Ven. Morathota Ananda TheroThe boy who was known as Senaka Kaluthanthri was born on this village Morathota in Pelmadulla in the District of Ratnapura in the Province Sabaragamuwa went to Hunuwala Sri Purwarama temple Opanayake in Meda Korale in the District Ratnapura in the year 1979 with the guidance of his parents and was ordained as a pupil of Ven. Vehalle Sri Gnanananda Maha Thero who was chief incumbent of Meegahagoda Purana Viharaya and his pupil Ven. Balangoda Medhananda Thero as teachers on Monday 23rd of the month of Poson in 1980 before distinguished Maha Sangha and before the upasakas and upasikas of Sathara Peruwa. Having studied the required books from his teacher bhikkus he entered the Sri Kshethrarama Maha Pirivena attached to Aluthgama Kande Vihara in Athuthgama in the District of Kalutara in Western Province in 1982 and studied there up to University Entrance. Thereafter on Tuesday the Seventh of the month of Poson 1988 he was elevated to the Higher Ordination at the uposathagara of Malwathu Maha Vihara before Mahanayake of Malawathu Maha Vihara Party of Siyam Maha Nikaya Most Venerable Wimala Keerthi Sri Sumana Panditha Sirimalwatte Anandabhidhana Mahanayake Thero and his Sanunayake Karaka Maha Sangha Sabha with Most Ven. Balangoda Medhananda Thero as the teacher.
At the beginning of 1990 as he had passed the University Entrance examination, he joined Sri Jayawardhanapura University during the study year 90/91 and obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In the month of Nikini (July) 1992, having appeared for the Diploma Examination conducted by Sri Lanka Buddha and Pali University and having passed of obtained the degree M.A. in the month of Vesak (May/1997) from the same University.
He joined Sri Dhammanandha Pirivena in Yahalabedda, Haputhale as a teacher during the middle of 1995 as one of its teachers and later became the principle of the Pirivena. Again in the year 2000 he got a transfer to Sri Sastrodhaya Pirivena Marapana in Ratnapura and served there till 2005 and entered Meegahagoda Sri Rathanapala Pirivena which was the Headquarters of his primary pirivena at Pelmadulla and served for about two years and resigned from the teaching service in order to go abroad.
He was doing Buddhist Missionary work for short periods in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Korea and in 2007 he went to Florida in U.S.A and stayed at Florida Buddhist Vihara doing missionary work and religious activities of Buddhists in that Country and worked also as chief resident monk of that temple.
In the meantime, the Most Venerable Balangoda Sri Medhananda Nayake Thero who was his teacher and Judicial Sangha Nayake Thero of Sabaragamuwa Province of Malwathu Chapter of Shyamopali Wansika Maha Nikaya who was ill for some time expired on thirteenth Sunday of the month of Medin (March) 2016 creating great grief among his students, pupils and Dayakas.
On the demise of that Most Venerable Nayake Thero the incumbency of Opanayake Hunuwala Sri Purwarama temple and Medalagama Sri Shailarajaramaya at Lellopitiya had to be held by this Nayake Thero as the Senior Student son of that Nayake Thero.
Accordingly, Ven. Moratota Ananda Thero (M.A.) was appointed as the Chief Incumbent of the said two Viharas on Monday the 13th of the month of Poson (June) 2016 with the approval of Most Ven. Mahanayake and Anunayake of Malwathu Maha Viharaya including the Karaka Maha Sangha Sabha. It was done in the presence of hundreds of Most Ven. Maha Sangha of the area and Distinguished Dayakas of the area to coincide with the 3 months alms giving of the late Nayake Thero in the presence of Dayakas of the Sathara Peruwa.
At present the Ven. Thero is living along with the student bhikkus of the late Nayake Thero and his own pupils like Wellagiriye Sirinanda, Ambaliyadde Upananda, Hunuwala Sunanda and his secondary enrobed Rambuka Somananda and Neelagama Dheerananda of the above two temples giving sermons and attending to religious requirements of Dayakas and also by giving the taste of Dhamma of students.
Ven. Wellagiriye SirinandaFourteen years after his birth on Ocrober 2, 1983 in the village of Wellagiriya in the Nuwara-eliya district of the Central province, Venerable Wellagiriye Sirinanda Thero was ordained with his parents’ blessings in the month of November 1997 at the Hunuwala Shri Purvaramaya Vihara as a pupil of the Most Venerable Balangoda Sri Medhananda Nayaka Thero, high priest of jurisdiction of the Sabaragamuwa province of Shyamopali Sect of the Malwatte Maha Vihara Chapter and of Venerable Morathota Ananda Thero.
Subsequently, starting in 1998, he received his primary education at the Shri Shresthrarama Privena affiliated with the Aluthgama Kande Vihara. After having left the above institution in 2005, he enrolled in the Buddhist and Pali University in 2007. On graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2009, he accepted an appointment as a deputy teacher at the Shri Sudharmodaya Pirivena in Pelmadulle in 2011. After completing his service in that capacity for two years he also served as the Head of the Pirivena for three years before embarking on higher studies abroad, in 2017.
At the age of 13 in 1997 Ven. Ambaliyadde Upananda who was born in October 1st 1984 became a Buddhist Monk at the Sri Purwarama Vihara in Hunuwala, Opanayaka in Sri Lanka and received his higher ordination in 2005 under the tutelage of both Ven. Balangoda Medhananda Thera, the chief priest of the above temple and the Adhikarana Sanghanayaka of the Syamopali sect of the Malwathu Vihara chapter in Sabaragamu district and Ven. Morathota Ananda Thera, the current abbot of the temple. Since then, he has successfully completed his monastic Buddhist education for eight years finally receiving the Royal Pandit Degree in 2006. He earned his BA special degree in Sanskrit with first class honors in 2013 from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. In 2020, Ven. Ambaliyadde Upananda completed his MPhil degree in Sanskrit at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He has authored several books such as Rigvedagitanjali (2017), Kadambari – Part 1(2016), a coauthored and Kadambari – Part 2 (in print), a coauthored. In 2022, Ven. Ambaliyadde Upananda arrived in the USA to serve in the Florida Buddhist Vihara. He provides his monastic service as a resident monk at the Florida Buddhist Vihara, Tampa, Florida.
