The island’s indigenous peoples are mythically framed as demons Buddha subdued.

Evidence

The Mahavamsa myth also claims Vijaya landed in Sri Lanka the day Lord Buddha died, thus suggesting the island was destined to be a repository for Theravada Buddhism and leading to the widely held Buddhist belief that the country is Sihadipa (island of the Sinhalese) and Dhammadipa (the island ennobled to preserve and propagate Buddhism). This belief is mainly influenced by the Mahavamsa’s claim that Lord Buddha visited Sri Lanka thrice: first in the southeast, where he forced the Yakshas (demons) into submission; second in the north, where he similarly forced the Nagas (snake beings) into submission; and third in the south and elsewhere to consecrate the island as a sanctuary for Buddhism. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 71

Categorization

• XREF: Relevant to manufactured-enmity research: the foundational myth already casts autochthonous non-Buddhists as demonic beings requiring divine subjugation, a template later projected onto Tamils. — connects to: Buddha’s mythic visits legitimize Sinhalese supremacy by subjugating indigenous beings — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 71

Broader Connections

• Buddha’s mythic visits legitimize Sinhalese supremacy by subjugating indigenous beings #corroborates (0.95) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 71