“Ayubowan,” said Venerable Udugala Dhammasara, wishing Rausing a long and blessed life, and gestured for him to enter. “Please remove your shoes, Mr. Rausing.” It was a high-pitched, soft voice that was incongruous with his bulk.

“Ayubowan,” Rausing said, half-heartedly pressing his palms together. He slipped out of his shoes and ascended the stairs.

Rausing wondered just how old the Venerable Udugala Dhammasara was. His soft physique and lack of body hair lent him the look of an overgrown infant, yet the creases near his eyes and the way he labored to walk hinted at a man in his sixth or even seventh decade. As his name indicated, he was born in the town of Udugala and joined a monastery near Kandy as a young monk.

During the tumultuous 1980s, when the civil war divided Sri Lanka along ethnic and religious lines, splinter groups of Buddhist monks grew more and more aggressive, inciting riots and violence against the largely Hindu Tamil minority. One vocal leader, Venerable Pahathgoda Gnanaatissa, could even be seen on the front lines of mobs marching through the streets of Colombo, encouraging his followers to burn Tamil businesses, and sometimes, their owners.

This crystalline resolve and singular focus resonated with Dhammasara and he became an acolyte of Gnanaatissa, rising through the ranks of his newly formed Bodu Bala Hamuda, the Buddhist Power Army. After the civil war ended, a new government swept into power and vowed to bring those who incited violence to justice. Gnanaatissa was jailed and Dhammasara took his place as the spiritual leader of the BBH. By this time, the BBH had a new target: the rising Muslim population in the east of Sri Lanka.

“How are you finding Batticaloa?” Dhammasara asked as they padded barefoot through the temple.

“It’s hot,” Rausing replied flatly. “And definitely different from Kandy or Colombo.” He shot a knowing glance at the monk, who grunted in agreement. They walked together, passing a large chamber where a group of monks were sitting on the floor facing an elderly teacher.

At the end of a corridor, Dhammasara ushered Rausing into a small room. It was an office, with a dark wood desk, a few chairs and a framed portrait on the wall. The big monk took his chair behind the desk. He caught Rausing’s gaze at the framed portrait. It was a sepia-tone photograph of a seated monk in a robe. The man wore a serious expression and, unlike the monks at this temple, had a full head of curly black hair.

“Anagarika Dharmapala,” he said, answering the question he knew Rausing was about to ask. “He is the father of the Buddhist Protestant movement here in Sri Lanka and the spiritual ancestor of the Bodu Bala Hamuda.”

Rausing studied the old photo. The subject’s eyes blazed white. Then he turned back to Dhammasara. He looked nothing like this historical forebear but his eyes were equally on fire.