Anagarika Dharmapala

Anagarika Dharmapala, born on September seventeenth, eighteen sixty-four, was a pivotal figure in the revival of Sinhala Buddhism in Sri Lanka. As a writer and reformer, he played a significant role in the western transmission of Buddhist teachings, alongside notable figures such as Henry Steel Olcott and Helena Blavatsky, the founders of the Theosophical Society.

His influence extended beyond Sri Lanka, inspiring a mass movement among South Indian Dalits, particularly Tamils, to embrace Buddhism. This movement emerged half a century before the efforts of B. R. Ambedkar, marking Dharmapala as a key figure in the social and religious transformation of the time.

In his later years, Dharmapala took on the monastic life, adopting the name Venerable Sri Devamitta Dharmapala. His dedication to Buddhism and its principles left a lasting legacy that continues to resonate within the Buddhist community today.