17 Facts About Harischandra Wijayatunga

Wijayatunga Mudalige Harischandra Wijayatunga is a Sri Lankan author, translator, lexicographer, teacher, lawyer and politician.

Harischandra Wijayatunga held various offices in different institutions of the Government of Sri Lanka.

Harischandra Wijayatunga is the compiler of the Practical Sinhala Dictionary and Gunasena Great Sinhala Dictionary, which are considered as the most comprehensive Sinhala-Sinhala dictionaries to date.

Harischandra Wijayatunga was born in 1931 at Madamulla in Minuwangoda, Sri Lanka.

Harischandra Wijayatunga's father, Wijayatunga Mudalige Don Bastian Wijayatunga, was an Ayurvedic eye physician, landed proprietor and a planter and his mother was Amarawathie Jayasinghe.

Harischandra Wijayatunga received his elementary education at the Government Bilingual School in Minuwangoda.

On his 90th birthday, Dr Harischandra Wijayatunga was felicitated by Nalanda College, Colombo in a programme called Harisanda Harasara when two books 'Abhinandana Special Issue' and 'Margagatha Abhinandana Sambhashanaya 2021' were launched.

Immediately after his University education, Harischandra Wijayatunga joined the staff of Dharmaraja College, Kandy as a science teacher.

Harischandra Wijayatunga was the first and the only member appointed to the staff, functioning as its Secretary.

Harischandra Wijayatunga took his oaths as an Attorney-at-Law in 1973.

Harischandra Wijayatunga appeared for the accused in the 1971 insurrection before the Criminal Justice Commission.

Harischandra Wijayatunga joined in the popular movement in 1950s to make Sinhala the Official Language of Sri Lanka, calling into life the "Sinhala Union of the University of Ceylon".

Harischandra Wijayatunga became the leader of this party and holds this position to this date.

Harischandra Wijayatunga contested in the parliamentary elections of 2000,2001 and 2004.

Dr Harischandra Wijayatunga did not contest the 2005 presidential election intentionally by calculating the consequence to Sri Lanka if contested, but instead supported Mahinda Rajapaksa to win the presidential election.

Mr Harischandra Wijayatunga openly supported and publicly promoted the fast unto death by Prof.

Harischandra Wijayatunga has travelled widely in many Asian, African and European countries, and was invited to address various groups of learned societies in India, Japan, UK and Australia.