. Welivita Sri Saranakara Thera was born on June 19, 1698, in Welivita Waththe Walauwa, Tumpane, Hatharaliyadda, about 24 km from
Kandy. His father was a chieftain and was a descendant of an influential family. At the age of 16, he was ordained as a samanera at the sooriyagoda temple in kandy ,by the name Weliwita saranankara. Weliwita Sri Saranankara Samanera received the 'upasampada' and qualified as a higher ordained monk on the Esala poya day in 1753 at the Malwatu Maha Viharaya. King Kirti Sri Rajasinha and his ministers proceeded to Malwatta Viharaya and presented Weliwita Sri Saranankara thera with the insignia of the office of
Sangharaja in a grand assembly of Buddhist monks. Welivita Sri Saranankara Thera was the last Sri Lankan monk to hold the prestigious
Sangharaja title, which is the highest office conferred on a monk in a Theravada Buddhist country His
lay name was Kulathun Bandara and his brother. This family had held administrative positions in the Uva Dissavaniya for centuries according to books such as
Sangarajawatha, Sangha Raja Saduchariyawa and other sources found in the
Poth Gula of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy. Though his parents initially opposed his idea to enter the Buddhist monastic order, later he was granted permission by parents and was ordained as a Samanera at the age of 16 under the scholar monk. His teacher, Suriyagoda Rajaguru thera, who had received upasampada ordination from the Arakanese monks (Burmese) in 1679, exercised considerable influence within the Kandyan Kingdom and had the patronage of
King Vira Narendrasinghe (1707–39). He was the last Sinhala king, after whom Nayakkar dynasty succeeded to the throne of
Kandyan Kingdom. In 1715, Suriyagoda thera was charged with treason by the king and executed. Thus young Saranankara Samanera left on his own, took up residence in the mountainous region of Alagalla (Kadugannwa) a few miles away from Kandy and devoted his early years to learning Pali language. Saranakara Samanera lived in a cave at Alagalla and the villagers provided him with alms food. During that time, almost all the Buddhist clergy were known as
Ganinnanses or as
Samaneras, as there was no way of them receiving the
upasampada, to qualify as a fully ordained Bhikku. His habit to help the poor earned him the epithet
Asarana Sarana, the one who helps the helpless. Although the Buddhist clergy known as Ganninnanse were living like laymen and forgotten their sacred calling, they were getting their alms to the temples regularly. The young Saranankara Samanera, as an objection against the manner in which Ganinnanses' lived in that era, refused to accept the food that brought to the temples, and led an exemplary life of real priesthood. He depended for his sustenance on the ancient practice of Buddhist monks known as
Pindapata, gathering ones food from house to house in his alms-bowl. Because of this practice, he earned the epithet
Pindapathika Saranankara. During this period few like-minded companions and followers began to gather around Weliwita Sri Saranankara Samanera. The earliest and most intimate of them were Sitinamaluwe Dhammajothi, Ilipangamuwe and Kadiragoda, who came from the
south of the island. They formed themselves into a small fraternity called Silvat Samagama and its members were called
silvat tenas (pious ones) distinguishing themselves from other samaneras and ganinnanses. Weliwita Saranankara Samanera's lifelong ambition was to re-establish upasampada ordination in the island. ==Revival of upasampada==