{"id":157529,"date":"2026-07-27T16:47:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T23:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=157529"},"modified":"2026-07-27T16:47:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T23:47:22","slug":"buddhism-in-ceylon-under-the-christian-powers-and-the-educational-and-religious-policy-of-the-british-government-in-ceylon-1797-1832-is-a-seminal-historical-study-written-by-the-prominent-sri-lan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/07\/27\/buddhism-in-ceylon-under-the-christian-powers-and-the-educational-and-religious-policy-of-the-british-government-in-ceylon-1797-1832-is-a-seminal-historical-study-written-by-the-prominent-sri-lan\/","title":{"rendered":"“Buddhism in Ceylon Under the Christian Powers and the Educational and Religious Policy of the British Government in Ceylon, 1797-1832” is a seminal historical study written by the prominent Sri Lankan (Buddhist Sinhalese) scholar Tennakoon Vimalananda and published in 1963.\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI\u00a0 OVERVIEW<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

The book provides a meticulous, document-backed critique of how early British colonial administration dismantled the traditional status of Buddhism in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) while establishing institutional dominance through Christian missions and Western education. [1<\/a>, 2<\/a>, 3<\/a>, 4<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Core Historical Context (1797\u20131832)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The period covered by Vimalananda spans from the immediate aftermath of the British displacing the Dutch in the maritime provinces (1796) to the implementation of the Colebrooke-Cameron Reforms<\/strong> in 1832. [1<\/a>, 2<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The Dual Policy of Treaties and Subversion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the British captured the Kandyan Kingdom in 1815, signing the Kandyan Convention<\/strong>, Article 5 explicitly stated that Buddhism was declared “inviolable” and its rites, ministers, and places of worship were to be maintained and protected. However, Vimalananda details how the British government subtly and systemically violated this pledge. They viewed the close relationship between the Buddhist monastic order (the Sangha<\/em>) and local governance as a threat to colonial stability. [1<\/a>, 2<\/a>, 3<\/a>, 4<\/a>, 5<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Education as an Instrument of Evangelization<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this era, the British government outsourced the island’s primary education system to Protestant Christian missionary bodies, including the Church Missionary Society (CMS)<\/strong>, the Wesleyan Methodists<\/strong>, and the Baptists<\/strong>. [1<\/a>, 2<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n