An Analysis of the Impact of Temple Lands on Rural Socio-Economic Sustainability in Sri Lanka

In this study on the effects of temple land during the Kandy kingdom period on rural socio-economic sustainability, the research problem was how temple land during the Kandy kingdom period affected rural socio-economic sustainability. The main objective of the research is to study the contribution of lands owned by temples during the Kandy kingdom period to rural socio-economic sustainability. A qualitative research method was used as the research method. The primary literary source belonging to the proposed stages, many archeological sources such as Sannas, Tudapat, Aktapatra, Gampatra, Siti Wu, last wills, and many research books written by the temple land management in the relevant period. Having land grants made for temples has had a clear impact politically on the stability and sustainability of governance in this country. The specialty of village and city administration was a decisive force for the stability of the state, and here the monk’s contribution was a decisive factor among them. The monk contributed to the social development by distributing the temple lands to the rural community as appropriate, and the rural community exchanged its social needs with the viharadhipa thero, who was the immediate leadership. It was the monk who became the nucleus on which the interrelationship between the village and the state was built. Temple land was strategically used to uplift the rural economy and alleviate poverty. These lands were given to the landless and lower-income earners in the rural society and directly contributed to economic processes such as the upliftment of the rural economy, job creation, and poverty alleviation by directing them to productive agriculture. Temple land donations also contributed to the process of rural resource management and heritage conservation. The final conclusion of the study was that temple lands during the Kandy kingdom period had a direct impact on rural socio-economic sustainability.