Rāmañña Nikāya ( pi, label=none, script=sinh, රාමඤ්ඤ නිකාය, also spelled Ramanya Nikaya) was one of the three major

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

orders in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It was founded in 1864 when Ambagahawatte Saranankara, returned to

after being ordained by the Neyyadhamma Munivara

Sangharaja Sangharaja (Pāli: ''sangha'' religious community + ''raja'' ruler, king, or prince) is the title given in many Theravada Buddhist countries to a senior monk who is the titular head either of a monastic fraternity ( nikaya), or of the ''Sangha'' t ...

of Ratnapunna Vihara in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

. It was one of three Sri Lankan orthodox Buddhist monastic orders, along with

Siam Nikaya The Siam (also Siyamopali and Siyam) Nikaya is a monastic order within Sri Lankan Buddhism, founded by Upali Thera and located predominantly around the city of Kandy. It is so named because it originated within Thailand (formerly known in Sri Lan ...

and

Amarapura Nikaya Amarapura ( my, အမရပူရ, MLCTS=a. ma. ra. pu ra., , ; also spelt as Ummerapoora) is a former capital of Myanmar, and now a township of Mandalay city. Amarapura is bounded by the Irrawaddy river in the west, Chanmyathazi Township in t ...

. On 16 August 2019, the Amarapura and Rammana Nikaya were unified as the

Amarapura–Rāmañña Nikāya The Amarapura–Rāmañña Nikāya ( si, අමරපුර–රාමඤ්ඤ සාමග්‍රී මහා සංඝ සභාව, Amarapura–Rāmañña Sāmagrī Mahā Saṁgha Sabhāva) is the larger of the two Buddhist monastic order ...

, making it the largest Buddhist fraternity in Sri Lanka.

Similar orders

Rāmañña Nikāya was said to be similar to the

Thammayut Nikaya Dhammayuttika Nikāya (Pali; th, ธรรมยุติกนิกาย; ; km, ធម្មយុត្តិកនិកាយ, ), or Dhammayut Order ( th, คณะธรรมยุต) is an order of Theravada Buddhist ''bhikkhus'' (mon ...

order of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. Rāmañña Nikāya is currently survived in Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka. The Most Ven. Napana Premasiri Thero was appointed the Head of the Rāmañña Nikāya on 3 September 2012 following the demise of Venenerable Weweldeniye Medhalankara Thera aged 103. Rāmañña Nikāya was established on 12 June 1864 in participation with Ven. Ambagahawatte Indaasabhawara Gaanasaami Maha Thera, Ven.Puwakdandawe Paññānanda, Ven.Warāpitiye Sumitta thera. First

Maha Nayaka Mahanayaka (also spelled as Maha Nayaka, Maha Nayake) theros are high-ranking Buddhist monks who oversee and regulate the Buddhist clergy in Theravada Buddhist countries. The title ''Maha Nayaka'' translates to English as 'Great Leader' and it is ...

Thero - Most Ven.

Ambagahawatte Indrasabhawara Gnanasami Maha Thera Most Ven. Ambagahawatte Indrasabhawara Gnanasami Maha Thera ( si, අතිපූජ්‍ය අඹගහවත්තේ ඉන්ද්‍රාසභවර ඤාණසාමි මහා ථේර; legal name: Cornelis Madanayake) was the ...

. Main Station - Mūla Maha Viharaya, Payagala,

Kalutara Kalutara ( si, කළුතර, ta, களுத்துறை) or Kalutota is a major city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is also the administrative capital of Kalutara District. It is located approximately south o ...

Ascetic Tendency

In the beginning, the Majority of monasteries of Rāmañña Nikāya were forest monasteries. Although many village temples have been emerged in modern days, the forest tradition is still being continued by Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha of Rāmañña Nikāya which is the most strictest forest tradition in Sri Lanka.

Resistance to Modernization

Though it has been impossible to resist completely, many old and simple traditions have been still survived in Rāmañña Nikāya. The monks of the Nikaya can be distinguished by the traditions such as using palm leaf umbrellas and alms bowls and covering both shoulders while traveling. "Ramanna nikaya had its own distinctive style. They used begging bowls instead of plates. Instead of umbrellas, they used folded palmyrah leaves, in the form of “bogava”. The bogava introduced by Ambagahawatte was made usable by CB Nugawela, chairman of the Up country Sabha for the Protection of Nikaya. They wore robes that were dyed according to the traditional rules."Kamalika Pieris, Buddhist Nikayas in Sri Lanka part 3, May 5th, 2020

Forest Dwelling and Meditation Practice

Many of the well known 'Forest Meditation Masters' and 'Forest Monasteries' are said to be in the former Rāmañña Nikāya. Most ven. Puwakdandawe Paññānanda Maha Thera was the pioneer of forest dwellers of Ramanna Nikaya. Most ven. Kadavedduve Jinavamsa Maha Thera was a well-known founder of Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha the major forest sect of Ramanna Nikaya. Most ven. Matara Sri Gnanarama Maha Thera, Most ven. Matale Silarakkhita Maha Thera. Most ven. Madawala dhammatilaka and Most ven. Nauyane Ariyadhamma Maha Thera were well-known meditation masters of Rāmañña Nikāya Forest Tradition.

Mahanayaka Theros of Rāmañña Nikāya

The following is a list of Mahanayaka theros of Sri Lanka Ramanna Nikaya. #Ven.

(1880–1886) #Ven. Deepegoda Saddammawara Jothipala Seelakkandabidhana Maha Thero (1887-1916) #Ven. Obadakannde Siri Vimalananda Maha Thero (1917-1924) #Ven. Matara Gnanindasaba Maha Thero (1924-1937) #Ven. Kodagoda Upasenabhidhana Maha Thero (1937-1939) #Ven. Matale Dhammasiddhi Maha Thero (1939-1940) #Ven. Karathota Siri Indasarathissa Maha Thero (1941-1954) #Ven. Hisselle Siri Gnanodaya Maha Thero (1954-1966) #Ven. Deepegoda Chandavimala Maha Thero (1966-1976) #Ven. Induruwe Uttharanandabidhana Maha Thero (1976-1986) #Ven. Pottewela Pannasara Maha Thero (1986-1997) #Ven. Weweldeniye Medhalankara Maha Thero (1998–2012) #Ven. Napana Pemasiri Maha Thero (2012–2020) #Ven. Makulewe Wimala Maha Thero (2020–present)

References

External links

Official website of the Sri Lanka Rāmañña Nikāya

Official website of Ven. Weweldeniye Medhalankara Thera
*''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'' by Robert E. Buswell Jr., Donald S. Lopez Jr.,Princeton University Press,Princeton,2014,p. 696 : {{Buddhism in Sri Lanka Religious organizations established in 1864 Theravada Buddhist orders Schools of Buddhism founded in Sri Lanka 1800s establishments in Sri Lanka 2019 disestablishments in Sri Lanka