Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero
Weliwita Asaranasarana Sri Saranankara Sangharaja Thero or popularly Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero was a Buddhist monk, who was the last Sangharaja of Sri Lanka. He was the pioneer in the revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, after the decline of the religion in the 17th and 18th centuries. Saranankara Thero was bestowed with the a title by king Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe in 1753, the same year he received the Upasampada and re-established the Upasampada in Sri Lanka with the help of Mahasangha in Siam. He is also credited with the establishment of Silvath Samagama, a union of monks who lived in accordance with the Buddhist monastic discipline.
A wall painting which depicts Weliwita Sri Saranankara Sangharaja Thero
Welivita Sri Saranakara Thera was born on June 19, 1698 in Welivita Waththe Walauwa, Tumpane, Hatharaliyadda, about 24 km from Kandy
King Kirti Sri Rajasinha appointed Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero as the Sangharaja of Sri Lanka.
Sangharaja is the title given in many Theravada Buddhist countries to a senior monk who is the titular head either of a monastic fraternity (nikaya), or of the Sangha throughout the country. This term is often rendered in English as 'Patriarch' or 'Supreme Patriarch'.
Image: Thudhamma Zayat
Image: Pahtan Zayat