Chandra Ranaraja (née Mahadiulwewa) (19392 March 2016) was the first female mayor in Sri Lanka, when she was elected the mayor of

Kandy Kandy (, ; , ) is a major city located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of ...

in 1990. The eldest in a family of seven children, Chandra was born in

Anuradhapura Anuradhapura (, ; , ) is a major city located in the north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka, North Central Province and the capital of Anuradhapura District. The city lies north of the cur ...

in 1939. Her grandfather, D. P. B. Mahadiulwewa, was Chairman of the Village Tribunals, which functioned during

British colonial The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, while not forming p ...

times. Her father was S. H. Mahadiulwewa (1906–1988), Kachcheri Mudliyar of

and the member of parliament for Kalawewa between 1947 and 1952. Chandra was educated at

Hillwood College Hillwood College is an Independent school, independent private girls' school in Kandy, Sri Lanka founded by British Anglican missionaries of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society in 1890. The school is situated in the Kandy Lake round ( ...

, Kandy and was one of the first women to attend the

University of Peradeniya The University of Peradeniya (, ) is a Public research university, public university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka, University Grants Commission. It is the largest university in Sri Lanka, which was origin ...

from the Northern Central Province, graduating with a teaching degree in 1961. The first school she taught at was the Holy Family Convent in Anuradhapura. After she married Shelton Ranaraja, (b. 1926 – d. 11 August 2011), the member of parliament for Senkadagala, she moved to

, and taught at the Girls’ High School. She gave up teaching to care for her five daughters: Premila, Aruni (b. 1967), twins Siromi and Shamila, and Anjali. In 1978 Ranaraja was appointed as a member of the first Council of the University of Peradeniya. She entered local politics and was elected a member of the

Kandy Municipal Council The Kandy Municipal Council is the local council for Kandy, the second largest city of Sri Lanka. The council was formed under the Municipalities Ordinance of 1865 and first met in 1866. The municipal council is the second oldest and largest lo ...

. Ranaraja was subsequently elected the Deputy Mayor (1979–1989) and later in 1990, the first female

Mayor of Kandy The mayor of Kandy is the mayor and head of the Kandy Municipal Council. The post was created in 1866 when the Kandy Municipal Council established by the ''Municipalities Ordinance of 1865''. The offices of the mayor are at the Kandy Town Hall. ...

and the first female mayor in Sri Lanka. Ranaraja during and after her tenure on Council was a strong and vocal advocate for the protection and conservation of built heritage in Kandy. Her daughter Aruni is the Ambassador to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Ranaraja died on 2 March 2016 at 77 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranaraja, Chandra 1939 births 2016 deaths Alumni of Hillwood College Alumni of the University of Peradeniya Mayors of Kandy Women mayors of places in Sri Lanka