This study attempts to analyse the interaction between the religious and political systems in Sri Lanka over the past 2,500 years since Buddhism was introduced in the island. It traces the evolution of the Sinhalese Buddhist system and its relationship with the sources of political power from the early era of Kandyan kingdoms through the colonial rule of the Dutch, the?Portuguese?and?the?British,?right?up?to?the?contemporary?period.

Against this background, the author appraises the structure and func­tions of the Sangha in order to identify the continuities and discontinuities in...