A pirivena (plural: piriven) is a monastic college for the education of monks in Sri Lanka. In ancient time, they were also centers of secondary and higher education for lay people. As of 2018, 753 piriven have been founded and maintained by the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. Young monks undergo training at these piriven prior to their

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...

History

Ancient

By 100 CE, a pirivena represented one of the highest levels of education in Sinhalese communities, and was the most common centralized educational institution on the island. Prior to this, an education was historically reserved for people attached to the religious establishment, and it would have then been the jobs of these people to traverse the villages and teach skills to the lay people, and therefore the vast majority of the island's people historically did not attend any formal educational institution. The Buddhist doctrine however prefers that lay people are also educated, and unlike the institutions in mainland India, the pirivena would have been attended by lay people as well. The term is derived from the

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...

word for 'living quarters', referring to how these institutions were aimed at teaching priests and monks on the island. It is mostly unique to Sri Lanka but similar to universities found in mainland India. The Mahavihara and Abhayagirivihara, commissioned through royal patronage from around 300 BCE, were among the first educational institutions to adopt this system of education.

Colonialism

The first European colonialists arrived on the shores of the island in 1505, with the Portuguese, the first to successfully conquer the island, being quite aggressive in spreading their faith. They managed to convert King

Dharmapala of Kotte Dharmapala or Dom João Dharmapala Peria Bandara (1541 – 27 May 1597) was last king of the Kingdom of Kotte, in present-day Sri Lanka, from 1551 until 27 May 1597. He is also known as Dom João Dharmapala, the first Christian king in Sri Lan ...

, the apostate king eventually stopped state funding for these Buddhist educational institutions. The pirivena education system saw a rapid decline in Sri Lanka’s coastal areas, but the system continued to flourish in the Central Kandy Kingdom until the British conquest.

Structure

The Mulika level offers five years of education and is the most basic level of education. The students are taught six subjects; Pali, Sanskrit, Sinhala, English, '' Tipitaka'' studies and mathematics. This is followed by a final examination that can be used to advance to the next level. The Maha level offers higher education, allowing students to enter a variety of subjects including philosophy, the history of religions, linguistics, Ayurveda, and astrology. The Vidyayathana level offers the highest level of education and it similar to the university-level. Two major universities in Colombo, the University of Kelaniya and University of Sri Jayewardenepura, are actually ''piriven vidyayathana'' renamed.

Notable examples

* Vidyalankara Pirivena (later the

Vidyalankara University Pannaya Parisujjhati , mottoeng = Self-purification is by insight , established = 1875 Vidyalankara Pirivena1959 Vidyalankara University , type = Public , endowment = , adminis ...

) * Vidyodaya Pirivena (later the

Vidyodaya University Vidyodaya School is a private college-preparatory combined-grades school located in Thevakkal, Kochi, India. It provides comprehensive school education from lower primary to grade 12. About Established in 1990-91 the school conducts classes fr ...

) *Parama Dhamma Chethiya Pirivena, a Pirivena in

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia ( si, දෙහිවල-ගල්කිස්ස, translit=Dehivala-Galkissa; ta, தெஹிவளை-கல்கிசை, translit=Tehivaḷai-Kalkicai), population 245,974 (2012) is the largest suburb of the City of ...

, established by Ven. Walane Sri Siddhartha Maha Thera in 1841. *Sunethradevi Pirivena, a 600yr-old Pirivena in Pepiliyana, constructed by King

Parakramabahu VI Parâkramabâhu VI (1410/1412/1415–1467) was a king in the Sri Lankan kingdom of Kotte. He is the last great king in Sri Lanka who managed to unite the island under one flag. His rule is famous for the political stability which he maintained i ...

of the

Kingdom of Kotte The Kingdom of Kotte ( si, කෝට්ටේ රාජධානිය, Kottay Rajadhaniya), named after its capital, Kotte, was a Sinhalese kingdom that flourished in Sri Lanka during the 15th century. Kotte, under the rule of Ming-backed ...

in honour of his mother, Queen Sunethradevi.

References