Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka is a prominent Buddhist organization based in Colombo. It was established to promote Buddhist teachings, principles, and practices as well as to carry out charitable and humanitarian activities. The society is named after the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya. It was founded on May 31. 1891, by the great Sri Lankan Mahabodhi vivalist Anagarika Dharmapala. Society has played a significant role in the propagation and promotion of Buddhism, both in Sri Lanka and abroad. The primary propion of the Mahabodhi society is to revive and restore Buddhism to its former glory and to foster Buddhist education and culture. It has been involved in various activities such as establishing and maintaining Buddhist schools, publishing Buddhist literature, conducting, meditation retreats, and organizing religious events and ceremonies, the establishment of Sanchi University of Buddhist and Indic Studies.

Mahabodhi has also contributed to international Buddhist relations and häs branches and affiliated centres in various countries, working to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding. They have been involved in social welfare activities, including assisting the underprivileged and engaging in charitable endeavours.

Anagarika Dharmapala started Singhala Bauddhya paper in 1906 for promotion and promotion of Buddhist culture, and traditions. The paper was restarted in the year 2000 by Ven. Banagala Upatissa Nayake Thero.

Anagarika Dharmapala first time visited Bodhgaya in 1891 and was distorted by the states of the Mahabodhi Temple which was in the control of a Saivite priest, where the Buddhists were banned from worship. With generous assistance from a few friends, he established the Mahabodhi Society and his foremost aim was to restore the Mahabodhi Temple to Buddhists. For this purpose, he had to litigate and after a successful struggle, he managed to partially restore the management of the temple to Mahabodhi Society, which was the first Buddhist organization to start a movement for Buddhism.

Like Buddha, Anagarika Dharmapala preached only what he practiced. He gave up wealth and privileges to enter a simple and humble lifestyle. As in all relations, the greatest sermons in Buddhism are the sermons of our lives. The example we set through the virtues of love, mercy, compassion, generous sharing, and caring along with inner liberation from selfishness and self-centeredness.

The restoration of Buddhism in India was done by Anagarika Dharmapala who was guided and encouraged by Ven. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Mahathero and ably supported in the early stage by Col. Henry Olcott and Mr. Edwin Arnold. The main contribution of Dharmapala and Olcott was that they the intelligentsia of India aware of the prestige their motherland accrued due to Buddha. The campaign to have Buddhist shrines of India restored to the Buddhists to the Buddhists had tremendous success in that the Sangha could be placed in them to assist pilgrims, develop the institution, and bring the doctrines and philosophy of Buddhism to popular attention.