Don Carolis Hewavitharane Wijeyaguneratne ( si, දොන් කරෝලිස් හේවාවිතාරණ)(1833 – 18 February 1906) was a

Ceylonese Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka * A person from Sri Lanka, see Demographics of Sri Lanka ** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority ** Sri Lankan Tamils, an ethnic minority ** Sri L ...

businessman, industrialist, philanthropist and a pioneer of the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

revival movement. He was the father of

Anagarika Dharmapala Anagārika Dharmapāla (Pali: ''Anagārika'', ; Sinhala: Anagārika, lit., si, අනගාරික ධර්මපාල; 17 September 1864 – 29 April 1933) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist and a writer. Anagarika Dharmapāla is not ...

, and founded a family of considerable influence.

Early life

He was born in Yatiyana, Hittetiya, Matara, the son of Hewavitharana Dingiri Appuhamy. He was educated at Hittatiya Raja Maha Vihara by the Ven. Mirrise Revatha. His brother became a monk at the same monastery, and later its leader. Lady Mallika Dharmagunawardhana

In 1860, Don Carolis married Mallika Dharmagunawardhana, the daughter of Lansige Lansige Andiris Perera Dharmagunawardhana, a wealthy businessman from

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...

. The couple had five children, Don David Hewavitharana, who later changed his name to

and became a prominent figure Buddhist revival movement in Ceylon and in India; Dr C.A.Hewavitharana, a prominent physician and independence activist; Edmund Hewavitarne; Simon Alexander Hewavitharana, and Dona Engeltina Moonesinghe.

H.Don Carolis & Sons

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...

, Don Carolis received a furniture shop in the

Pettah Pettah may refer to: * Pettah of Ahmednagar, a fortified town outside the Fort of Ahmednagar stormed by British soldiers in 1803 during Second Anglo-Maratha War * Pettah, Colombo, a neighborhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka located east of the City centr ...

, which became H. Don Carolis & Sons Ltd, one of the largest and most reputable furniture companies in Asia. In 1886 H.Don Carolis & Sons exported furniture to Australia. An Indo-Afric

syndicate A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies, corporations or entities formed to transact some specific business, to pursue or promote a shared interest. Etymology The word ''syndicate'' comes from the French word ''syndicat ...

was formed in London in 1895 to carry out a large furniture business with South Africa. This led to the establishment of the firm‘s first factory, 'Steam Furniture Works' on

Slave Island Slave Island ( si, කොම්පඤ්ඤ වීදිය, ta, கொம்பனித்தெரு) also known as Kampong Kertel and Kompanna Veediya is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka, located directly south of the Fort. The suburb contain ...

. The firm became the dominant furniture maker in the country. By the turn of the century, the firm was exporting to Australia, South Africa, India, Burma, the UK, Europe & the USA. Don Carolis received gold and silver medals for furniture exhibited at the Ceylon Agricultural Exhibitions, the Indian Industrial Exhibition of 1901, the Paris Exhibition of 1900, and the

Saint Louis Exposition The Saint Louis Exposition or St. Louis Expo was a series of annual agricultural and technical fairs held in St. Louis' Fairgrounds Park, from the 1850s to 1902. In 1904, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, a major World's Fair, was held in St. ...

of 1904.

Buddhist revival

Until 1884, Buddhists were forced by the colonial authorities to declare themselves Christian. This was changed after Col.

Henry Steel Olcott Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (2 August 1832 – 17 February 1907) was an American military officer, journalist, lawyer, Freemason and the co-founder and first president of the Theosophical Society. Olcott was the first well-known American of Euro ...

made representations to Secretary of State for the Colonies in London on behalf of the Buddhists of Sri Lanka. The

Buddhism Protection Committee Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

(also known as the Colombo Committee) was formed in January 1884 under the patronage of Colonel Olcott, mainly with the objective of getting the

Vesak Vesak (Pali: ''Vesākha''; sa, Vaiśākha), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia as well as Tibet and Mongolia. The festival commemora ...

full-moon day holiday restored. The British had not shown any interest in restoring the Vesak holiday, which the Buddhists lost in 1770 during the period of Dutch rule. Dharmagunawardena was elected President with Don Carolis as Vice President. In 1885 the Vesak holiday was restored and the committee elected a steering committee, to which Don Carolis and his father-in-law were again elected, which went on to design the

Buddhist flag The Buddhist flag is a flag designed in the late 19th century as a universal symbol of Buddhism. It is used by Buddhists throughout the world. History The flag was originally designed in 1885 by the Colombo Committee, in Colombo, Ceylon (''no ...

.DC Ranatunga, 'Flag of faith flies high', ''Sunday Times'', 26 May 2002
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Descendants

The most notable of hsi grandchildren were: * Neil Hewavitharana * Raja Hewavitharana * Kumaradas Moonesinghe, founding Managing Director of the Elephant Match Company The most prominent members of the next generation were: *

Anil Moonesinghe Anil Moonesinghe (15 February 1927 – 8 December 2002) was a Sri Lankan Trotskyist revolutionary politician and trade unionist. He became a member of parliament, a Cabinet Minister of Transport in 1964, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament from 199 ...

MP, Cabinet Minister, Deputy Speaker and Ambassador * Gamini Jayasuriya MP, Cabinet Minister *

Susil Moonesinghe Susil Moonesinghe (11 February 1930 – 30 November 2012) was a Sri Lankan lawyer, politician, diplomat and former chairman of State Trading Wholesale Company Ltd. A former chief minister of the Western Provincial Council and a member of p ...

MP, Chief Minister and Ambassador * Mangala Moonesinghe MP and High Commissioner

References

Genealogical Charts of Sri Lankan Sinhalese Families: Family #3006 (Wijeyaguneratne) Don Carolis Hewavitharana

Daily News (Sri Lanka) The ''Daily News'' is an English-language newspaper in Sri Lanka. It is now published by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (Lake House), a government-owned corporation. The newspaper commenced publishing on 3 January 1918. D. R. Wi ...

, 17 September 2004
H Don Carolis & Sons Ltd - Company History & Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewavitharana, Don Carolis 1833 births 1906 deaths Sinhalese businesspeople Sri Lankan Buddhists Sri Lankan independence activists People of British Ceylon Sri Lankan Theosophists