The State and Religion in Ceylon Since 1815

The work begins by tracing the historical background of Buddhism, including the Buddha’s life, the spirit of Buddhism, the organization of the monastic order, Aśoka’s patronage, Buddhist missions, the growth of Buddhist institutions, and the establishment of Buddhism in Ceylon. It then moves into the religious and political history of Ceylon, discussing Buddhist art, inscriptions, ancient Ceylonese civilization, relations with India, the Court of Kandy, the impact of Portuguese and Dutch rule, and the survival of Buddhist institutions under foreign pressure. The central body of the book focuses on British rule after 1815, especially the Kandyan Convention, the British Government’s declared responsibility toward Buddhism, the question of the Tooth Relic, temple administration, Buddhist priests, confiscation of monastic property, the 1848 rebellion, and official efforts to regulate or distance the colonial state from Buddhist religious affairs. The later documentary sections reproduce evidence, proclamations, draft ordinances, property records, petitions, and official materials, giving the reader direct access to the administrative and political mechanisms through which religion and state power interacted in colonial Ceylon.