Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thera
Welivita Sri Saranakara Thera | |
|---|---|
A wall painting of Weliwita Sri Saranankara Sangharaja Thera | |
| Title | Sangharaja |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Kulatunge Bandara (කුලතුංග බණ්ඩාර) 19 June 1698 Welivita Waththe Walauwa, Tumpane, Kandy District |
| Died | 18 July 1778 (aged 80) Malwathu Maha Viharaya, Kandy |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Occupation | Sangharaja, the Supreme Patriarch of Sri Lanka |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| School | Theravada |
| Lineage | Siyam Nikaya |
| Senior posting | |
| Teacher | Suriyagoda Maha Thera |
Students
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Weliwita Asaranasarana Sri Saranankara Sangharaja Thera (19 June 1698 – 18 July 1778) or popularly Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thera 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 Thera 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. 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.