Passing of H.H. Most Ven. Aggamaha Panditha Kotugoda Dhammawasa Mahanayake Thera

His Holiness Supreme Patriarch Most Venerable Dhammawasa Thera, Supreme Patriarch of Sri Lanka and Co-President of Religions for Peace, passed away in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 22 March 2021.

As a champion of peace and interfaith harmony, and a founding member of Sri Lanka Council of Religions for Peace, Supreme Patriarch Kotugoda Dhammawasa, advised diplomats and peace actors, particularly during the negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which resulted in the ceasefire agreement in 2002.  His Holiness Kotugoda Dhammawasa joined the other Mahanayakas (supreme leaders) in a peace mission internationally.

Most Ven. Kotugoda Dhammawasa Thera is credited with the distinction of having delivered sermons over national radio for over 50 years. His sermons have also been widely attended by audiences in India, Nepal, China, Japan, Germany, the USA, Russia, Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, Pakistan and Mongolia.Ven. Kotugoda Dhammawasa was also a prolific author, having published more than 36 books on various subjects related to Buddhism since the 1960s.

Supreme Patriarch Kotugoda Dhammawasa always welcomed Christian, Hindu, and Muslim leaders at his temple and advocated for interreligious harmony in Sri Lanka and internationally.