Universal Buddhist Pantheon in Post-War Sri Lanka

Abstract

Sri Lankan popular Sinhala Buddhist pantheon represents the long-term hybrid nature of Buddhism, ancient Sri Lankan feudal social structure, sacred geographical locations, and class and caste association. This article aims to present the transformation of the Sri Lankan popular Sinhala Buddhist pantheon to a universal Buddhist pantheon in post-war Sri Lanka. The Mahamevnawa monastic movement as a recent popular, innovative and radical Buddhist movement departs from the popular Sinhala Buddhist pantheon, and presents a universal Buddhist pantheon that is based on the Buddhist sacred text the Tripitakaya. Unlike the deities of the popular Sinhala Buddhist pantheon, the deities of the universal Buddhist pantheon are not restricted to any particular geographical or sacred location which presents a radical departure from Sri Lankan ancient feudal social structure to a more modern and larger upward social mobility-based Sinhala Buddhists social order. This paper argues that the universal Buddhist pantheon is a result of Buddhist purifying processes, nationalist orientation and the impact of the social composition of the Mahamevnawa monastic movement in post-war Sri Lanka.