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De Silva, M.U. (2004), Suppression of Buddhism under the British and the Resistance of the Buddhists” in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka New Series, Vol. XLIX Special Number on the Panadura Vadaya, 15-52

This refers to a significant academic paper written by Prof. M.U. De Silva, an eminent historian from Sri Lanka. [1, 2, 3]

Publication Details

• Author: M.U. De Silva
• Year: 2004
• Title: Suppression of Buddhism under the British and the Resistance of the Buddhists”
• Journal: Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka (New Series)
• Volume: Vol. XLIX (49)
• Special Issue: Special Number on the Panadura Vadaya (The Panadura Debate)
• Pages: 15–52 [1]

Key Themes of the Paper

This paper analyzes the historical challenges faced by Buddhism and its adherents following the British consolidation of power after 1815. [1, 2, 3, 4]

• Policy Shifts: It explores how the British colonial administration systematically withdrew the traditional state patronage historically granted by Sinhalese monarchs, despite guarantees initially made under the Kandyan Convention of 1815. [1, 2, 3]
• Institutional Loss: It documents how temple lands were confiscated or heavily taxed, and how state support shifted heavily toward Christian missionary organizations and educational systems. [1, 2]
• The Resistance: The second half of the paper focuses on the organized social, institutional, and literary resistance mounted by the Buddhist Sangha and the emerging local middle class. This movement eventually culminated in major public religious confrontations, most notably the Panadura Vadaya (Panadura Debate) of 1873. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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