One of the fraternities of monks in Ceylon, an off-shoot of the Abhayagiri sect. Their headquarters were probably at the Uttarola Vihára, built by King Mánavamma, and given to the monks of the Abhayagiri Vihára, for having consented to take into the Order his elder brother, in spite of the fact that he had lost one eye as the result of some yoga practices.
The first chief of Uttarola was the king's brother himself and he was in charge of six hundred monks. He was granted great honours and privileges together with five classes of servants to minister to him. He was also appointed to supervise the guardians of the Tooth Relic (Cv.lvii.7-11, and 16-26; also Geiger's Trs.i.194, n.2 and 3).
From a Tamil inscription of Mánavamma we find that he kept up his patronage of the Uttaramúla Nikáya, and it is recorded that he gave over the custodianship of the Tooth Relic to a monk of this fraternity, named Moggallána (Epi. Zey., vol.ii., pt. vi., pp.250ff).
Anuruddha, author of the Anuruddha Sataka and the Abhidhammattha-Sangaha, describes himself in the colophon to the former work as an "Upasthavira" of the Uttaramúla Nikáya.
In later years this Nikáya produced many an illustrious star in Celyon's literary firmament, among them the grammarian Moggallána, Vilgammúla, Mahá Thera and Sri Ráhula. For details about them see P.L.C., passim.