Rāmañña Nikāya in Myanmar
ဂိုဏ်ရာမညနိကာယ | |
| Abbreviation | Rāmañña Nikāya |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1852 |
| Type | Buddhist monastic order |
| Headquarters | Mawlamyine,Myanmar |
| Members | 11,283 (2024) |
| Leader | Bhaddanta Ketu |
Rāmañña Nikāya (Burmese: ရာမညနိကာယ (Mon: ရာမညနိကာယ) is a prominent Mon Buddhist monastic order primarily located in the Union of Myanmar. According to the official regulations of the Myanmar government, which recognize a total of nine legal monastic sects, the Rāmañña Nikāya is not included among them. Legally, monasteries belonging to the Rāmañña Nikāya in Myanmar are classified under the Sudhammā Nikaya. According to the 2024 (Burmese Era 1386) monastic census, the Rāmañña Nikāya consists of:
- Total monasteries: 1,177
- Monks (bhikkhus): 6,608
- Novices (sāmaṇeras): 4,675
- Total monastics: 11,283
While the Rāmañña Nikāya is not officially recognized as a separate legal entity in Myanmar, it is the largest of the three major monastic sects in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Rāmañña Nikāya was established by the Venerable Ambagahawatte Indrasabhawara Ñāṇasāmi Mahā Thera, who received his higher ordination at Ratana Punna Vihara in Myanmar before returning to Sri Lanka in 1864.