/PDF/p5%20Population%20and%20Housing%20Schedule.pdf http://www.statistics.gov.lk/Abstract_2006/Tables/chap%202/AB2-13.pdf In 1981 close to 85% of all Tamils were Hindus. However this figure is probably lower now due to large scale conversions to other religions.

Hindus constitute the overwhelming majority of Tamils in Sri Lanka. However in the district of Mannar, Christians slightly outnumber Hindus. Highest proportion of Hindus are found in Eastern Sri Lanka (Close to 91% of all Tamils, with 92% in Amparai and Batticaloa and 87% in Trincomallee). In the Central Province also the proportion of Hindus is more than 90% of the Tamil population. (91% each in Matale and Nuwara Eliya and 88% in Kandy). In Uva province the proportion of Hindus is 91.3% of the Tamil population. However in 1981 93.15% of Uva Tamils were Hindu. In Northern Province 84% of all Tamils were Hindus (90% in Vavuniya, 87% in Jaffna and Mullaitivu and 42% in Mannar).

The below table compares 2001 census with the 1981 census.

	Total 1981	Total 2001	Ceylonese Tamils	Indian Tamils	Tamils 01	Hindus 01	H% 01	Hindus/Tamils	C Tamils 81	I Tamils 81	Tamils 81	Hindus 81	H% 81	H/T 81
SL	14,846,750	18,797,257	2,233,624	859,052	3,092,676	1,312,970	6.98%	NA	1,886,864	818,656	2,705,520	2,297,806	15.48%	84.93%
Colombo	1,699,241	2,251,274	247,739	24,821	272,560	194,743	8.65%	71.45%	170,590	19,824	190,414	130,215	7.66%	68.39%
Gampaha	1,390,862	2,063,684	65,302	7,621	72,923	42,356	2.05%	58.08%	48,182	5,919	54,101	26,750	1.92%	49.44%
Kalutara	829,704	1,066,239	12,665	28,895	41,560	34,678	3.25%	83.44%	9,744	33,659	43,403	37,035	4.46%	85.33%
Kandy	1,048,317	1,279,028	52,052	103,622	155,674	134,438	10.51%	86.36%	52,791	98,436	151,227	132,943	12.68%	87.91%
Matale	357,354	441,328	24,320	23,493	47,813	42,433	9.61%	88.75%	20,579	24,912	45,491	41,352	11.57%	90.90%
N Eliya	603,577	703,610	46,066	355,830	401,896	359,135	51.04%	89.36%	76,449	257,478	333,927	303,571	50.30%	90.91%
Galle	814,531	990,487	11,079	9,275	20,354	14,934	1.51%	73.37%	7,271	11,056	18,327	15,086	1.85%	82.32%
Matara	643,786	761,370	5,161	16,672	21,833	17,339	2.28%	79.42%	4,683	13,875	18,558	15,356	2.39%	82.75%
Hambantota	424,344	526,414	1,869	424	2,293	1,369	0.26%	59.70%	2,500	284	2,784	2,174	0.51%	78.09%
Jaffna	738,788	490,621	975,789	2,847	978,636	0	0.00%	NA	790,385	19,980	810,365	705,705	84.97%	87.08%
Mannar	106,235	151,577							54,474	13,850	68,324	28,885	27.19%	42.28%
Vavuniya	95,428	149,835							54,179	18,714	72,893	65,574	68.72%	89.96%
Mullaitivu	77,189	121,667							58,209	11,215	69,424	60,117	77.88%	86.59%
Killinochchi	91,764	127,263							Inc. Jaffna
Batticaloa	330,333	486,447	362,431	727	363,158	0	0.00%	NA	233,713	4,074	237,787	218,812	66.24%	92.02%
Ampara	388,970	592,997	109,188	715	109,903	100,213	16.90%	91.18%	77,826	1,411	79,237	72,809	18.72%	91.89%
Trincomalee	255,948	340,158	163,255	453	163,708	0	0.00%	NA	87,760	5,372	93,132	80,843	31.59%	86.80%
Kurunegala	1,211,801	1,460,215	17,585	2,972	20,557	13,303	0.91%	64.71%	14,920	6,616	21,536	15,133	1.25%	70.27%
Puttalam	492,533	709,677	48,072	2,227	50,299	29,482	4.15%	58.61%	32,282	2,289	34,571	18,997	3.86%	54.95%
Anuradhapura	587,929	745,693	5,073	443	5,516	3,459	0.46%	62.71%	8,026	719	8,745	6,843	1.16%	78.25%
Polonnaruwa	261,563	358,984	7,034	194	7,228	6,592	1.84%	91.20%	5,267	124	5,391	4,781	1.83%	88.68%
Badulla	640,952	779,983	29,542	143,535	173,077	158,473	20.32%	91.56%	37,520	129,498	167,018	156,037	24.34%	93.43%
Moneragala	273,570	397,375	5,754	7,493	13,247	11,623	2.92%	87.74%	5,346	8,859	14,205	12,778	4.67%	89.95%
Ratnapura	797,087	1,015,807	28,740	82,591	111,331	96,738	9.52%	86.89%	19,094	84,740	103,834	92,156	11.56%	88.75%
Kegalle	684,944	785,524	14,908	44,202	59,110	51,662	6.58%	87.40%	15,074	45,752	60,826	53,854	7.86%	88.54%

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