History of the Government Services Buddhist Association
Government Services Buddhist Association is the most longstanding Organisation
functioning on behalf of the government servants. Dias as the President under the name of Government Services and
Local Government Services Buddhist Congress. At the beginning the Congress was consisted
with representatives of 23 Buddhist Associations of Governmen
t Service and Local
Government Service. The initial reason for the inauguration of such an Organisation was to successfully
organise the Buddha Jayanthi festival which was celebrated throughout the year 1956 based
on the Vesak full moon day of the same year to mark the 2,500 th anniversary of the Maha
Parinibbana of the Gauthama Buddha. Objectives of the Association (then Congress) are to fulfil the religious, social, cultural
and educational requirements of Buddhists engaged in Government Service, to ensure the
inward purity of the same as well as to act for the benefit of the Buddhists in general. The Association, within the initial two decades of inauguration as a Congress, was
successful in acquiring various requirements such as successfully celebrating the Buddha
Jayanthi festival, introducing a national dress, preparing a list of pure Sinhala names,
declaring poya day as a public holiday etc. Nightlong Pirith Chanting Ceremony which takes place at the Independent House in
Independent Square every year on the New Year’s Eve, is a very special and iconic event
functioned by the Association (then Congress) since the year 1960 to date. The Ceremony
also includes an almsgiving on the next day morning, i.e. the first day of each year, for the
Buddhist monks who participated in Pirith chanting throughout the night. In 1980 the name of the Congress was converted to the present name, Government
Services Buddhist Association, by the new Constitution incorporated dated 28.10.1980. This
was a turning point where instead of Associations as a whole taking membership of the
Congress, this enabled individual government servants to get membership of the Association. The Association publishes and distributes free of charge an Annual magazine of
Buddhist articles called Vesak Sirisara to mark the Vesak full moon poya day of each year. This annual was previously published by the Sri Saddharmadana Samithiya in Panadura since
1935 and was subsequently handed over to the Association by its publisher Mr. H.P. Jayawardhana in 1991. Although the Association has more than 200 members who hold life membership, due
to the busy life style of current society there is a drawback in enrolment of new members as
well as actively participate in its activities. Accordingly, most of the office-bearers and
executive committee members of the Association are pensioners and mostly above 60 years
of age. Hence, the Association is trying its best to increase the number of membership in
service, who is capable of actively work for the sustainability of the Association.
