Visit of the Members of Tripitaka Tamil Foundation
On the 23rd of May 2023, a delegation from the Tripitaka Tamil Foundation, consisting of Associate Professor K. Jeyabaalan (Department of Tamil, Government College for Men, Chennai), Prof. R. Mallika (Former Head of the Department of Tamil, Ethiraj College, Chennai), Mr. Anban (Retired Railway Officer, Researcher of Buddhist Philosophy), Mr. B.V. Murali Krishnan, and Mr. Aadhi Venkateshan (Attorney at Law, Chennai High Court), visited the Buddhist and Pali University. The purpose of their visit was to discuss the propagation of Buddhism in Tamil Nadu, India. The members of the foundation expressed a deep interest in and admiration for Buddhism. They emphasized the need for Dhamma dissemination programs in the Tamil language within Tamil Nadu, aimed at sharing the teachings of the Buddha among the Tamil community. To accomplish this, the Tripitaka Tamil Foundation sought the assistance of the Buddhist and Pali University. Additionally, they highlighted the urgent requirement for Buddhist monks in Tamil Nadu to deliver Dhamma sermons and perform Buddhist rituals for the benefit of the Buddhist population in the region.
Recognizing the importance of these endeavors, the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka agreed to support the Pali Canon Translation Project initiated by the Tripitaka Tamil Foundation. Furthermore, both parties agreed to establish a student exchange program between a university in Chennai and the Buddhist and Pali University. The objective of this program is to provide students with knowledge of Buddhism and the Tamil language, with the ultimate goal of producing competent Buddhist monks capable of preaching the Dhamma in Tamil.
During the discussion, the delegation interacted with several representatives from the Buddhist and Pali University, including the Vice Chancellor, Ven. Prof. Neluwe Sumanawansa Thero; the Dean of the Faculty of Buddhist Studies, Senior Lecturer Ven. Ilukewela Dhammarathana Thero; the Dean of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, Ven. Prof. Moragollagama Uparathana Thero; the Director of the Internal Quality Assurance Centre, Ven. Prof. Wawwe Dhammarakkhitha Thero; the Head of the Department of Pali, Senior Lecturer Ven. Dr. Kotiyagala Uparathana Thero; the Head of the Department of Language Skills Development, Senior Lecturer Dr. Indiwaree Wickramasinghe; and Senior Lecturer in Hindi, Dr. Nirosha Salwathura, and Senior Lecturer in Tamil, Ms. Narayanan Mallikadevi.
Head - Department of Language Skills Development
