Most Venerable Datuk K. Sri Dhammaratana Nayaka Maha Thero

Buddhist Chief High Priest of Malaysia

Founder and Advisor of Ti-Ratana Buddhist Society

and Ti-Ratana Welfare Society

The Most Ven. Datuk K. Sri Dhammaratana Nayaka Maha Thero is known throughout Malaysia and internationally for his outstanding services to the Buddha Sasana. His efforts in the promotion of religious knowledge, a social interaction and cultural understanding amongst Malaysians are highly commendable. He has earned a great reputation as a successful missionary monk who was well trained under the guidance of the late Ven. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Thero, the former Chief Incumbent Bhikku of the Buddhist Maha Vihara and his predecessor in his role as the Buddhist Chief Sangha Nayaka of Malaysia, who was also his uncle.

Background & Ordination

Born on 24th July 1948 in Kirinde, Sri Lanka to Mr. Basnayaka Mudiyanselage Siriwardena, an Ayurvedic Physician and Mrs. Withanaarachchilage Dayawathie, he had early education at the Central of Collage of Deyiyandara, Sri Lanka. In 1965 at the young age of 17 he entered the Sasana as a novice monk under the name of “K. Dhammaratana” as a pupil of Ven Kotawila Sri Deepananda Nayaka Thera, the abbot of the Vidyawardhana Pirivena, Dehiwala, and Ven. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Thera, the Chief Sangha Nayaka of Malaysia and Singapore at that time.

Education & Higher Ordination

Ven. Datuk Dr. K. Sri Dhammaratana began his formal basic monastic education at the Vidyawardhana Pirivena, Dehiwala, before proceeding to the Sunethra Mahadevi University Pirivena, Pepiliyana, where he successfully completed a rigorous 5 year course of study primarily involving subjects of Buddhist studies, Interfaith and Philosophy Studies and Psychology (just like what we would refer to as "majors", "minors" or "specialisations" in modern day degrees) and was awarded a bachelor’s-level monastic degree in Buddhist Studies in 1971. This qualification is today officially recognised by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Education - Department of Monastic Affairs as equivalent to a Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA Hons) in Buddhist Studies.

Following this, he underwent Dhammaduta missionary monk training at the Paramadhamma International Buddhist

Institute, Ratmalana - a respected institution for preparing monks for international service. He received higher ordination (Upasampadā) in 1972 at the Malwatte Maha Viharaya, Kandy, one of the most eminent monastic chapters in Sri Lanka.

In 1989, he was invited to Malaysia by his late uncle and predecessor, Ven. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Nāyaka Thera, the first Buddhist Chief High Priest of Malaysia. This invitation was extended by the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society (SAWS) in Kuala Lumpur, and was further endorsed by Ven. Prof. Bellanwila Wimalaratana Thera and Ven. Galaboda Gnanissara Nāyaka Thera, enabling him to begin his long-standing service to the Buddhist community in Malaysia.

On the 12th of May 2007, the Siam Nikaya Monastic Order appointed him as the Buddhist Chief Sangha Nayaka of Malaysia or officially in English, "Buddhist Chief High Priest of Malaysia" and "Ketua Tertinggi Sami Buddha Malaysia"in Malay.

On the 4th of April 2024, In recognition of his four decades of contributions to humanitarian service and spiritual leadership, he was later conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Social Work and Interfaith Engagement, acknowledging his research, public discourse, and leadership on compassion-driven initiatives across cultures and faiths.

Excellency With Dammaduta (Propagation) & Mankind

Before he became the Buddhist Chief High Priest of Malaysia, he served the Vihara for over 28 years as a resident monk. The Sasana Society in 1988 then appointed him as the principal of the Sunday school which has a student population of over 1500 because of his capabilities and enthusiasm. He played an active role in organizing the annual Year-end appreciation Dinner, Wesak celebrations, Caring and Sharing Project, the Wesak Candlelight and Float procession. Ven Dhammaratana has also been the driving force of the Buddhist Maha Vihara Tsunami Relief Fund where RM 3.2 million was raised from donations. The Tsunami Fund has since provided financial aid for the construction of a new orphanage in Aceh, Indonesia, the rebuilding of the Tagalle Hospital in Sri Lanka and restoring 2 Hindu temples in Kalmunai. Sri Lanka. It has also sent over 50 containers of clothing, food, medicines and medical and equipment to Aceh, Sri Lanka south Thailand and Burma.

Compassion in Great Service

He was instrumental in establishing in the “TI-RATANA” welfare center in Salak South Garden, with the assistance of his friends and lay supporters at the Buddhist Maha Vihara, and very soon developed it by adding various sections such as free Clinics, orphanages, elderly homes, and refugee centers for the neglected children and mothers. It is now one of the biggest welfare organizations in Malaysia as well as leading 8 community centers in Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

Leadership In Action

In October 2006, after the demise of the late Ven Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Maha Thera, the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society appointed Ven Dhammaratana as the Chief Incumbent Bhikkhu of the Buddhist Maha Vihara in Brickfields, kuala Lumpur. Taking into consideration his commendable service to Malaysia, the government of Malaysia also granted him permanent resident status in Malaysia he has also since been appointed as:

Religious patron by young Buddhist Association of Malaysia
Chief Religious Advisor by Buddhist Dhamma Followership Association, Kuching
Board Member of Malaysia Association for the Blind

The Venerable has also traveled to several counties in the world and he has closely observed the Buddha’s world “Caratha Bhikkhave Carikan Bahujana Hitaya Bahujana Sukhaya”. He is thus able to face challengers with courage and determination.

In appreciation of his services to the Buddha Sasana, Ven. Dhammaratana was bestowed the title of “Chief Sangha Nayaka of Malaysia” on 12 March 2007 by the Malwatta Chapter of the Siam Maha Nikaya, at Malwatta Viharaya, Kandy. May the blessings of Noble Triple Gem bestow health, courage, and longevity unto Ven. K. Sri Dhammaratana Nayaka Maha Thera to carry forward his esteemed services to the Samma Sambuddha Sasana and the world.

On 24 February 2008, he officiated the opening of Ti‑Ratana Lumbini Garden in Puchong. It then moved to its current permanent location in 2012, a four-storey shophouse with a shrine, meditation hall, Dhamma school, library, and outreach centre.

On 31 May 2010, as Buddhist Chief High Priest, he led the Wesak Day procession and celebrations at the Buddhist Maha Vihara, attended by high-level dignitaries including the Prime Minister and Deputy Minister.

In July 2011, a Dana ceremony was held at the Maha Vihara to celebrate his 63rd birthday, featuring 71 Sangha members from Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana traditions, and hundreds of devotees.

In 2014, he embarked on an ambitious project to build a Buddhist sanctuary on sponsored government land in Bentong, Pahang. The project faced delays and cost increases due to the unexpected pandemic but Phase 1 has been completed as of May 2025 and is pending the CF for occupancy.

In 2015, he oversaw the development of Ti‑Ratana Welfare Society’s expanded services: elders’ homes, women’s refuges, mobile medical/dental clinics, as well as Ti-Ratana Buddhist Society's efforts to rebrand all Ti-Ratana Welfare Society community centres, which had already been operating like temples since their opening into proper registered temples and places of worship while still maintaining the community centre services and activities, as well as oversee the gradual transfer of daily operations to Ti-Ratana Buddhist Society for all of the centres, while maintaining joint ownership and still working together as one big Buddhist family.

He officiated the grand opening of Ti‑Ratana Vihara Klang on 22 October 2017, which was merged from Ti-Ratana Centres at NBC Klang and Taman Eng Ann after a piece of land was allocated by the Selangor State Government to Ti-Ratana Buddhist Society in Klang in 2013 in Aman Perdana, Klang.

In February 2020, Ven. Datuk Dr. K. Sri Dhammaratana advised the committees of Ti-Ratana Buddhist Society to develop and launch a website for Ti-Ratana Buddhist Society and the Ti-Ratana Group (combined into one). After weeks of stalling due to the abrupt lockdown, we finally started the website project in June 2020, after the completion of our first e-Wesak celebrations in May 2020 due to the pandemic. We officially launched this website in August 2020, followed by multiple branch subsites for all of our branches.

In 2021, Ven. Datuk Dr. K. Sri Dhammaratana urged the Buddhist community to register for the national pandemic related vaccination programme and avoid misinformation. He also launched Ti-Ratana Bersama Rakyat for those in need, an initiative to help with the pandemic. The same year, he also accepted the proposal to informally reactivate the Ti-Ratana Youth Buddhist Section for an indefinite (still ongoing as of 2025) trial period under the guidance of Ven Bhante H. Hemaloka, Ven Bhikkhuni Shi Fa Zhi, and Asst Prof Ven Dr Karma Taishi Choedron. He also invited Bhante S Gunaratana as a "Travelling Resident Monk" at Ti-Ratana Lumbini Garden, which indicates that he has personal monastic vows, duties and commitments that require frequent travelling. This later inspired Ven Datuk Dr. K. Sri Dhammaratana to launch quarterly pilgrimages and Buddhist cultural tours to the Four Great Holy Sites of the Life of the Buddha, China's Four Heavenly Holy Mahayana Mountains, Borobodur in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and even locally to recently (2024) discovered local historical Buddhist archeological sites in the historical Bujang Valley region of Peninsular Malaysia.

At the end of 2021, he also launched the soft opening of Ti-Ratana Heights, previously known as the "Mon Buddhist Burmese Temple and Meditation Centre" at Seri Kembangan that was completed in 1960. As of 2025, he has given conditional permission for various other non Ti-Ratana Buddhist groups to use Ti-Ratana Heights as a place of practice, which includes the Vietnamese Phat Quang Buddhist Association Youth Section in Malaysia, Hua Yan Amitabha Pure Land Learning Center, Mon Buddhist Fellowship (a partial continuation of the original temple albeit scaled down) and he had invited Bhante Palitha Thero to be a Resident Sangha there along with a Sayadaw Sangha from the Burmese Buddhist community.

After residing in Malaysia since the 1980s and receiving Permanent Resident status in October 2006, Ven. Datuk Dr. K. Sri Dhammaratana successfully obtained Malaysian citizenship via naturalisation by 2022. He is known for his active engagement with national institutions.

Ven. Datuk Dr. K. Sri Dhammaratana officiated the Raise the Buddhist Flag 2023 event at Liulishan Buddhist Temple, Tanjung Sepat, alongside YB Anthony Loke (Minister of Transport) in April 2023.

On 4 April 2024, Ven. Datuk Dr. K. Sri Dhammaratana was conferred an Honorary Doctorate by the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka in recognition of his decades of service to Buddhist education and humanitarian welfare.

In April 2025, the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) referred to him in an official article as “Ketua Tertinggi Sami Buddha Malaysia, Datuk Dr. K. Sri Dhammaratana Nayaka Maha Thero”, in connection with a Police Day Buddhist prayer gathering. In earlier years, he was also described as “Ketua Sami Buddha Malaysia”.

On 30th April 2025, Ven. Datuk Dr. K Sri Dhammaratana led the 30th Anniversary Gala Dinner of Ti-Ratana Welfare Society. YB Anthony Loke attended as Guest of Honour. YB Anthony Loke announced that his Ministry of Transport would ensure Ti-Ratana Welfare Society registered vehicles would be exempt from all future road tax payments and he would both officially and personally continue to support Ti-Ratana Welfare Society's fundraising and community service efforts and promote and support the universal Buddhist values of compassion with Ti-Ratana (overall, including the Buddhist Society).

On 14th May 2025, Ven Datuk Dr. K Sri Dhammaratna Nayaka Maha Thero invited YB Anthony Loke (Minister of Transport) as the Guest of Honour to the Wesak 2025 Float Procession at Ti-Ratana Welfare Society, Desa Petaling.

Honorary Titles and Positions

In Buddhist and Community Leadership

The Principal (1994-2008) and Spiritual Advisor of the Buddhist Institute Sunday Dhamma School (BISDS) in Buddhist Maha Vihara, Brickfields
Buddhist Chief High Priest of Malaysia (12 March 2007 by the Siam Nikaya Monastic Order)
Founder and Spiritual Advisor of the Ti-Ratana Welfare Society and all Ti-Ratana Buddhist Society branches
Spiritual Advisor of Ti-Ratana Institute of Buddhist Studies and Ti-Ratana Lumbini Garden Sunday Dhamma School
Spiritual Advisor of Ti-Ratana Sukha Dhamma School
Spiritual Advisor of Ti-Ratana Vihara Dhamma School
Advisor of Sri Subhodharama Kaluwachchimulla, Kuliyapitiya
Co-Chairman of the Inter-faith Group which comprises of Spiritual leaders from other faiths, including Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Taoism, Sikhism and the Baha'i faith.
Chief Religious Advisor of Buddha Dhamma Followership Association Kuching
Religious Patron of Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM)
Board Member of Malaysia Association for the blind
Religious Advisor of UM Buddhist Society and UPM Buddhist Society
Honorary Invited Associate Sangha Member of the Monash Buddhist Society (Sunway Campus, Malaysia)

Awarded Titles and Honors

The Yang Di Pertuan Agong of Malaysia distinguished his great service and offered the title of Datuk to respect His tremendous service in November 2010
Honorary Doctorate of Buddhist Philosophy from the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka on 4th April 2024
Appointed as the Chief Sangha Nayaka of Malaysia (Chief high priest) and bestowed with the title of Dhammakeerthi Sri Dhammananda by Board of Malwatta Chapter of Siam Nikaya in Kandy, Sri Lanka

Religious and Welfare Services (Malaysia)

Founded Ti-Ratana Welfare Society in 1994
Founded Ti-Ratana Buddhist Society in 2000
Blessing services to the community, the sick, deceased, and prison inmates
Initiated correspondence course named “Buddhism for you” and Chinese Dhamma classes at the Buddhist Institute Sunday Dhamma School
Annual Caring and sharing Programme which cater to about 1200 people comprising of senior citizens, orphans and physically handicapped
Founded Ti-Ratana Welfare Society – Homes for Children, elderly and infirm, abused women, and halfway house
Free mobile clinic and mobile dental clinic to reach out to the rural communities, free loan of health care equipment, Distribution of Emergency Food Aid
Provide community services – family counseling, language and Dhamma classes, and various relaxation and recreational activities, distribution of free publication/reading materials, 3-R campaign (reduce, Reuse, and Re-cycle)
Organizes sports, holiday camps and seminars for teenagers and youths

Welfare and Social Services (International)

Founded Ti-Ratana Community Centre Sri Lanka in 2015
Presenting wheelchairs to soldiers at Ranaviru Sevana and D.A. Rajapaksha Foundation, Sri Lanka
Presenting Cardiac and other equipment to Army Hospital, Sri Lanka
Renovating Hettiyawala Vidyalaya and paving the roads in Kirinde, Sri Lanka and re-naming the school “Kirinde Sri Dhammananda Vidyalaya” and “Kirinde Sri Dhammananda Mawatha” respectively
Sending essential food items, clothing and medicines in aid of Tsunami victims in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia
Sending food, clothing and materials in aid of earthquake victims in Pakistan

If you would like to get in touch with Ven. Datuk Dr. K Sri Dhammaratana, you can contact us at info@ti-ratana.org. Please note that Chief Reverend does not personally maintain this mailbox, and his official organisation email address is purely for internal use. Our volunteers and committees will convey your message to him. He is generally open to direct communication following initial contact, preferably in person, but also via WhatsApp or phone call to his personal number if a physical meeting can't be arranged.

If your matter is urgent, you may walk in to his office at the Buddhist Maha Vihara in Kuala Lumpur (note: this is not a Ti-Ratana owned or operated temple) during their opening hours. You can contact his PA, Sis Lee Ming Er, who is also our HQ's assistant secretary at +6018 366 9900 via phone or WhatsApp (calling or texting).

However, please understand that Chief Reverend and his PA/driver may not always be present due to religious duties, national-level Buddhist and government functions in his capacity as the Buddhist Chief High Priest of Malaysia (Ketua Tertinggi Sami Buddha Malaysia), or overseas pilgrimage tours. In such cases, you may need to schedule an appointment with his office staff instead. We are unfortunately unable to provide an exact schedule of his availability, as many of his engagements arise unexpectedly such as on-site blessings for the ill or dying, emergency surgeries, funerals, or Dana offerings accompanying these occasions.