Dwara Nikaya
Maha Dwara Nikaya (Burmese: မဟာဒွာရနိကာယ, IPA: [məhà dwàɹa̰ nḭkàja̰]; also spelt Maha Dwaya Nikaya or Maha Dvara Nikaya is the name of a small monastic order of monks in Myanmar (Burma), numbering a three to four thousand monks, primarily in Lower Myanmar.[1] This order is very conservative with respect to Vinaya regulations.[2] It is one of 9 legally sanctioned monastic orders (nikaya) in the country, under the 1990 Law Concerning Sangha Organizations.[3]
Origins
The founding of Dwara Nikaya was inspired by nikaya reforms in Sri Lanka during the 19th century.[1] This Nikaya was founded in 1855, over disputes with the Thudhamma Nikaya on the constitution of a sima (သိမ် or thein in Burmese), a formal boundary in which Buddhist religious ceremonies (including ordination of Sangha) occur.[2]
In 1900 and 1918, two other groups, the Anaukchaung Dwara (အနောက်ချောင်းဒွာရ) and Mula Dwara (မူလဒွာရ) respectively, separated from the Dwara Nikaya over leadership disputes.[2]
