Building a Temple on Tamil Lands Is a Serious Mistake: Nainativu Nagadeepa Temple Chief Incumbent

04-Jan-2026

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The construction of a Buddhist temple on land belonging to Tamil residents, despite the availability of land owned by the Tissa Temple, is a serious mistake that should not have been committed by a Buddhist monk, said the Chief Incumbent of the Nainativu Nagadeepa Temple, Ven. Nawadagala Paduma Keerthi Tissa.

He made these remarks after leading a group of Buddhist monks to the Thaiyiddi temple site on Jan 2, where they met with landowners who had lost their property, inspected the former site of the Tissa Temple, and visited land legally belonging to it.

He stated that the land on which the Thaiyiddi Tissa Temple currently stands is privately owned and was acquired with the involvement of the military despite the temple already owning land elsewhere.

He emphasized that Buddhism teaches against taking others’ property and criticized the proposal to release the seized land in four phases, calling it deceptive and urging that all land be returned at once.

He said the public protest was justified and that both he and the Jaffna Nagadeepa Temple Chief Incumbent had spoken out in support of the affected residents. He noted that the Thaiyiddi Temple Chief Incumbent has since pledged not to proceed with further construction.

Calling on police authorities, including the Inspector General of Police, he urged them to stop filing cases against protesters and instead ensure their protection, stating that once the land is returned, the protests will naturally end.