The Administration of the Atamasthana at Anuradhapura

Abstract

The Atamasthana establishm ent at Anuradhapura presents a set up which seem s to be rather unique in the administration and management o f the tem ples and their properties in Sri Lanka. It is interesting to note that the Atamasthana Committee, w hich consisted o f a predom inantly lay membership till the m iddle o f the present century, is still responsible for the administration o f the Atamasthana whereas the A tam asthanadhipati and the head o f the Bulankulama fam ily, [the lay custodian o f the Bo-tree tem ¬ ple] take charge o f the affairs under the direction o f the Atamasthana Committee, A practice .of this nature does not exist any where in Sri Lanka in the administration o f tem ples and tem poralities. Therefore, this paper seeks to exam ine the role played by the three Atamasthana establishm ents - the Atamasthana Comm ittee, the Atamasthanadhipati and th e , head o f the Nuwaravava [Bulankulama] fam ily