Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero

Welivita Sri Saranakara Thera
A wall painting which depicts Weliwita Sri Saranankara Sangharaja Thero
TitleSangharaja
Personal
Born
Kulathun Bandara (කුලතුන් බණ්ඩාර)

(1698-06-19)19 June 1698
Welivita Waththe Walauwa, Tumpane, Kandy District
Died18 July 1778(1778-07-18) (aged 80)
Malwathu Maha Viharaya, Kandy
ReligionBuddhism
NationalitySri Lankan
SchoolTheravada
LineageSiyam Nikaya
OccupationSangharaja, the supreme patriarch of Sri Lanka.
Senior posting
TeacherSuriyagoda Maha Thero.
Students
  • Thibbotuwawe Buddharakkitha Thero, Daramitipola Dhammarakkhitha Thero, Rambukwelle Dhammarakkhitha Thero, Wehelle Dhammadinna Thero, Morathota Dhammakkhanda Thero, Welivita Saranankara Thero (II).

Weliwita Asaranasarana Sri Saranankara Sangharaja Thero (19 June 1698 – 18 July 1778) or popularly Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero was a Buddhist monk, who was the last Sangharaja of Sri Lanka.[1] He was the pioneer in the revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, after the decline of the religion in the 17th and 18th centuries.[2][3] Saranankara Thero was bestowed with the a title by king Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe in 1753, the same year he received the Upasampada (higher ordination of Buddhist monks) and re-established the Upasampada in Sri Lanka with the help of Mahasangha in Siam.[3] He is also credited with the establishment of Silvath Samagama (pious group), a union of monks who lived in accordance with the Buddhist monastic discipline.[4]

  1. ^ Ratnasinghe, Aryadasa (June 19, 2002). "Ven. Welivita Saranankara - the last Sangharaja". Daily News. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  2. ^ Hewapathirane, Dr. Daya. "Venerable Weliwita Saranankara Sangha Raaja Mahathera". LankaWeb News. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  3. ^ a b Weeraratne, Dr. W. G. (2003-05-20). "Pioneer of Buddhist renaissance of modern Sri Lanka". The Island. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  4. ^ Buddhism regained, Sunday Times