What is happening in Thaiyiddy?

What is happening in Thaiyiddy?

On December 21, 2025, a tense situation arose when members of the Valikamam North Pradeshiya Sabha (Local Governmant) were blocked by the Sri Lankan Police while attempting to carry out their legal duty of installing a “Notice of Illegal Construction” at the site of a vihara (Buddhist temple) built on occupied Tamil Peoples’s lands in Thaiyiddy. While the rightful landowners stood outside shouting, unable to enter their own property, and the local authorities were prevented from performing their duties, vehicles belonging to members of the Sinhala community were selectively allowed to enter as usual.

The subsequent arrest of Pradeshiya Sabha members and others involved in the ongoing protest has opened up spaces for dialogue regarding the rule of law, reconciliation, Sinhala-Buddhist majoritarianism, and the stance of successive Sri Lankan governments. Various parties have been commenting on the Thaiyiddy Tissa Vihara issue to suit their own narratives, and several conspiracy theories are being built around it. This article focuses its observations on what has happened and what is currently transpiring regarding the Thaiyiddy Vihara.

Two Different Lands

The Mahavamsa (ancient chronicle) reportedly mentions that a vihara existed in the Thaiyiddy area since the time of King Devanampiya Tissa, which Buddhists were later forced to abandon. The Viharadhipathi (Chief Monk) claims that the current vihara was rebuilt on that same historical site. However, there are no legal documents proving that this specific plot of land belongs to the vihara; the claim is based entirely on historical lore.

Separately from the land where the controversial vihara is built, another plot of land has been identified as a Buddhist place of worship. This is a 1.25-acre plot that a Tamil individual gave to a Sinhala individual named ‘Kalagama Arachchige Abraham Perera’ in 1946 in lieu of a debt. Later, on December 18, 1946, this Sinhalese individual donated that land to the Nainativu Naga vihara.

During that period, many Sinhala Buddhists lived there for work at the Kankesanthurai Cement Factory. Abraham Perera was one such employee. It is believed that after he donated the land, a small ashram and a vihara centered around a Bodhi tree were built in Thaiyiddy around 1946. Due to later ethnic riots, the Sinhalese were abandon the land and the temple, which reportedly fell into ruin after the 1970s.

The Construction of the Vihara

While the original 1.25-acre land belonging to the temple is located elsewhere, the new vihara construction was carried out on land belonging to Tamil civilians, under the claim that the Mahavamsa identified it as the site of the ancient Tissa Vihara. The foundation stone was laid by Reginald Cooray, who served as the Governor of the Northern Province during the Ranil-Maithripala “Good Governance” (Yahalapanaya) administration.

Despite the 1.25-acre temple land being in a different spot, a 100-foot tall stupa was built on 7 acres of privately owned civilian land in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, under the supervision of the Army Commander Shavendra Silva and despite public opposition. Subsequently, other related constructions were carried out in surrounding areas. During the civil war, the residents of this area had to flee their land, which was then seized by the Sri Lankan military and declared a High Security Zone (HSZ) adjacent to the Palaly Military Base.

Illegal Construction

The owners of the lands where the controversial Tissa Vihara is currently built hold legal title deeds. These deeds have been verified as authentic, with some dating back to 1928.

Notably, the current Chief Monk of the Nainativu Nagavihara, the custodian of the original 1.25-acre land donated in 1946, has expressed his strong opposition to the illegal vihara built on occupied civilian land. He stated:

“The current controversial Tissa Vihara, built by occupying the lands of the people in a different location, is an unauthorized construction. It was built by certain military officers despite knowing that the people hold the deeds.”

Legally, any construction must obtain approval from the relevant local government body (Pradeshiya Sabha). To date, no such legal requirements have been met. On December 18, 2025, the Valikamam North Pradeshiya Sabha unanimously passed a resolution to declare the Thaiyiddy Tissa Vihara an “Illegal Building” and to install notice boards in all three languages.

When council members went to install the board on December 21, 2025, they were blocked by the Sri Lankan police. It is noteworthy that the Sri Lankan government has taken no action against the police officers who obstructed local authorities from performing their legal duties.

Watch : Statement by the Chief Monk of the Nainativu Nagavihara

Promotion of the Viharadhipathi

Amidst this controversy, Jin Thota Nandarama Thero, the Chief Monk of the Thaiyiddy Tissa Vihara, was appointed as the Chief Sanghanayaka of Northern Sri Lanka for the Amarapura Sri Kalyana Wansa sect. The ceremony to vest him with high religious authority was held on December 21, 2025, co-chaired by Sri Lankan Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and Buddhasasana Minister Sunil Senevi.

The Valikamam North Pradeshiya Sabha condemned the promotion for the monk of an illegal vihara. During a protest held in front of the temple on the day of the ceremony, several individuals, including Chairman of the Vali. East Pradeshiya Sabha T. Nirosh, Council Member P. Sarujan, and Velan Swamigal, were arrested and later released on bail.

Ongoing Non-Violent Struggles

The primary demands of the protesters remain the removal of the illegal vihara built on occupied land and the release of private property to its rightful owners. Landowners, local residents, members of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), and civil society activists continue to hold non-violent protests on every Poya day and other significant dates.

The Sri Lankan police frequently obtain court injunctions to stop these protests. Despite tensions and arrests, protesters continue to register their opposition peacefully by waving black flags and Tamil national (Red-Yellow) flags without disturbing public peace.

Stance of the Sri Lankan Government

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has repeatedly stated during his visits to Jaffna that “lands belonging to the people must be returned to them.” He made such remarks at the Jaffna District Coordinating Committee meeting (Jan 31, 2025), a National People’s Power (NPP) rally in Kilinochchi (April 26, 2025), and during the opening of the regional immigration office in Jaffna (Sept 1, 2025).

However, the current NPP government has been in power for over a year. The events surrounding the Thaiyiddy Vihara suggest a deliberate delay in implementing the “Rule of Law” and the promise to return civilian lands.

During talks organized by the Ministry of Buddhasasana to reach a compromise, it was proposed that the vihara would not be removed, but surrounding additional lands would be released and the vihara would be transferred from military control to the Department of Buddhist Affairs. The legal landowners rejected this, insisting on the full return of their ancestral land and the removal of the vihara.

On June 12, 2025, I. Chandrasekaran, an NPP Central Committee member and Minister of Fisheries, announced at a coordination meeting that the government plans to provide compensation or alternative land to the Tamil people instead of removing the illegally built vihara.

This suggests that the NPP government, which came to power promising to uphold the law, is instead working to regularize and legalize an illegal occupation. This has raised fears among displaced Tamils that their land issues may be “settled” in the future without genuine justice or the restoration of their original properties.