President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday (December 29) paid his last respects to late Ven. Buddhangala Ananda Thera.
The remains of late Ven. Ananda Thera were lying in state at the All-Ceylon Buddhist Congress Hall in Colombo 07.
The President has expressed his deepest condolences to Minister Sarath Weerasekara and the relatives of the late Thera.
Ven. Ananda Thera who was an outstanding Dhamma preacher passed away in the early hours of Tuesday. He was 78 years old at the time of his demise and was residing at the Buddhangala Aranya Senasana in Ampara.
His lay name was Ananda Weerasekera, a Major General who served in the Army and a Commissioner General of Rehabilitation.
Ven. Buddhangala Ananda Thera is also the brother of Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, Minister of Public Security.
The late Thera was ordained as Buddhangala Ananda in May, 2007. He has authored a number of Dhamma books and published several translated books as well.
