Adaptive Continuity of Buddhist Dhamma in India and Sri Lanka: An Archaeological, Historical and Semiotic Study

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65408/cird602201

Keywords:

Buddhism, Dhamma, Adaptive Continuity, Religion, Heritage, Semiotic Interpretation, Archaeology, History, Evidence, Cultural Adaptation

Abstract

This study examines the historical continuity and adaptation of Buddhist dhamma in India and Sri Lanka through archaeological, historical, and semiotic perspectives. It investigates how Buddhist traditions responded to changing political, economic, social, and cultural contexts while maintaining connections with their foundational teachings. Drawing on historical narratives, archaeological remains, inscriptions, religious architecture, and Buddhist imagery, the study explores the roles of royal patronage, monastic institutions, textual transmission, and regional cultural interactions in sustaining Buddhist traditions. Semiotic analysis examines how symbols, including stupas, the Bodhi tree, the dharma wheel, and Buddha images, acquired new meanings across historical periods and cultural settings. A comparative reading of India and Sri Lanka highlights both continuities and regionally specific transformations. The study proposes an adaptive process linking symbols, contextual reinterpretation, institutional embedding, material expression, and renewed symbolism. It also considers the potential of Heritage Informatics to document and interpret these transformations through digital records, spatial data, and three-dimensional representations. The study argues that Buddhist continuity is best understood as an ongoing negotiation between inherited traditions and changing historical circumstances.

Author Biographies

  • Kasun S. Jayasuriya, Banaras Hindu University

    Kasun S. Jayasuriya is a dedicated archaeologist from Sri Lanka, currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Ancient Indian History, Culture, and Archaeology at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, India. His doctoral research explores symbolic continuity in South Asian cultures. He holds two Master’s degrees, one in AIHC & Archaeology from BHU and another in Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religion from Nalanda University, India. His undergraduate research at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, focused on the origins of the Lakshmi concept in Sri Lankan and Indian contexts. Kasun has worked as a research assistant on multiple archaeological projects in both India and Sri Lanka, and has presented at numerous international conferences. His published works span topics such as symbolic representation, ancient trade, and numismatics, and have appeared in peer-reviewed journals including Social Sciences and Humanities Open Journal and Journal of History, Archaeology and Architecture.

  • Vinay Kumar, Banaras Hindu University

    Vinay Kumar is an alumnus of Delhi University and a Gold Medalist in M.A. (Archaeology and Heritage Management), Masters in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology and Post Graduate Diploma in Archaeology from the Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, New and holds a Ph.D. from the National Museum Institute, New Delhi (2011). He is currently serving as Associate Professor at Banaras Hindu University and has previously taught at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak. A recipient of the National Museum of Korea Fellowship and Nehru Trust Research Grant, his work includes research on Indian art and megalithic cultures. Dr. Kumar has participated in and directed several major excavations across India, including Lahuradeva and Matigaon. He has published over 45 research papers and authored/edited numerous books on Indian art, archaeology, and heritage.

  • Kaudagammana Rathanasara, Indian Institute of Technology - Banaras Hindu University

    Kaudagammana Rathanasara is a research scholar in the Department of Humanistic Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India. He holds a BA in History and an MPhil in History from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and an MA in Ancient Indian History, Culture, and Archaeology from Banaras Hindu University. He has presented papers at international conferences in Australia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and India, and has published several articles in indexed journals and two books. He previously served as an Assistant Lecturer in History at the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. His research focuses on South Asian epigraphy, Women and Buddhism, and the History of Buddhism.

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18th-century Bishop’s Chapel, Archibishopric of Lucca. Photo by: Olimpia Niglio, October 2026

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Published

2026-11-08

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 4 (2026): Religious Cultural Heritage: Diagnostics, Documentation and Valorization

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Copyright (c) 2026 Kasun S. Jayasuriya, Vinay Kumar, Kaudagammana Rathanasara

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