Sagara Palansuriya

Hon. Sagara Palansuriya
Member of Parliament for Horana
In office 1956–1960
Prime Minister	S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike Wijeyananda Dahanayake
Preceded by	M. D. H. Jayawardena
Succeeded by	Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Personal details
Born	Palansuriya Mohottalalage Dingiri Mahaththaya (1908-03-11)11 March 1908 Kalalella, Ratnapura, Sri Lanka
Died	22 June 1961(1961-06-22) (aged 53)
Political party	Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Spouse	Gladis Chandra Perera
Children	Keerthivijaya, Lakvijaya, Geethakumara
Profession	Poet, Teacher, Politician

Palansuriya Mohottalalage Dingiri Mahaththaya^[1] (Sinhala: පලන්සුරිය මොහොට්ටාලලාගේ ඩිංගිරි මහත්තයා, known as Sagara Palansuriya (Sinhala: සාගර පලන්සූරිය) in later life, was a Sri Lankan poet, teacher and Member of Parliament.

Early life

Palansuriya Mohottalalage Dingiri Mahaththaya was born on 11 March 1908 at Kalalella, Ratnapura, Sri Lanka.^[2]

Sagara undertook his primary education at Madampagama Rural Sinhala school, going on, to then join the Sangha under the name Ven. Kalalelle Pemananda. Under the tutelage of Ven. Ethoya Penanissa thero he was educated in the Sinhalese language, literature, sociology, culture and politics, in addition to learning several eastern languages as a scholar of the Vidyalankara Pirivena (now the University of Kelaniya). He traveled to Shanthi Nikethana in India to continue his studies.

Career and service

In his second term of priestliness, Kalalelle Ananda Sagara continued his career as a teacher and promoted his style of Poesy, compiling verses such as Kalakanniya, Kelani Withthi, Paddiyavatiya, Mal Hamy and Visirinu Tharu under the pseudonym KAS (Kayes). His best works are regarded to have been Sudo Sudu and the KAS Markup Script, both of which contributed to his recognition as one among the leading literary figures in the country.^[3][4]

He also was a teacher at Ananda College Colombo and Nalanda College, Colombo.^[5][6]

Palansuriya went on to renounce his monkhood, reverting to his lay name Sagara Palansuriya, and entered politics in 1947, joining the Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party led by Philip Gunawardena.^[7] He was able to secure a place in Parliament in 1956, representing the Horana Electoral District for the Mahajana Ekasth Peramuna led by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike.^[8] Due to his interest in left-wing politics, he maintained a close relationship with Sama Samaja and Communist Party politicians, including Tikiri Banda Subasinghe, K. M. P. Rajarathna, Nimal Karunatillake, Lakshman Rajapaksa, M. S. Themis and T. B. Ilangaratne. He often drew attention to the plight of the rural farming community.

Palansuriya retired from politics in 1960 due to failing health and died on 22 June 1961.^[9]

See also

• Wimalaratne Kumaragama

References

1. "Sagara Palansuriya, Unforgettable Personality". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
2. "සාගර පලන්සූරිය මහතා (Sagara Palansuriya)".
3. "Sixty six years of Sinhala poetry".
4. "SUDO SUDU: Immortal love The Classic of poet-monk Kayes".
5. SAGARA PALANSURIYA
6. Nalanda Celebrates 80 Years
7. protest encyclopediapedia.com/public/tocnode?id=g9781405184649_yr2011_chunk_g9781405184649672 "Gunawardena, Don Philip Rupasinghe (1901–1972)". {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
8. "Our Heritage".
9. "Sagara Palansuriya 50th commemoration ceremony".