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Victory came my way in a tough contest: New Diyawadana Nilame
By Shane Seneviratne
The newly elected Diyawadana Nilame of the Dalada Maligawa, Nilanga Dela Bandara on Friday said that the election just concluded was one that was fraught with danger.

“I had to face this contest besides threats to my very life. But I was undaunted and went forward despite the fact that the contest was like one of striking my head against a rock. Ultimately victory came my way,” he said.
He said that once the perahera of the Kataragama Devale and the Saman Devale was over he would resign the post of Basnayake Nilame.
He assured he would do his best to safeguard the dignity of the Sacred Tooth Relic as its custodian and Buddhism as well.

Among the five contestants was the outgoing Diyawadana Nilame (Niranjan Wijeyaratne) who received only 44 votes. He has served in this capacity for two decades beginning from 1985 having succeeded his father, Dr. Nissanka Wijeyaratne. Another contestant Mohan Panabokke came close to him with 43 votes. He is the Basnayake Nilame of the Kandy Sri Maha Vishnu Devale and the Dadimundi Devale in Alutnuwara. The other contestant Sudantha Senanayake received only 4 votes.

In the aftermath of six months of camaigning the vacant post of the Diyawadana Nilame was filled, subsequent to the new Diyawadana Nilame in the personage of Dela Bandara being elected by a majority vote on Friday.The new Diyawadana Nilame was the Basnayake Nilame of the Kataragama Devale and the Saman Devale at the time of his election to the august post. Now he becomes the lay trustee of the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, the highest religious citadel of local Buddhists here in Sri Lanka. He was an old boy of Nalanda College Colombo.

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