The Present Chief Incumbent

Venerable Kobawaka
Dhamminda Nayaka Thero

Guiding the devotees with wisdom, compassion, and dedication to uphold the teachings of the Buddha and serve humanity.

Venerable Kobawaka Dhamminda Nayaka Thero
CHIEF INCUMBENT SINCE 2013

Venerable Kobawaka Dhamminda Nayaka Thero

Chief Incumbent, Kirivehera Raja Maha Viharaya, Kataragama

Venerable Kobawaka Dhamminda Nayaka Thero was appointed as the Chief Incumbent of the sacred Kirivehera Raja Maha Viharaya in Kataragama on 19th December 2013, by the Sangha Sabha led by the Malwatte Mahanayaka, the Most Venerable Thibbotuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera, under the Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs.

He is a senior disciple of the late Venerable Dr. Aluthwewa Soratha Nayaka Thera, the former Chief Incumbent of the Kataragama Kirivehera Temple, who dedicated his life to the temple before passing away in September 2013.

Since his appointment, the Chief Incumbent has continued the centuries-old tradition of Kirivehera as a place of devotion, learning, and refuge for pilgrims — overseeing daily religious observances, temple administration, and the preservation of this 2,500-year-old sacred stupa.

Official Details

Name
Venerable Kobawaka Dhamminda Nayaka Thero
Order
Syamopalivansika Maha Nikaya, Malwathu Maha Viharaya Chapter.
Date of birth
April 19
Date of ordination
March 13, 1986
Ordained Acharya
Incumbent of the Kirivehera Rajamaha Viharaya, Upadhyaya, Ruhunu Magampattuwa Chief Sangha Nayaka Acharya Aluthwewa Soratha Nayaka Thero.
Higher ordination
October 12, 1996 - Malwathu Maha Viharaya Uposathagaraya.
Date of appointment
December 19, 2013
Official Positions
  • Chief Sanghanayake of Ruhunu Magampattuwa
  • Honorary President of Kataragama Shasanarakshaka Bala Mandala
  • Honorary President of Hambantota District Maha Sangha Conference
Affiliate Temples
  • Siri Bodhichetthiyaramaya, Keselwatte, Panadura.
  • Walane Buddhist Monastery, Panadura.
  • Asiri Bo Sevana Viharaya, Kataragama.
  • Kiri Viharaya, Kataragama.

Kirivehera Sanghaparapura

In ancient times, Buddhist monasteries and temples existed as a common property of the Maha Sangha, which spread from the four directions. Under that situation, there was no position or person called the Viharadhipati. The temples and Pirivena institutions where monks lived in large numbers were governed by the Sangha lineage. The heads of such institutions are referred to by the term "Naka Balana Thero" in ancient stone inscriptions.

Although there is historical information that with the construction of the Kirivehera Chaitya Raja Thero, a monastery for resident monks called the Raja Maha Viharaya was also created in connection with it, we do not have detailed information about it. There was no need to keep such information in writing at that time.

A legal status regarding the position of the chief priest was created with the British rule in this country. Accordingly, since the time of the Kandy Kingdom, information about the lineage and sects of the monks and nuns who ruled over the ancient Buddhist temples and monasteries in Sri Lanka has been documented.

Accordingly, the lineage of the Sangha related to the Kirivehera Rajamaha Viharaya begins with the helpless Sarana Weliwita Saranankara Sangharaja Mahimiya and his lineage of disciples who lived during the Kandy Kingdom.

Wehella Dhammadinna was a chief disciple of Sangharaja Mahimiyan. Under the Sangharaja Mahimiyan's Shasana Revival Movement, Wehella Dhammadinna Mahimiyan became the head of the Kataragama Kirivehera by a royal decree of King Sri Weera Parakrama Narendrasinghe. That was in the year 1728 AD. Since then, the lineage of students of Wehella Dhammadinna Mahimiyan has held the position of the head of the Kirivehera.

The Kataragama Kirivehera, which is a temple belonging to the Malwathu Maha Viharaya chapter of the Shyamopali Viharaya lineage, is as follows:

  1. Venerable Dhammadinna of Wehella
  2. Venerable Chandrajothi of Aluthdeniya
  3. Venerable Brahmajothi of Polonnaruwa
  4. Venerable Revatha of Polonnaruwa
  5. Venerable Medhankara of Kirineliya
  6. Venerable Piyarathana of Polonnaruwa
  7. Venerable Medhankara of Aluthwewa
  8. Venerable Revatha of Polonnaruwa
  9. Venerable Ananda of Paratte
  10. Venerable Sorathama of Aluthwewa
  11. Venerable Dhamminda of Kobawaka (Current Chief Incumbent)

Roles & Responsibilities

Beyond Kirivehera, the Chief Incumbent holds several key positions within the Buddhist clergy of the Kataragama sacred area.

Chief Incumbent

Kirivehera Raja Maha Viharaya, Kataragama.

Chairman

Kataragama Shasanarakshaka Board.

Chief Sangha Nayaka

Ruhunu Magampattuwa, and the four Maha Viharas of the Kataragama sacred area.

The current incumbent of the Kataragama Kirivehera Rajamaha Vihara, Venerable Kobawaka Dhamminda Nayaka Thero, is the tenth successor in the lineage of disciples of Venerable Wehella Dhammadinna, a disciple of Venerable Saranankara Sangharaja Mahamiya, the disciple of Venerable Wehella Dhammadinna Mahamiya, the disciple of Venerable Asara Sarana Pindapathika Saranankara Sangharaja Mahamiya.

Seek Blessings or Guidance

Devotees wishing to meet the Chief Incumbent or request a special Pooja may contact the temple office.

Contact the Temple Office