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| Siyam Nikaya | |
|---|---|
| Name | Siyam Nikaya |
| Founded | 1753 |
| Founded in | Kandy |
| Headquarters | Temple of the Tooth |
| Traditions | Theravada |
| Languages | Pali, Sinhala |
| Notable people | Upali Thera, Siyagalle Dhammasami, Ambagahawatte Indrasara |
Siyam Nikaya
The Siyam Nikaya is a major Theravada Buddhist monastic fraternity based in Kandy, Sri Lanka, associated with orthodox ordination lineages and custodianship of key ritual sites. Originating in the mid‑18th century, it has played central roles in religious restoration, royal patronage, and interactions with colonial powers, while maintaining links to monastic centers across South and Southeast Asia. Its institutional memory connects to historic figures, regional polities, and transnational Buddhist networks that shaped modern Sinhala Buddhism.
The foundation narrative centers on mid‑18th century events in the Kingdom of Kandy, with connections to monarchs such as Vira Narendra Sinha and Sri Vikrama Rajasinha and interactions with foreign actors like the British East India Company, Portuguese Empire, and Dutch East India Company. Key personnel in early reform include monks who traveled to Tavoy and Thailand for higher ordination, engaging with clergy from Ayutthaya Kingdom, Chiang Mai, and the Mon people. The 1753 re‑ordination effort invoked precedents from the Mahavamsa corpus and mirrored earlier contacts with Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa traditions. During the Kandyan period the Nikaya cooperated with royal institutions at the Temple of the Tooth and with lay elites such as the Kandyan aristocracy, while later adapting to colonial legal environments framed by the Ceylonese colonial administration and the Colebrooke–Cameron Commission era. The 19th and 20th centuries saw reforms and schisms influenced by figures linked to the Buddhist Revival, interactions with reformers like Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera, and contacts with international actors including Anagarika Dharmapala, Henry Steele Olcott, and monastics from Myanmar and Thailand.
Institutional structure reflects hierarchical sangha arrangements tied to regional chapters, with headquarters activities centered at the Temple of the Tooth complex in Kandy. Lineage tables reference ordination chains traced through monastics connected to Upali Thera and later leading elders affiliated with chapters in Matale District, Kurunegala District, and Gampaha District. Governance mechanisms include councils of senior monks comparable to convenings at the Vihara Maha Devi Park precincts and administrative committees interacting with bodies such as the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance era institutions and the Sangha Act frameworks. The Nikaya’s internal families led to subsidiary lineages recognizable by monastery names including Ratmalana Raja Maha Vihara, Pothgul Viharaya, and Asgiriya Chapter, while relations with other Sri Lankan nikayas involved negotiation with elders from Ramanna Nikaya and Amarapura Nikaya traditions.
Ordination (upasampadā) protocols emphasize dual‑stage initiation consistent with Theravada precedent recorded in the Visuddhimagga tradition and Pali Vinaya practices codified at historic councils like the Third Buddhist Council. Procedures historically involved sending candidates to seek higher ordination from senior bhikkhus influenced by monastic centers in Thailand, Myanmar, and Burma‑derived lineages. Rituals occur within precincts such as the Dalada Maligawa and use canonical recitation practices tied to the Pali Canon reciters from Mahavihara traditions. Monastic discipline covers patimokkha observances, cloistered study of commentarial literature attributed to authors like Buddhaghosa, and communal roles in annual observances such as the Esala Perahera and kathina ceremonies at major viharas. Lay‑monk relations include almsround traditions in urban settings like Colombo and rural cultivation of dana networks linked to families in Kandy District.
The Nikaya has been a principal custodian of ritual authority, heritage preservation, and scholastic training, intersecting with institutions such as the University of Peradeniya and the Buddhist Cultural Centre. It has influenced Sinhala religious identity alongside movements led by individuals like Anagarika Dharmapala and organizations including the Theosophical Society when reform and revival currents converged in public life. The order has engaged in education through monastic schools associated with temples like Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil environs and with social outreach during crises involving actors like the Sri Lankan Civil War‑era relief networks. Its public profile extends into media through newspapers and journals that debated issues with politicians from parties such as the United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
Important centers associated with the Nikaya include the Sri Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth), Asgiriya Raja Maha Vihara, Malwathu Maha Viharaya, Ruwanwelisaya connections in ceremonial networks, and regional monasteries like Gangaramaya Temple and Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara where ritual leadership has intersected with national events. Other affiliated monasteries and hermitages are found in historical sites including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla Cave Temple, and monasteries in Galle and Matara District that host annual observances and training programs.
The Nikaya has faced tensions over caste‑based restrictions on ordination, disputes involving custodianship of reliquaries and temple property contested by elites and the state, and conflicts during colonial and postcolonial legal reforms such as cases engaging the Privy Council and national courts. Debates on modernization prompted internal reformers influenced by figures like Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera and external interlocutors from Myanmar and Thailand, while social activists and scholars at institutions like University of Colombo have critiqued institutional practices. Contemporary controversies have involved succession disputes at major chapters, challenges over transparency in temple administration, and reform movements advocating inclusive ordination practices resonating with international dialogues involving monastics from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and the United States.
Category:Buddhist orders