Sangharaja
Most monasteries – even in areas where a sangharaja has been appointed – remain primarily self-governing or, at the most, dependent on a single larger temple in the same region.Preah Maha Ghosananda of Cambodia was an example of this type of sangharaja – one whose influence over the local religious community far exceeded any ecclesiastic authority that he may have wielded.The central religious hierarchy is responsible for issues of national and regional importance- such as the curriculum of monastic schools, the creation of authoritative forms for scriptures and rituals, and reform issues of nationwide importance – leaving most local decisions to the discretion of individual temples and abbots (such as the ordination and disciplining of individual monks).In pre-colonial Burma, the office of Sangharaja was known as the Thathanabaing (သာသနာပိုင်, literally 'Keeper of the Sāsana') or formally Mahāsaṅgharājā (မဟာသံဃာရာဇာ), typically rendered into English as 'Primate', 'Archbishop' or 'Supreme Patriarch.Because the Dhammayuttika order enjoyed closer ties to the throne, it officially had primacy in Cambodia despite constituting a small majority of Khmer monks.The latter began as a reform movement within the larger order, established by Prince Mongkut, while he was an abbot with the ordination name of Vajirañāṇo, before renouncing the monastic life to ascend the throne as Rama IV.