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| Ramanna Nikāya | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ramanna Nikāya |
| Founded | 19th century |
| Founder | Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera |
| Headquarters | Sri Lanka |
| Denomination | Theravāda |
Ramanna Nikāya is a Theravāda monastic order in Sri Lanka with historical connections to Burmese and Siamese ordination lineages and influence across South and Southeast Asia. It emerged during the 19th century amid interactions involving colonial authorities, indigenous reformers, missionary networks, and regional monastic actors from Burma and Siam. The order has played roles in Sri Lankan religious life alongside other nikāyas, engaging with political movements, educational initiatives, and international Buddhist exchanges.
The formation of the order occurred during a period marked by contacts among figures linked to British Ceylon, Konbaung dynasty, Kingdom of Siam, Burmese Buddhism, British Empire, and local elites such as members of the Lascarin, Mudaliyar families; missionary-era debates involved personalities connected to Colebrooke–Cameron Commission, Donoughmore Commission, and emergent nationalist leaders. Key episodes include ordination journeys that referenced institutions like Shwedagon Pagoda, Wat Pho, Sagaing Hill, and encounters with clergy from Mon people, Bamar people, Thai Sangha Supreme Council, and reformers associated with Dhammayuttika Nikaya and Sāsana. Colonial legal contexts such as the Colebrooke–Cameron reforms and later constitutional changes influenced monastic registration and property disputes involving actors connected to Ceylon Legislative Council, Soulbury Commission, and post-independence administrations.
Foundational ordinations trace links to communities that engaged with Burmese ordination lines at centers associated with Mahamuni Temple, Mandalay, Amarapura, and Thai ordination traditions centered on Bangkok, Ayutthaya, and Wat Bowonniwet Vihara. Prominent founding monks undertook journeying comparable to pilgrims to Bodh Gaya, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and were in contact with clerics from Rangoon, Chiang Mai, Siam, and Lower Burma communities. Lineage negotiations involved figures who corresponded or met representatives of institutions like the Sangha Supreme Council (Thailand), State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (Myanmar), and regional patrons such as princely houses and colonial administrators linked to Kandy, Colombo, Galle, and Jaffna.
The order’s governance resembles hierarchical models influenced by metropolitan monastic administrations such as the Maha Nayaka system, with leadership roles comparable to abbots at monasteries like Malwathu Maha Vihara and Asgiriya Chapter though distinct in lineage recognition. Monastic education networks engaged with institutions that parallel seminaries and colleges similar to curricula at Parama Dhamma Chethiya Viharaya and teaching exchanges with centers in Yangon, Chiang Rai, Vientiane, and Colombo University affiliates. Administrative interactions have involved registration with government ministries, cooperation with bodies like the Department of Buddhist Affairs, and negotiation over land held by trusts similar to arrangements seen at Temple of the Tooth custodianship.
Ritual life incorporates Pāli-canonical recitations drawn from texts associated with editions like the Tipiṭaka circulated in editions from Rangoon, Bangkok, and Sri Lankan printing houses; liturgical forms show affinities with Burmese uposatha observances, Thai biannual recensions, and Sri Lankan pirivena pedagogy connected to institutions such as Ruhunu University-era scholars. Monks observe the Vinaya codes practiced in line with interpretations influenced by interactions with teachers from Amarapura Nikaya, Dhammayuttika Nikaya, and regional meditation traditions exemplified by lineages from Mahasi Sayadaw, Ajahn Chah, and the Thai Forest Tradition. Rituals for ordination, funerary rites, and seasonal observances engage communities that have historic ties to festivals at Esala Perahera, Poson Poya, Vesak, and regional pilgrimage circuits including Adam's Peak.
Important centers associated with the order include vihāras and temples in urban and rural settings across provinces such as Central Province, Sri Lanka, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, and Western Province, Sri Lanka. Several monasteries have been sites of exchanges with delegations from Wat Arun, Wat Phra Kaew, Shwezigon Pagoda, and Burmese monastic colleges in Mandalay. These sites host education programs akin to pirivena systems found at Vidyalankara Pirivena and cultivate alumni who later appear in bodies like the Sri Lanka Sangha Council and civic institutions.
Leading monks associated with the order have had public profiles interacting with political leaders such as members of the United National Party, Sri Lanka Freedom Party, and figures in postcolonial cabinets; they have also corresponded with international Buddhist figures like Anagarika Dharmapala, Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala, D. S. Senanayake, and later statesmen who engaged religious constituencies. Scholarly and reformist personalities maintained ties with universities and movements connected to Colombo University, Peradeniya University, Ceylon Medical College, and publishing houses that produced commentaries on Pāli texts.
In recent decades the order has navigated relationships with modern political currents involving parties such as Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Jathika Hela Urumaya, and governmental agencies during eras marked by conflicts like the Sri Lankan Civil War and reconciliation efforts engaging institutions such as the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation. The order participates in transnational networks with monasteries in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and diasporic communities in United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and United States, collaborating on education, cultural preservation, and temple-building projects similar to initiatives by other Sri Lankan orders in the global Buddhist diaspora.
Category:Theravada Buddhist orders Category:Buddhism in Sri Lanka