King Kithsirimewan and Cultural Power Projection Across Borders in Ancient Sri Lanka

Abstract

This article addresses what may be called a ‘cultural power projection’ project undertaken by King Kithsirimevan of Sri Lanka in the Anuradhapura period (4th century, CE) focused on Bodh Gaya, India. More specifically, based on travel records of Chinese travelers, Hiuen-tsang and Wang Hiuen-ts’e, this article explores the conditions that led to the construction of a Sri Lankan monastery in the Bodh Gaya area in the vicinity of the Mahabodhi Temple, which marks the site where the Buddha is believed to have achieved enlightenment. I argue that this seemingly religious project can be better understood as a matter of projecting cultural-political power across oceanic borders from the Kingdom of Anuradhapura to the Court of  Samudragupta, in India, which institutionalized pilgrim practices and dynamics of diplomacy and international relations over centuries. 

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