Quick answer
The temperance movement in Sri Lanka was a mass campaign of the early twentieth century against the spread of arrack and toddy taverns under British rule. It surged in 1904 and again from 1912, when the colonial government's new excise policy proposed many more licensed outlets. Led largely by Buddhist reformers and an emerging educated elite, it blended religious revival with early nationalism, and several of its organisers later led the independence movement. Its legacy includes the ban on alcohol sales on poya days and restrictive rules on alcohol advertising.
Key takeaways
- Sri Lanka's temperance movement peaked in 1904 and from 1912, in opposition to the expansion of licensed taverns.
- The movement was closely tied to the Buddhist revival, since abstaining from intoxicants is the fifth Buddhist precept.
- Temperance societies gave Ceylonese leaders their first experience of organising a mass movement under colonial rule.
- Several temperance organisers went on to become leading figures in the campaign for independence, achieved in 1948.
- The ban on alcohol sales on poya days and limits on alcohol advertising reflect the movement's lasting influence.
Background: taverns, revenue and resentment
The temperance movement in Sri Lanka grew out of the colonial liquor system. Through the nineteenth century the British government auctioned the right to sell arrack, and the number of taverns rose steadily, especially in the plantation districts.
Resentment built on two fronts. Buddhist monks and lay reformers saw drink as a moral harm encouraged by a foreign government for profit. Christian missionaries, for their own reasons, agreed. Arrack became a rare subject on which very different critics of colonial society could unite.
The campaigns of 1904 and 1912
The campaigns of 1904 and 1912 turned unease into organisation. Local temperance societies sprang up across the Sinhalese low country, holding meetings, processions and pledge-taking ceremonies.
- →1904: a first wave of societies and mass meetings in the south-west.
- →1912: the Excise Ordinance proposes separating toddy and arrack sales and licensing many new toddy taverns.
- →1912 to 1915: a second, larger wave of protest, with petitions and public rallies.
- →1915: riots and martial law lead the government to detain several temperance leaders.
- →Afterwards: temperance networks feed into new political associations.
Buddhism and the fifth precept
Buddhism gave the temperance movement its moral language. Lay Buddhists undertake five precepts, and the fifth is to refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind. On poya days the devout observe additional precepts and spend the day at the temple.
The Buddhist revival of the late nineteenth century, with its new schools, printing presses and lay preachers, supplied the movement's organisers and audiences. Campaigning against the tavern was presented as a return to the island's own values.
- →The fifth precept: to refrain from intoxicants that cause heedlessness.
- →Poya days: when the devout keep eight precepts and visit the temple.
- →Monks: abstain from alcohol entirely under their monastic rule.
From temperance to nationalism
Temperance was politics by other means. Open calls for self-rule were risky in the 1910s, but nobody could easily object to a campaign for sobriety, and the meetings taught a generation how to organise, raise funds and address a crowd.
The colonial government understood this, which is partly why it arrested temperance leaders during the disturbances of 1915. Men who had learned their trade in temperance halls were prominent in the Ceylon National Congress, founded in 1919, and in the governments that followed independence in 1948.
The legacy visitors notice today
The legacy of the temperance movement is visible to any traveller who looks for a drink at the wrong moment. Sri Lanka is not a dry country, but its laws carry the movement's imprint.
- →No alcohol is sold on poya days, twelve or thirteen times a year.
- →Alcohol advertising and promotion are tightly restricted.
- →Excise duty is high, partly as a deliberate deterrent.
- →Drinking in public places is not permitted.
- →Alcohol is kept well away from temples and religious events.
What this history means for travellers
The history of temperance explains attitudes that might otherwise seem contradictory: a country proud of its arrack that also closes every bar once a month. Both are sincere. Enjoying arrack in licensed places while respecting the limits is what most Sri Lankans who drink do themselves.
Lankan Stays & Trails guides can talk through this background on a visit to a temple or on a poya day, when the quiet streets and lamp-lit shrines show what the day is for.
Frequently asked questions
What was the temperance movement in Sri Lanka?
It was a mass campaign in the early twentieth century against the spread of arrack and toddy taverns under British rule. Peaking in 1904 and from 1912, it was led largely by Buddhist reformers and became a training ground for early nationalist politics.
Why is alcohol banned on poya days?
Poya days are Buddhist days of observance on which the devout keep precepts, including abstaining from intoxicants. The state bans alcohol sales on these public holidays out of respect, a policy that reflects both religious tradition and the influence of the temperance movement.
Does Buddhism forbid alcohol?
The fifth of the five precepts undertaken by lay Buddhists is to refrain from intoxicants that cause heedlessness. Observance is a personal matter. Many Sri Lankan Buddhists abstain entirely, some drink moderately, and nearly all avoid alcohol on poya days and around temples.
What was the Excise Ordinance of 1912?
The Excise Ordinance of 1912 replaced the old system of auctioned arrack rents with direct government control of production, taxation and licensing. Its proposal to license many more toddy taverns provoked the largest wave of temperance protest.
Is Sri Lanka strict about alcohol?
Moderately. Alcohol is legal and widely available in licensed shops, hotels and restaurants to those aged 21 and over. Restrictions include dry poya days, limited shop hours, high taxes, a ban on drinking in public and tight limits on advertising.
Were temperance leaders involved in independence?
Yes. Several organisers of temperance societies in the 1910s later became leading members of the Ceylon National Congress and of the governments formed around independence in 1948. The movement gave them their first experience of mass organisation.