Umandawa Global Buddhist Village or Umandawa Maha Vihara Monastery (Sinhala: උමංදාව මහා විහාර අසපුව) is a modern religious place in Madahapola village near Malsiripura town in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka. It is maintained under a controversial yellow-robed monk named Siri Samantha Badra who represents himself as an Arhat (an awakened one).
A non-profit organization
The Umandawa Maha Vihara Monastery functions as a Buddhist Monastery and a non-profit organization, which is registered under the brand name "Umandawa Maha Vihara Monastery" and the company name "Siri Sadaham Ashramaya" which is based in Dehiwala, Colombo (Thilakarathne, 2021).
Siri Sadaham Ashramaya
Siri Sadaham Ashramaya was established in 2004 by the monk Siri Samantha Badra to disseminate Dhamma for practical and spiritual benefits for the development of people (Thilakarathne, 2021). Since then, it has been the hub for many followers such as monks, nuns, volunteers, and donors of his teachings. Presently, Siri Sadaham Ashramaya is led by Siri Samantha Badra and an executive committee (Thilakarathne, 2021). Every member of this committee is a paid member and it is the body where most of the fundraising, administration and marketing activities of this company are carried out (Thilakarathne, 2021).
Establishment of Umandawa Maha Vihara Monastery
As an idea of Siri Samantha Badra and his followers, Umandawa Maha Vihara Monastery was established as the second monastery of Siri Sadaham Ashramaya (Thilakarathne, 2021).
Presently, the community of Umandawa Maha Vihara Monastery lives in an area of about 70 acres owned and administered by the community itself (Thilakarathne, 2021). The land was purchased in December 2015 with the financial support of a Buddhist monk (now deceased) and many other donors (Thilakarathne, 2021). The community consists of about 100 inhabitants, including monks, nuns, resident volunteers, donors, and retired members (Thilakarathne, 2021).
See also
References
1) Thilakarathne, C.D., 2021. The role of adaptive capacity in supporting resilient livelihoods: an asset-based approach at Umandawa Maha Vihara Monastery, Sri Lanka (Master's thesis, Norwegian University of Life Sciences). pp.8,38-39.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 16 April 2022
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