Colombo, Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka, regarded as a repository of Theravada Buddhism and seen as upholding the orthodox branch of the religion for over 2,500 years, is emerging as a hotbed of Marxist monks.
Saffron-robed monks lead political demonstrations providing colour and content and give more than spiritual power to parties, even though the Buddhist majority nation faces a severe shortage of clergymen for theological work.
All mainstream Sinhalese-majority political groups have a band of Buddhist monks loyal to them, including the Marxist JVP, or People's Liberation Front, which is usually in the forefront of public demonstrations.
While the religion considers suicide a sin, Buddhist monks are increasingly threatening to kill themselves to press their political demands.
A JVP-backed group has threatened to launch a fast-unto-death campaign from the weekend to protest government plans for an aid sharing deal with Tiger rebels.
"So many have threatened to fast unto death, but no one has died so far," said devout Buddhist and leading political analyst Harry Gunatillake. "I don't think the clergy should get involved in politics like this."
The world's first all-clergy party of Buddhist monks, the JHU or the National Heritage Party, won nine seats in the Sri Lankan parliament at elections last year -- giving them political clout.
The monks were also involved in a punchup in parliament, with one landing up in hospital with a urinary problem after being kicked by a ruling party lay legislator shortly after their election.
There are more militantly Marxist monks outside the assembly. Hundreds of monks walk behind huge cutouts of Marx and Lenin during JVP May Day rallies here.
Two failed armed uprisings of the JVP in 1971 and 1987 had the backing of monks. A total of 80,000 people were killed in the two failed insurrections, some of the victims being monks.
The Buddhist affairs ministry estimates there are between 30,000 to 40,000 monks in the country but the numbers are insufficient to staff all the temples in the country of 19.5 million people.
Some have closed down due to lack of priests.
A state campaign for a mass ordination of 1,000 monks four years ago was cancelled after a poor response. Some of the younger monks are also known to give up robes after completing their university education.
The entry of monks into politics has sparked a public debate but the legislator monks use theology and history to justify their shift from the pulpit to politics.
"According to the Vinaya (the set of rules for Buddhist monks) there is no bar to monks entering politics," Buddhist monk legislator Uduwe Dhammaloka told AFP in a recent interview.
"When there were threats to the nation, monks even went to the battlefield ... In history, there are many examples of monks getting involved in running the state."
More recently, a Buddhist monk in September 1959 shot dead then prime minister Solomon Bandaranaike, Kumaratunga's father, as he moved to offer concessions to minority Tamils who are mainly Hindus.
Nearly 70 percent of the country's population are followers of Buddhism while 15.5 percent are Hindus.
However, there is no religious conflict in the country where Hindus consider Buddha to be one of their gods and almost every Buddhist temple has a shrine for Hindu deities.
The position of the clergy had been elevated by the politicians themselves.
National leaders pay obeisance to the Buddhist hierarchy before launching any new venture and even diplomats posted to Sri Lanka call on Buddhist monks after presenting their credentials to the president.
The leader of the National Monks' Front, Kalawelgala Chandraloka, justifies the activism of the monks in the political arena.
"We depend on the alms of the people. We are nourished and looked after by the ordinary people and we have a right to protect their interest," Chandraloka said. "That is why we get involved in these political protests."