Bulathgama was a vast area in the highlands of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

which, due to its fertile lands and high income, was directly kept under the King. Nobles of the same name administered the province in the name of the King.

Illustrious sons of Bulathgama

Bulathgama Wijayasinghe Weerakoon Maha Dissawe was one of the descendants of this clan who was a provincial administrator under the British in the 1850s. His son was ordained as a Buddhist monk in Siyam Nikaya in Kandy, Sri Lanka, taking the name Ven. Bulathgama Dhammalankara Sri Sumanatissa. Feeling that the caste system was practised by the order, he left Kandy and relocated to

Galle Galle (, ; , ) (formerly ) is a major city on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, south of Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Southern Province, Sri Lanka and is the capital of Galle District. Galle was known as ''Gi ...

, in the southern province, where he established a

dhamma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold'' or ''to support' ...

school known as"Vijayananda Pirivena". He was to greet Col. Henry Steel Olcott and Mrs

Helena Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (; – 8 May 1891), often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian-born Mysticism, mystic and writer who emigrated to the United States where she co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. She gained an internat ...

, founders of the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society is the organizational body of Theosophy, an esoteric new religious movement. It was founded in New York City, U.S.A. in 1875. Among its founders were Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and the principal thinker of the ...

, when they arrived at Galle Harbour. Thereafter Col. Olcott and Mrs Blavatsky took (the " five precepts" or basic rules to be followed by a Buddhist) from the Ven. Bulathgama Nayaka Thero and "officially" became Buddhists (as in the official Olcott Diaries).K.E.O. Dharmadasa, 1992: "Language, Religion and Ethnic Assertiveness: The Growth of Sinhalese Nationalism in Sri Lanka". Ann Arbor: University of Michigan PressTheosophy World: Hy. S. Olcott diaries
/ref> Ven. Bulathgama Thero also built a Buddhist vihara at Giniwella, Kathaluwa, where the printing press used to print the first Ceylonese newspaper, "Lankalokaya", may be seen.

References

{{reflist Agricultural regions Geography of Sri Lanka