Ven’ble Potuwila Gunaratana Nayaka Thero came to India in 1954 as a student of linguistic studies in Banaras Hindu University.
He was born at Potuwila, in south-west Sri Lanka and was ordained at the Sugathabimbarama Vihara, Navagamuwa and later received higher or- dination in the Sri Kalyani Samgri Maha Sanga Sabha at the Simamalaka on the Kelani river in 1943.
Ven’ble Dr. P. Gunaratana Nayaka Thero was a pupil of Most Ven’ble Kalukondayawe Pannasekara Maha Nayaka Thera, who was the principal of Vidyodaya Pirivena, Colombo.
His spiritual teacher was Ven’ble Dadigamuwe Seelkkanda Maha Thera who was then the incumbent of Sugathabimbarama Vihara at Navagamuwa.
He had his early education in Vidyodaya Pirivena, Colombo. After completing his preliminary education in Pali, Sanskrit and Sinhalese he sought higher education in India.
At Banaras Hindu University he completed his graduation and subsequently at the Panjabi University he completed his Master’s degree. Again at Banaras Hindu University he did research in linguistics and obtained a Ph.D. Degree which gave him the opportunity to join the staff of the same University as a lecturer in Sinhalese.
Concurrently, he was appointed the Joint Secretary of the Maha Bodhi Society of India and was assigned to the Sarnath centre as Jt. Secretary In-charge of the Maha Bodhi Society, Sarnath and its affiliated institutions. For nearly ten years he served in this capacity while attending academic work.
He was a well-known Buddhist missionary worker and travelled extensively on the Maha Bodhi Society’s missions abroad. After Dr U. Dhammaratana Thero resigned from the post of id Acting General Secretary due to ill health Ven’ble Dr Potuwila Gunaratana Nayaka Thero was requested of to take over the post of the General Secretary.
Before he came into real action as the acting wint General Secretary, he passed away after a severe and heart-attack in a Nursing home at Calcutta on 20th February 1984.
The mortal remains of the late Nayaka Thero were cremated at the Keoratola Burning Ghat in Calcutta and his ashes were taken to Sri Lanka by Ven’ble Mapalagama Vipulasara Mahathera and mary were interred in the hierarchical ash deposit chamber of his own teacher in Nawagamuwa, Sri Lanka.
