Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism

The text also portrays the Buddha as instructing deities to protect the ancestors of the Sinhalese (Prince Vijaya and his followers from North India), enabling them to establish and propagate Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

The text contains mythological accounts of the Buddha's visits to Sri Lanka, during which he is said to have sanctified the island as a haven for Buddhism and entrusted its protection to the Sinhalese people.

[15][16] The text's depiction of the Buddha driving away Yakkhas, the island's non-human inhabitants, to establish Buddhism has been interpreted by some as providing justification for the use of violence in the name of religion and the removal of groups seen as uncooperative with Buddhist goals.

[24] In recent times the relationship between Sinhala Buddhist Nationalists and Sri Lankan Catholics have improved over several shared interests such as opposition to sterilisation and banning private tuition classes during religious holidays.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, who has served as Archbishop of Colombo since 2009, has also opposed secularism and supported Buddhism as state religion which has received praise from Buddhist clergy.