Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero

Ven.
Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero
පූජ්‍ය මාදුළුවාවේ සෝභිත හිමි
Sobitha Thero in 2015.
TitleChief Incumbent of the Kotte Naga Vihara
Personal life
Born
Pathirage Don Rathnasekara [1]

(1942-05-29)29 May 1942
Padukka, Sri Lanka
Died6 November 2015(2015-11-06) (aged 73)
Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore
Cause of deathComplications from Heart Surgery
NationalitySri Lanka Sri Lankan
Parent(s)Pathirage Don Peiris Appuhamy (Father) [1]
Kuruwita Arachchige Karalinahami (Mother) [1]
Alma materVidyalankara Pirivena
University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Religious life
ReligionBuddhism
TempleKotte Naga Vihara
SchoolTheravada
LineageSiam Sect
Dharma namesVen. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero

Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero (Sinhala: මාදුළුවාවේ සෝභිත හිමි; 29 May 1942 – 6 November 2015) was a Buddhist monk who participated in Sri Lankan politics and supported the 2015 presidential campaign of Maithripala Sirisena. He was the chief incumbent of the Kotte Naga Vihara.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Personal life

Sobitha Thero was born on 29 May 1942, Vesak day, in the village of Maduluwewa in Padukka, Homagama as Pathirage Don Rathnasekara. He studied at Maduluwawe Maha Vidyalaya and began living in the temple in Padukka at the age of 11, under the guardianship of his uncle, the head monk. He was ordained a novice monk on 9 May 1955, at the Kotte Sri Naga Viharaya. In 1962, after studying at the Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara Pirivenas, he received his higher ordination. In 1967, he became the chief incumbent of the Kotte Raja Maha Vihara.[8][9]

He died on 6 November 2015 at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore,[10][11] aged 73. The government announced a state funeral and a day of national mourning.[12]

Political activities

Sobitha Thero opposed President J. R. Jayawardena's policies and the executive presidential system. He participated in political movements and supported various opposition candidates.[13] He was a leader of the anti-Indian intervention campaign in the late 1980s. He participated in the National Movement for a Just Society (NMJS).[13][14][15]

He supported the common candidate Maithripala Sirisena for the presidency and Ranil Wickremesinghe to form a new government in 2015 and campaigned for the release of Sarath Fonseka.[4][16][17][18] He campaigned against the executive presidential system of Sri Lanka and spoke out on social justice issues.[5][19][20][21]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Liyanagama, Lakdev (9 November 2015). "A TRIBUTE TO AN ERUDITE MONK". Daily News. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  2. ^ Raine Wickrematunge (21 May 2013). And Then They Came for Me: The Lasantha Wickrematunge Story. AuthorHouse. pp. 182–. ISBN 978-1-4817-8991-2.
  3. ^ "Sobitha Thero's President 'dream' revealed". www.srilankamirror.com. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Sobhitha Thero suspects moves to stop him". BBC. 7 October 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  5. ^ a b "I'm prepared to be the common candidate at presidential election – says Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero". News1st.lk. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  6. ^ T. D. S. A. Dissanayaka (1994). The politics of Sri Lanka. Swastika (Private) Ltd. p. 335. ISBN 978-955-572-001-4.
  7. ^ "Government cautions Sobitha Thero". Colombo Telegraph. July 20, 2014. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera passes away". News1st.lk. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  9. ^ "Ven. Pannasekera Thero appointed as the Chief Incumbent of the Kotte Sri Naga Viharaya". Hiru News. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  10. ^ "Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera passes away". Daily Mirror. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  11. ^ "SOBITHA THERO'S LEGACY TO BE INCLUDED IN THE SCHOOL SYLLABUS". Hiru News. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  12. ^ "Last rites of Ven. Sobitha Thero today". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  13. ^ a b "Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero (1942-2015): The Monk Who Ended Sri Lanka's Decade of Darkness". Puvath.lk. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  14. ^ "Religious leaders say our civilisation at stake". Daily Mirror. 21 December 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  15. ^ "Corrupt persons should not be re-elected to Parliament: Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero". News1st.lk. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  16. ^ The Monk and the Man who changed history Sunday Observer, Retrieved 4 May 2015
  17. ^ "Activists attack Fonseka verdict". ucanews.com. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  18. ^ "Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero". LankaNewspapers.com. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  19. ^ "Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha, the Game Changer". Sri Lanka Guardian. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  20. ^ Pinto, Leonard (14 July 2015). Being a Christian in Sri Lanka: Historical, Political, Social, and Religious Considerations. BalboaPressAu. ISBN 9781452528632.
  21. ^ "Ven Sobitha Thero left us when the country needed him most". Colombo Telegraph. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
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