A felicitation ceremony is scheduled to be held with great reverence tomorrow (May 3) at 2:30 p.m. at the BMICH to honour Most Ven. Dr. Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera, Chief Sanghanayaka of Nuwara Kalaviya and Atamasthanadhipathi, who has received an honorary doctorate from the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Saranath, Varanasi, India.

‘Honour those who are worthy of honour’ is one of tenets in the Buddha’s teachings. Honouring the honourable is, on one hand, an expression of the spiritual richness of a society, and on the other, a gesture of gratitude.

Most Ven. Pallegama Hemarathana Thera is a Buddhist monk who has taken on great responsibilities beyond his age. He was appointed Chief Incumbent of Jethavanaramaya in 1989. In 1990, he became the Deputy Chief Sanghanayaka of Nuwara Kalaviya, and in 1997, he was appointed Chief Incumbent of the Ruwanweliseya Chaitya as well as the Chief Sanghanayaka of Nuwara Kalaviya.

Following the passing of the former Atamasthanadhipathi Ven. Dr. Pallegama Siriniwasa Nayaka Thera, Ven. Pallegama Thera was appointed Atamasthanadhipathi (Chief Custodian of the Eight Sacred Sites of Anuradhapura) in 2022. This appointment was made by the unanimous decision of the Atamasthana Executive Council.

Most Ven. Hemarathana Thera was born as Karandagolla Walawwe Nandaseena on 25 June, 1954 at Pallegama, Dambulla. He was the only child of Kiribanda Nilame of Karandagolla Walawwa and Karuna Kumarihamy. He received his primary education at Bulagala Primary School, Pewehera Welihela School, and Sri Siddhartha Maha Vidyalaya, Palleagama, Kandalama. In 1968, at the age of 14, he arrived at the Ruwanweliseya Maha Vihara. At that time, the Atamasthanadhipathi was the late Ven. Uduruwa Halmillawa Sri Revatha Thera, and the Chief Incumbent of the Ruwanweliseya Chaitya was the late Ven. Palleagama Sirisumana Dhamma Rakkhita Thera. Under their guidance, he was ordained in 1968 under the name Pallegama Hemarathana.

Little Hemarathana Thera received his initial monastic education at the Mahavihara Pirivena in Anuradhapura. Later, in 1971, he continued his advanced studies at Maligakanda Vidyodaya Pirivena, and in 1975, at the Sandalankawa Shastrodaya Pirivena where he studied Oriental Studies, and after passing the Oriental Studies and GCE O-Level Examination.

He later earned a BA (Special) in archaeology from the University of Kelaniya.

With the launch of the Anuradhapura Mahavihara Project by the Cultural Fund, the full responsibility for supervising all related activities was entrusted to Ven. Hemarathana Thera. As part of this project, the Weli Maluhwa around the Ruwanweliseya Stupa was cleared and restored. Prior to this effort, visitors to the site could see only a wild thicket on a slope.

The area outside the Eth Pavura Wall of the stupa was covered in dense brush, spreading over approximately six acres. Clearing those sand-covered hills was a laborious, extremely challenging, yet highly delicate task. However, Ven. Hemarathana Thera successfully overcame that difficult challenge.

The primary responsibility of a Bhikkhu is to act for the advancement of the Sasana as well as for the welfare and happiness of the majority of people. To fulfil this responsibility, a disciple of the Buddha must be endowed with virtue, wisdom, and strength. They must be disciplined, upright, and conduct themselves with dignity and decorum.

Most Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera is a noble monk who embodies all of these noble qualities. He leads a life of great simplicity. Humility and modesty are innate traits inherited from birth. The presence of a poetic soul in him further enhances his personal charisma and spiritual grace.

Most Ven. Hemarathana Thera is an exceptionally talented and poetic genius is unmatched. From a young age, he showed a deep affinity for poetry, and his creative brilliance branched out and flourished like a blossoming tree, especially because of his association with Rajarata Sevaya of the SLBC.

Most Ven. Hemarathana Thera has contributed significantly to the enrichment of Sinhala song literature by producing a series of popular, meaningful songs. In 2004, he released his first audio cassette titled “Sanda Eliya” (Moonlight), along with a compact disc and a lyric anthology titled “Atheetha Sihineyak” (A Dream of the Past). In 2009, he released a song collection titled “Seetha Gangula Wage” (Like a Cold Stream), which earned him the Vidyodaya Literary Award.

In 2011, he received the Best Film Song Award for writing the lyric “Sansaare Maha Bara Podi” (The Heavy Bundle of Samsara) for the film Mahindagamanaya.

With a wide range of abilities, Ven. Hemarathana Thera is also a brilliant Dhamma preacher. Having rendered immeasurable service to the nation, religion, and literature, I wish him wholeheartedly:

“Chirang Jayatu!” – May he live long and triumph!

by Ven. Dr. Assaji Thera
Chief incumbent of the Gangaramaya