Presentation at the Seminar on Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), held at Flinders

University, Adelaide, Australia on 15th and 16th October 2006.

Theme: How Buddhism influenced in CHT, Bangladesh
By: Ven. Pragya Jyoti, Foreign Envoy,
Parbatya Bhikkhu Sangha, Bangladesh.

Chairperson, Distinguished Guests, my dear Dhamma friends,

Historical Background:
Bangladesh is situated between lat. 20.34° and 26.38° north and between longitude 88.0° and 92.41°
east with having total area 55,598 sq. mile. It is a big delta situated in the river-mouths of the Ganges,
Meghna and Brahmaputra with some hilly area on the north-eastern region. The climate of Bangladesh is
moderate. So, people mostly live on agriculture. The total population are about 147 millions and almost
2 millions Buddhists in 2006. They are Chakmas, Baruas, Marmas and Tanchanyas. The Chakmas,
Marmas and Tanchangyas are living in the CHT. The Baruas are living in the plain districts. But there is
no record that Buddha came to Bangladesh during His life time and also no evidence during the time
Emperor Asoka.

After the Great Demise of Lord Buddha, the First Buddhist Council was held in Rajagaha under the
patronage of King Ajatasatru to preserve the teachings of Lord Buddha for the years to come. The
Second Buddhist Council was held at Vaisali during the reign of King Kalasoka one hundred years after
the Parinibbana of the Lord Buddha. The Third Buddhist Council was held in Pataliputra during the
reign of the King Asoka (218 - 260). During this period, the people practise their own way. All those
people ultimately arranged a Great Buddhist Council in Puruspura or Jalandhar under the leadership of
the Emperor Kanishka (621 - 644 B.E.). It was known as the council of the Heretical monks. This
council did not collect Tripitaka but commentaries which were known as Vibhasha-Shastra. At the
Council a new set of Scriptures in Sanskrit was approved together with fundamental Mahayana
principles. Through the influence of the Council, the works of the Scholars like Asvaghosa, Parsva,
Vasumitra and the encouragement of the royal patron Mahayana Buddhism spread steadily through
Central Asia to China and then to Korea and Japan. It was also spread in the South-Eastern countries of
Asia up to Java and Borneo. With the advent of the Mahayana School a great Buddhist educational
centre had been established at Nalanda. Nagaarjuna also spent many years of his life there. During the
Gupta period (B.E. 863 – 1010) the Nalanda became great University where 9 to 10 thousand monks
lived, teaching, studying and where various subjects were taught such as Buddhism, Logic, Philosophy,
Law, Medicine, Grammar, Yoga, Alchemy and Astrology. Nalanda was international centre for learning
Buddhism until it was destroyed by the Turks in about 1750 B.E. (1200 A.D.). Buddhism in various
forms appears to have been prevalent at the time of the Turkish conquest in 1202. The invading armies
apparently found numerous monasteries, which they destroyed in the belief that they were military
fortresses.
The flourishing of Buddhism in Bangladesh started from Gupta period and early centuries of the
Christian era. It has been clear that the Buddhism was the flow of Mahayana principles. Fa-hein
mentioned in his itinerary (399 - 414 A.D.) about the Kingdom of Champa on the Southern bank of the
Ganges when he came across much evidence of living Buddhism which was mostly Mahayana. In the
7th century Hiuen-Tssang, the famous Chinese pilgrim in India, recorded various accounts of the
persecution of Buddhism by Sasanka, the king of Gouda (North Western part of Bengal). He recorded
Mahayana Buddhism in various parts of Bangladesh with some Stobir schools.
From the 7th to 12th centuries the Mahayana school found a golden era in Bangladesh. Great Buddhist
monasteries in Paharpur, Somapura, Jagaddal, Vikrampur, Pattikeraha were established. Scholars like Sri
Atish Dipankar, Shilabadra, Shantiraksit appeared in Bangladesh and their scholastic works were
towards the Mahayana school, which ultimately absorbed Tantrism. The Buddhist lost the basic
principles of Buddhism.
During the 15th century (according to Dr. Heinz Bechert) one member of the Royal Family named
"Keyakcu" of Cakaria went to Moulmein in Burma and was ordained there under the tutelage of Ven.
Sharbu. His named was Ven. Chandra Jyoti Bhikkhu and stayed for 20 years in Burma to study the
scriptures. He came to Chittagong and established Temple in Sitakunda and Haidgaon. But he failed to
organise Sangha in Bangladesh. The people of Bangladesh remained darkness about Theravada
Buddhism. In the 19th century, Dr. B. M. Barua writes that Mahayana Buddhism which was prevailing in
Eastern India comprising Chittagong, CHT and Tripura. But, the Tantric faith, Hinduism and Animism
religious cults. As a result monks did not observe Vinaya rules and laities too lost their Buddhist ideals.
They used to observe many rites and rituals which have no connection with a Buddhist tradition.
At this critical moment Ven. Saramitta of Arakan came to visit India on a pilgrimage. He was well-
versed in Arakanese, Sanskrit and Pali. In the meantime the Chakma Kingdom was a Feudal State under
the British government and its ruler was Queen Kalindi (1830 - 1873). She invited Ven. Saramitta to
visit CHT. In 1864 Ven. Saramitta came to Bangladesh with his disciple Sangha in order to give full
ordination to who are like to ordain as Bhikkhu. During the "Mahamuni Fair" the auspicious occasion of
the Buddhists gave full ordination to a group of monks from Chittagong and CHT in Bangladesh. Many
Chakma, Marma and Barua monks were took full ordination in 1864. This was the first historic Full
ordination ceremony took place in Chittagong by which Theravada school was established under the
patronage of Queen Kalindi Rani. The Theravada School in Bangladesh was known as "Mahasthavir
Nikaya”. One of the groups of monks simple existed without observing proper Vinaya, they did not
participate. They called themselves as Mahathera-Nikaya. The most outstanding scholar of world repute
was Dr. B. M. Barua (1888-1948), Professor of Pali and Buddhism in Calcutta University. In 1944
during his visit to Sri Lanka on a lecture hour on Buddhism, the Vidyalankara University conferred him
with the title 'Tipitakacharya'. A brilliant disciple of Ven. Prajnaloka, the Ven. Shilalankar edited the
Buddhist journal "Sanghashakti" from 1933 to 1941 and succeeded in turning the journal as intellectual
and socio-religious mouthpiece for the Buddhist community which was confidently emerging into a
distinctive identity. He was also the secretary of the Buddhist Mission which was founded in 1928 by
Ven. Prajnaloka to propagate Buddhism through publication of Buddhist books and Suttas in Bengali,
setting up of a Pali institution, free religious schools and libraries.
Buddhism in CHT:
In the 5th to 12th centuries, CHT was flourished by Buddhist civilisation. From 13th to 14th centuries
Buddhism existed in the CHT. From 15th to 17th centuries, the CHT came under the control of three
feuding forces- the Mughal (Islam), the King of Tripura (Hindu) and King of Chakma (Buddhist).
During these 300 years until under the dominion of the British in 1774, Buddhism maintained a
flickering existence in this area. Some of the ancestors of the present day Buddhists also migrated in
CHT from the Bihar, India in the 11-12th centuries. During this period of Brahminism resurgence in
India, devout Buddhists had felt endangered and many fled from some areas of Northern India,
undertaking a long, arduous journey through Assam into Chittagong Hill Tracts.
In 18th century, Buddhism maintained its precarious existence and greatly degenerated. They began
worshiping deities’ alien to Buddhism and were even making small sacrifices in the name of gods.
Monks became ignorant of the Vinaya and performed the roles of priests for marriages and social
occasions. There were no religious books and debased forms of Suttas were chanted in a language,
which was a mixture of Pali and Arakanese.
The mid 19th century, was a turning point in the religious history of the Buddhists in Bangladesh.
When, Ven. Saramitta from Arakan came in 1864 to visit and see the condition of Buddhists which
incorporated with Tantric ritual and worship of various gods. After the Mahamuni Fair, Ven. Saramitta
Mahasthavir and his newly ordained disciples visited Rangamati by the invitation of Queen Kalindi
Rani. He organised a full ordination ceremony among the Chakma and Marma communities under the
patronage of Royal family; where large number of Buddhists resided in the CHT. They were largely of
the Chakma tribe, believed to be of Tibetan-Myanmar-Thai origin. Another group of Buddhists are the
Bomangs who are settlers from neighbouring Arakan from several hundred years ago. All these two
groups were thus united together in the common bond of Theravada Buddhism. Since then, hundred
percent the Theravada Buddhism became strong amongst the Chakmas, Marmas and Tanchanyas in the
CHT. The Theravada-based religious reformation movement inspired the monks and people of the
region. Eventually, they discarded their Tantric practices and other superstitions and the monks were
given fresh ordination and initiated into the Theravada monastic disciplines. This led to the
establishment of a reformed Bhikkhu Sangha popularly named as Sangharaja Nikaya or Mahasthavir
Nikaya in the CHT. During that period CHT was divided into three circles headed by three kings;
Chakma Raja in Rangamati, the Bohmong Raja in Bandarban and the Mong Raja in Manikchari. The
Raja's appoint their own Royal teacher (Rajguru) in their respective circles. The reformation movement
continued into the 20th century. This period also saw the emergence of a group of scholars on Buddhism
in CHT.
In 1945, Ven. Rajguru Aggawangsa Mahathero visited to Burma and studied Pali and Buddhist
scriptures for many years. After he returned from Burma, he propagated Pali and Buddhist scriptures and
trained Sangha in Vinaya and Sutta throughout the CHT. He became one of the outstanding scholars of
International repute amongst the Buddhist in Bangladesh. In 1985, he represented on behalf of CHT
Buddhist to UN conference on Human right and religious persecution at Geneva, Switzerland. He still
Rajguru of Chakma King at Rangamati.Ven. Bimal Bhikkhu, Ven. Pajnananda Mahathero and Ven.
Sumanalankar Mahathero are the most outstanding Buddhist scholars in missionary activities in CHT.
On the other hand, Ven. Sadanananda Mahathero (Bana Bhante) founded Theravada Forest Traditional
Monastic Order in CHT. He was spent 12 years as Kammathana (forest ascetic) in CHT. At present, his
tradition is most popularly dominated. More than 50 branches monasteries around the CHT and abroad.
People belief him that he attained Arahant. His teaching is both Samatha and Vipassana meditation. At
the present moment, the Buddhism influencing in groups as that Chakmas and Tanchanyas are
converting into Thai Tradition, the Marmas are Burmese tradition and Baruas are likely mixed with
Burmese and Sri Lanka. About more than hundred Indigenous Buddhist monks from CHT are studying
Pali and Buddhist scriptures in Thailand, Myanmar, Korea, India and Sri Lanka.
However, Religious persecution in the Chittagong Hill Tracts has been a marked feature since 1947
(Pakistani period) to till now, committed by the military and Islamic fundamentalists. As Buddhists
constitute a small fraction of the country's population, the community is constantly threatened. Forced
assimilation of the people into the majority culture of Bengali Muslim had been the policy of the
Government and the military since 1975. Religious persecution occurs in different forms including
forcible conversion of people from their native Buddhism, destruction and desecration of temples,
prevention of worship and forcible marriage.
Religious persecution :
Religious persecution takes place in the form of torture, murder, intimidation of the monks of the
Buddhist, Hindu and Christian faiths and deliberate and systematic destructions of places of
worship. The following information is just a small fraction after the Peace Accord in 1997that the
Bangladesh (BD) Government organised religious persecution committed against the Jumma people
of the CHT.

(1) On 6 August 2006 a group of Bengali settlers from Challyatali Mouza of Bhasanya Adam union
under Longadu sub-district in Rangamati district led by Rafique Uddin s/o Abdul Barek destroyed a
Buddhist temple of Challyatali village under Longadu upazila with an aim to occupy the land of
indigenous Jumma people. The Jumma villagers put objection to the UNO (executive officer)
against them and demanded to stop land grabbing and religious persecution. UNO formed a inquiry
committee with Chairman of Bhasanya Adam union Mr. Nurucchafa, Mr. Sukha Moy Chakma,
Commander of Challyatali BDR camp and local Kanungo (government employee on land) on 7
August. However, the Bengali settlers led by Rafique Uddin set fire the destroyed temple on 8
August. A case was filed with Longadu police station in connection with the arson. But no culprit
was arrested so far. It is mentionable that the temple was built with the financial assistance of
Ministry of CHT Affairs.

(2) On 26 August 2003, Bengali settlers launched a horrendous communal attack on the indigenous
Jumma people of Mahalchari Upazila under Khagrachari Hill District of CHT Region. As a result,
more than 350 indigenous Jumma households of 14 villages under five Moujas have been looted and
burnt to ashes. Moreover, more than 100 Jumma houses including four Buddhist temples, one
UNICEF run primary school, a good number of shops and statues of Lord Buddha have been
destroyed, ransacked and looted. Valuables worth over Taka 30 million have been destroyed. Two
Jumma people including one eight-month-old child have been murdered. Ten Jumma women have
been raped by the Bengali settlers.

(3) On May 27, 2003 a group of BDR led by Major Rashid brought down the signboard and the flag
of the Buddhist temple. They torched the residence of the Buddhist monks. Next day they threatened
the devotees who had gathered there for religious function. They imposed restriction of moving into
the area. The BDR personnel tied Mr. Sneha Moy Chakma and Mr. Kitta Mohan Chakma with a
pillar and dragged women out of the temple. A group of BDR led by Habilder Fazlu constructed a
camp on the temple land. On 31 May 2003, the BDR attempted to destroy the temple's structure but
they failed due to vehement protest and demonstration of the local people. The BDR camp is still
there on the temple ground. On 7 June 2003, the local people of Barkal submitted a memorandum to
the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

(4) On 14th February 1999, Rev. Lynin Bawm, a Jumma Christian Priest of Suanalu Para,
Rowangchari, Bandarban, was going to the local church to conduct the usual Sunday prayers. But
Major Asaduzzaman of Rowangchari army camp stopped him on the way and ordered him to make
a bamboo basket for him instead of going to the church. Rev. Bawm refused to carry out his orders.
In Islamic Bangladesh, to disobey the orders of the Muslim officers (however wrong their orders
might be) by the Jumma kafirs (infidels) is an unforgivable "offence". So, this arrogant military
officer mercilessly beat the innocent Jumma priest and critically injured him. Rev. Bawm was so
seriously injured that he had to be carried by the Jummas to Rowangchari Hospital for treatment.

(5) On 27th February 1998, a group of Muslim settlers under the instructions of the Bangladesh
Army ransacked and destroyed a Hindu Temple (Shiv Mandir) at Matiranga, Khagrachari District.
The Bangladesh Government did not take any action against the culprits.

With Metta,

Ven. Pragya Jyoti

Australia

Sources:
1. Buddhism: Critical concepts in religious studies by Paul Williams
2. www. angelfire.com
3. www. pcjss.org
4. www.buddhism.org