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= Venerable Welivitiye Sri Soratha Nayaka Thero =

Venerable Welivitiye Sri Soratha Nayaka Thero is the founder and first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, which was formerly known as the Vidyodaya Pirivena before it gained its university status. He has contributed impressively and immeasurably to the transformation process of the Vidyodaya Pirivena into a full-fledged university, since the commencement of his undergraduate studies in 1917.

Thus, the Vidyodaya Pirivena was renamed first as the Vidyodaya University, later as the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Ven. Welivitiye Sri Soratha Thero, prior to his ordination as a Buddhist Samanera, was named as Don Chandradasa Kumarasiri Jayewardene. He was born on the 23rd of May 1897 in Welivitiya, a small village in Galle, Southern Province in Sri Lanka. His father, Don Johanis Kumarasiri Jayewardene, was an indigenous physician who initially was a resident student under the guidance of Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thero in the Vidyodaya Pirivena. His mother, Alice Amarasinghe Hamine, was from the Malwatta Walawwa in Unawatuna, Galle. He was the third child of a family of six siblings. Before being ordained, he had to, and was expected to, shoulder many family responsibilities, especially of his younger brothers and sister, because of the untimely demise of his elder siblings. At the age of fifteen, he was ordained as a Samanera in accordance with the consent and request of his parents, and under the tutelage of Venerable Kahawe Pemarathne Thero of Thilakaramaya, Hikkaduwa, who was a colleague of his father in the Vidyodaya Pirivena. It was on the 15th of December 1912, that the newly ordained Samanera was named as Welivitiye Soratha. In 1917, Ven. Soratha Samanera was able to obtain Upasampada (Buddhist rite of higher ordination, by which a novice becomes a Bhikhu) in the Malwathu Vihara and was admitted to the Vidyodaya Pirivena when Mahagoda Sri Gnaneswara Thero was the Parivenadhipathi of the Pirivena.

He obtained his primary education from the Heenatigala Government School, and afterwards attended the Ranwalagoda Vidyawardhana Pirivena. As he was a keen intellect from the early days of his childhood, he only took a few days to memorize and understand all the 423 verses of the Dhammapada. He has achieved numerous accomplishments. Winning the first place in the Dhammapada examination held in Mahinda College, Galle and becoming the all-island winner of the Pracheena, Prarambha Examination are just two examples. By winning the Gold Medal at the Pracheena Pandit Examination, Soratha Thero joined the Pirivena staff in 1932, when Kahawe Sri Rathanasara Thero was the Parivenadhipathi (Principal) at the Vidyodaya Pirivena. Soratha Thero was appointed as the Chief Editor of the Pali-Sinhala Tripitaka volumes, published in commemoration of the 2500th “Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi” (a religious festival in relation with the Vesak Poya) by the Sri Lankan Government. In the meantime, he was also made the Chief Incumbent of the Galle Division by the Malwathu Chapter.

Following the demise of Rathanasara Thero, Soratha Thero was made the Deputy Principal of the Vidyodaya Pirivena in 1936, while Baddegama Sri Piyarathana Thero held the position as the Parivenadhipathi of the Pirivena from March 1936 to September 1958. It was during that period that Soratha Thero initiated the transformation process of the Pirivena to a fully-fledged university at the request of the then Minister of Education Mr. W. Dahanayake of the S.W.R. D. Bandaranayke Regime. On 2nd October 1956, Soratha Thero presented the 56-page Bill that was drafted in collaboration with four staff members, namely, Palannoruwe Wimaladamma Thero, Balagalle Wimalabuddhi Thero, Prof. Senarath Paranawithana and Mr. D. P. Jayasekara. Eventually, Soratha Thero was appointed as the Parivenadhipathi of the Vidyodaya Pirivena in September 1958, in line with the recommendations and regulations of the Vidyadhara Council.

The History of the Vidyodaya University  with effect from the 1st of January 1959, the Vidyodaya Pirivena gained its university status, and Venerable Welivitiye Sri Soratha Thero was appointed as the first Vice-chancellor of the Vidyodaya University by Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke. It is considered as the second university established in Sri Lanka and ever since its establishment, the university has been successful in producing a multitude of extraordinary personalities over the years, and has flourished as an acclaimed educational institution in the country.

The Vidyodaya University commenced its academic work on the 18th of February 1959 following a Muhurta (an auspicious time) at precisely 06.05 a.m. according to the guidance of a renowned astrologer, Mr. K. Lolimbawansa. This prestigious ceremony was also attended by a profusion of distinguished attendees. The opening ceremony at the Independence Square, Colombo, was graced by the presence of the Mahanayaka Thero of the Malwatta Chapter, the Governor, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education of the era, and numerous other distinguished guests. The notable speech delivered by Sir. Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke highlighted the significance of the Government’s responsibility in delivering the sustainable goals to the nation, in relation to education, economy and culture of the country, and based on the needs and requirements of its citizens.

A significant coincidence of the history of the Vidyodaya Pirivena, which was founded in 1873 by Ven. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thero, and the Vidyodaya University was the registration of seven Buddhist monks as the first batch of undergraduates. The expectations of the university as described by Kadihingala Soratha Thero in Dharmashasthronnathi (1963) highlight the need for a harmonious coexistence between tradition and modernity, for the purposes of improving the quality of education in Sri Lanka. Dharmashasthronnathi recognizes the undeniable necessity of the English language in a fast changing world, bestowing a prominent place for English language education while preserving the Sinhala Buddhist roots of the country. It emphasises the necessity of the university education to lay a strong foundation to address both national concerns and the needs of the students. Soratha Thero (1963) describes education as a tool that was discovered by man for the betterment of themselves, which would eventually lead mankind to develop as individuals as well as citizens of a country. He points out that it is through education that mankind becomes civilized, and that an organized education system can only be created after the establishment of a civil society. He further mentions that, by being enriched by the spiritual teachings of the past, the present education system has branched out and developed to incorporate into the system of worldly education. Ven. Welivitiye Sri Soratha Thero is an irreplaceable pioneering personality, significant not only to the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, but also to the entire process of education in Sri Lanka.

(Translated from Sri Soratha Sambhavana, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, pp.9-19.)