A living reference atlas

Atlas of Religious and Esoteric Lineages

Five thousand religious, mystical, Indigenous and esoteric lineages from around the world — what they are, where they came from, and where to read more.

Source-linked and transparently qualified. Editorial standards and correction criteria are public.

Created and maintained by Ayara and Kyle Jonathan B@KJB_and_AYARA

Entries: 5,000
Candidate geography relations: 7,326
Candidate country vocabulary: 162

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Search five thousand distinct lineages

Entry data: effective Atlas view
Geography: candidate layer pending adjudication

26 lineages in the selected candidate country

Page 1 of 2

Atlas 0589Community-bound / restricted

Sanni Yakuma / Tovil healing traditions

Buddhist Traditions Practice / discipline

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: Precolonial roots; documented in early modern and modern periods
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 0853Varies by lineage

Theravāda Buddhism

Buddhist Traditions Umbrella tradition

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: ancient period–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 0857Initiatory

Siam Nikāya

Buddhist Traditions Lineage / school

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: 18th century–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 0858Initiatory

Amarapura Nikāya

Buddhist Traditions Lineage / school

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: early 19th century–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 0859Initiatory

Rāmañña Nikāya

Buddhist Traditions Lineage / school

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: 19th century–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 1210Open / public

Kaumāra Skanda-centered Hindu tradition

South Asian Traditions Religious tradition

Public geography: India, Sri Lanka
Period / origin: Early attestations; historical sectarian formations; living regional worship
Evidence status: Cluster-level source

Candidate countriesIndia, Sri Lanka

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Atlas 1252Scholarly / historical only

Vibhajyavāda doxographic current

Buddhist Traditions Philosophical / theological school

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: Mauryan and post-Mauryan periods
Evidence status: Classification contested

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 1257Initiatory

Galduwa Forest Tradition

Buddhist Traditions Lineage / school

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: 20th century–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 3205Institution-specific

Rangiri Dambulla cave-temple complex

Buddhist Traditions Sacred site / complex

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: Ancient foundations and later layers–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 3206Institution-specific

Sacred City of Kandy Buddhist complex

Buddhist Traditions Sacred site / complex

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: Late 16th-century royal city–present sacred setting
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 3207Institution-specific

Sacred City of Anuradhapura Buddhist landscape

Buddhist Traditions Sacred site / complex

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: Ancient city and monastic landscape; protected living pilgrimage setting
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 3208Scholarly / historical only

Ancient City of Polonnaruwa Buddhist complex

Buddhist Traditions Sacred site / complex

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: 11th–13th centuries CE; protected heritage complex
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 3702Scholarly / historical only

Mahāvaṃsa Great Chronicle manuscript tradition

Buddhist Traditions Textual corpus / teaching

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: Historical chronicle tradition; UNESCO describes narrative coverage from the sixth century BCE to 1815 CE and records 2023 registration, which is not treated as a single composition span
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 3711Scholarly / historical only

Pānadurā Vādaya interreligious debate documents

Buddhist Traditions Textual corpus / teaching

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: Documents connected with the 1873 Panadura debate; registered by Memory of the World in 2025
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 4207Community-bound / restricted

Gaṃgārohaṇa Pūjā festival tradition

Buddhist Traditions Rite / ceremony

Public geography: Sri Lanka
Period / origin: Introduced locally in the early nineteenth century; continuing regional reception
Evidence status: Directly cited

Candidate countriesSri Lanka

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Atlas 4214Institution-specific