Burning of this library was a part of the long campaign of cultural genocide in Sri Lanka. Many irreplaceable ancient books important to the Tamils’ ancient history were destroyed and lost forever.”— Tamils for Biden
Jaffna Library, day after the burning
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The burning of the Jaffna Public Library took place on the night of June 1, 1981, when an organized mob of Sinhalese aided by the Sri Lankan government”went on a rampage, burning the library. It was one of the most violent examples of ethnic biblioclasm of the 20th century.
The library had been built in 1933, and prior to the arson attack it was one of the biggest libraries in Asia, containing over 97,000 books and manuscripts.
Moreover, it housed close to 100,000 Tamil books and rare, old manuscripts and documents. Some of the precious documents were written on dried palm leaves and stored in fragrant sandalwood boxes. Documents in the library included historical scrolls on herbal medicine and the manuscripts of prominent intellectuals, writers, and dramatists – and they wound up in ash
The burning of this library was a part of the long campaign of cultural genocide in Sri Lanka. Although the library was able to reopen, many irreplaceable ancient books important to the Tamils’ ancient history were destroyed and lost forever.
The world needs to wake up and help prevent the Tamil people and their culture from being eradicated form their own native homeland.
Thank you,
Tamils for Biden
