The Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has released a stamp commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Sinhala nationalist leader Anagarika Dharmapala, who was a Buddhist revivalist and independence activist during colonial rule.

“The release of the commemorative postage stamp on Anagarika Dharmapala will contribute towards further strengthening the bilateral ties between India and Sri Lanka and bring the two nations closer,” President Mukherjee said, according to The Sunday Times.

“This stamp release on one of the apostles of Buddhism, once again reminds us to work relentlessly and collectively to ensure an era of peace, stability and friendly bilateral and multilateral ties in order to create an enabling environment for the rapid socio-economic development of the people,” Mukherjee said.

“The relations between the two countries have withstood the test of time and socio-cultural exchanges for centuries have fostered further close cooperation in various fields. Both countries have much to learn and imbibe from each other in order to resolve various issues which are the legacies of a protracted period of colonial rule”, he added.

The president highlighted Dharmapala's key role in the history of Sinhala Buddhist nationalism.

“Anagarika Dharmapala was one of the founding contributors of Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism and was also a pioneer in the revival of Buddhism in India. He not only embraced Buddhism but also lent it a Sinhalese nationalist character. He waged a protracted struggle to protect and conserve the foundations of Buddhism in its place of birth, India. He joined the Theosophical Society and spearheaded the reform and revival of Ceylonese Buddhism and its propagation."

Dharmapala was hostile to other religions and believed that Buddhism in Sri Lanka was threatened with extinction, making the ascendancy of Sinhala Buddhism his mission.

"This bright, beautiful island was made into a paradise by the Aryan Sinhalese before its destruction was brought about by the barbaric vandals. Its people did not know irreligion ... Christianity and polytheism [i.e. Hinduism] are responsible for the vulgar practices of killing animals, stealing, prostitution, licentiousness, lying and drunkenness ... The ancient, historic, refined people, under the diabolism of vicious paganism, introduced by the British administrators, are now declining slowly away," Dharmapala is quoted in a book by Anand Guruge, published by Sri Lanka's Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, in 1965.