In 1956, Theravada Buddhists in Sri Lanka and throughout Southeast Asia
celebrated the 2500th anniversary of the Buddha`s entry into Nirvana and of the
establishment of the Buddhist tradition. This book examines this revival of
Theravada Buddhism among the laity of Sri Lanka, analysing its origins and its
growth up to the present-day. Within the spectrum of reinterpretations that have
comprised the revival, the book focuses on four important types or patterns of
reinterpretation and response. It examines the rational reformism of the early
Protestant Buddhists led by Anagarika Dharmapala and the conservative
neotraditionalism of the Jayanti period.