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| Kandy Temple Library | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kandy Temple Library |
| Established | c. 17th century |
| Location | Kandy, Central Province, Sri Lanka |
| Type | Monastic library |
| Collection size | Manuscripts, palm-leaf codices, printed books, lithographs |
Kandy Temple Library
The Kandy Temple Library is a historic monastic repository located within the complex of the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Serving as a center for Buddhist scholarship, liturgical study, and manuscript preservation, the library has long connected local monastic communities with regional and international networks of Theravada Buddhism, Sri Lankan royal and colonial patrons, and scholarly institutions such as the British Library, the Bodelian Libraries, and universities across South Asia. Its holdings and architecture reflect interactions with courts like the Kingdom of Kandy, colonial administrations like the British Empire, and religious reform movements including the Temperance Movement (Sri Lanka) and the Buddhist revival movement.
The library's origins are tied to the late medieval and early modern history of the Kingdom of Kandy and the custodianship of the Sacred Tooth Relic by Kandyan monarchs such as Vimaladharmasuriya I and Rajasinha II. Throughout the 17th–19th centuries the institution accumulated palm-leaf manuscripts produced by monastic skrivanijas linked to lineages like the Malwathu Maha Vihara and the Asgiri Maha Viharaya. During the period of Portuguese, Dutch, and British Empire contact, the library's collections witnessed cataloging efforts and occasional displacement related to events such as the 1796 Capture of Colombo and the Kandyan Convention. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries figures of the Buddhist revival movement including Anagarika Dharmapala and clerical leaders associated with Malwatte Chapter engaged with preservation campaigns, while colonial scholars from institutions like the Royal Asiatic Society and the Imperial Library (India) undertook descriptions and transfers. Modern conservation projects have involved partnerships with the National Library and Documentation Services Board (Sri Lanka), UNESCO initiatives, and academic centers at the University of Peradeniya and School of Oriental and African Studies.
Physically sited within the precincts of the Temple of the Tooth, the library occupies purpose-built structures and adapted vihara rooms adjacent to shrines and monastic cells associated with the Malwathu Vihara complex and the Asgiriya Vihara complex. Architectural features show Kandyan-period timber carpentry, terracotta tile roofing, and carved wooden pillars similar to those seen in Kandyan art and royal palace architecture exemplified by the Royal Palace of Kandy. Layouts typically include manuscript storerooms, reading chambers, and shrine rooms reflecting liturgical integration akin to other monastic libraries at sites like Aluvihare Rock Temple and Mihintale. Conservation interventions have retrofitted climate control, anti-insect measures, and shelving systems comparable to projects at the National Museum of Colombo.
The library preserves a range of materials: palm-leaf manuscripts (ola), ola-binding sets, paper codices, rare printed books, paritta collections, and ritual commentaries connected to texts such as the Tipitaka and local commentarial traditions like the Saddharma Pundarika. Holdings include works in Pali language, Sinhala language, and Sanskrit, with genres covering vinaya treatises, Abhidhamma expositions, chronicle materials related to the Mahavamsa, and local chronicles tied to the Kingdom of Kandy. The collection also contains lithographs, temple registers, genealogies of monastic lineages, and epigraphic transcriptions comparable to items in the International Dunhuang Project and regional manuscript repositories such as the Gampola collections. Some manuscripts exhibit colophons referencing patrons like members of the House of Kandy or donors linked to families such as the Kandyan nobility and colonial administrators.
Administrative oversight has traditionally been ecclesiastical, with custodians drawn from the Sangha leadership attached to the Temple precincts, including abbots of the Malwathu Maha Vihara and the Asgiri Maha Viharaya. Contemporary management involves cooperation with statutory bodies like the Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka) and advisory input from international conservation bodies including UNESCO and specialist centers at the British Library and National Archives of Sri Lanka. Preservation strategies combine traditional care practices (re-oiling ola leaves, ritual handling) with scientific conservation—deacidification, digitization, and database cataloging using standards promoted by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.
As part of the Temple of the Tooth complex, the library functions within ritual cycles associated with the veneration of the Sacred Tooth Relic and public ceremonies such as the Esala Perahera. It has been integral to monastic education systems linked to institutions like the Parivena monastic schools, supporting chanting traditions, ordination curricula, and the transmission of commentarial lines associated with scholars such as Kumara Bandara-era commentators. The library is a symbol of Kandyan religious identity and national heritage invoked in discussions involving the Sri Lankan independence movement and cultural patrimony debates in forums such as the National Heritage Committee (Sri Lanka).
Access policies combine monastic privilege with scholarly access: primary use by ordained readers, ritual custodians, and affiliated parivena students, while researchers may obtain permission through administrative offices connected to the Temple authorities and the Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). Services have expanded to include supervised reading, digitized surrogates, conservation consultations, and guided heritage orientation akin to services at the National Library of Sri Lanka. Outreach programs have targeted university collaborations with the University of Colombo, the University of Peradeniya, and foreign research centers such as SOAS University of London.
The library has featured in cataloging projects, conservation workshops, and symposia hosted by entities like UNESCO, the British Council, and the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka. Notable events include exhibition loans to the National Museum of Colombo and participation in manuscript digitization initiatives led by the Sanskrit Commission and regional manuscript networks connecting repositories such as Aluvihare Library and the Gampola archives. Research centers and scholars affiliated with the library span local institutions (e.g., University of Peradeniya departments of Buddhist Studies) and international projects at SOAS, the University of Oxford, and the University of Leiden.
Category:Libraries in Sri Lanka Category:Buddhist libraries Category:Buildings and structures in Kandy