Sinhala Maha Sabha

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sinhalese Great Assembly
Sinhala Maha Sabha
Sinhala nameසිංහල මහා සභා
Tamil nameசிங்கள மகா சபை
FounderS. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
Founded1936
Split fromUnited National Party (in 1951)
Merged intoUnited National Party (in 1946)
Succeeded bySri Lanka Freedom Party
IdeologySinhalese Buddhist nationalism

The Sinhala Maha Sabha (Sinhala: සිංහල මහා සභා) was a political party in colonial-era Ceylon founded by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike in the mid-1930s to promote Sinhalese Buddhist culture and community interests. In 1946, it joined the United National Party, before defecting from the coalition in 1951 to form the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.