The Most Venerable Dr. Pallegama Hemarathana Thero received an honorary doctorate today from the Venerable Wangchuk Dorjee Negi Thero, Vice Chancellor of the Central Institute of Tibetan Higher Studies in Sarnath, India, during an event held at the BMICH in Colombo. We extend our sincere congratulations and warm wishes to the Venerable Thero in the spirit of Buddhist brotherhood.
The official 16th Convocation of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies was held on 17th February 2025 at the university hall conferring degrees to the students who have passed out examination of Shastri, Acharya, B.A.B.Ed, B.Ed, BSRMS. M.Phil, & Ph.D in the year 2019 to 2024. The Convocation was attended by highly revered and most esteemed dignitaries presided by the Hon’ble Chancellor Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Ministry of Culture & Tourism) Prof. Shrinivasa Varakhedi delivered the address note of this convocation followed by conferring Honorary Doctorate degrees to His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, Most Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Nayake Thero and Prof. Shrinivasa Varakhedi.
Who is Venerable Hemarathana Thero?
Hēmarathana novice monk, who received his primary education in 1971, joined Māligākanda Vidyōdaya Pirivena in Colombo to study Prācīna education. Many scholarly Buddhist monks, including Vǟgama Piyaratana, who worked as the Mahōpādhyāya of Buddhist and Pali University, Doḍamgoḍa Rēvata Thero from Mahābōdhi Society of India, Piyadassi and Hunupola Bhaddiya Thero of Kingsbury Vihāraya in England were contemporary to Hēmaratana Thero.
In 1976, Hēmaratana Thero, who completed Advanced Level in Sandalanka Śastrōdaya Pirivena and obtained university entrance, joined the batch of 78-79 of the University of Kelaniya and studied Sinhala, Archaeology, and Buddhist Philosophy at the Faculty of Arts. The Thero, who got the opportunity to master Archaeology in the second year, went to the archaeological conservation site near Abhayagiriya in his final year for practical training. He completed his academic research with great dedication and enthusiasm and completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Archaeology in 1981. After completing his university education, he came to Anuradhapura as a Piriven teacher in Mahā Vihāra Pirivena in the same year.
Our previous article on Atamasthanadhipathi Most Venerable Dr Pallegama Hemarathana Nayake Thero. The link to the article…
The Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS), located in Sarnath, Varanasi, India, is a unique government-funded university. Established in 1967 through the joint initiative of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, its primary aim was to cater to the cultural and educational needs of young Tibetans in exile and students from the Himalayan regions of India who shared a similar cultural heritage with Tibet. This became especially important after the Chinese occupation of Tibet disrupted their traditional avenues of education.
Initially functioning as a special wing of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, CIHTS became an autonomous institution in 1977 and was declared a ‘Deemed to be University’ in 1988. Today, it stands as a premier center for Tibetan studies, renowned for its efforts in preserving and promoting Tibetan language, religion, and culture.
The institute’s uniqueness lies in its commitment to housing and teaching all four major schools of ancient Indian Buddhist traditions that were preserved in Tibet for over a millennium, along with the pre-Buddhist Bon tradition of Tibet, all under one roof. CIHTS attracts students from various Himalayan regions, including Ladakh, Spiti, Bhutan, Nepal, and Mongolia, as well as international scholars.
CIHTS offers a wide range of programs, including undergraduate (Shastri), postgraduate (Acharya), and doctoral (Vidyavaridhi/Ph.D.) degrees in areas such as Buddhist Philosophy, Tibetan Literature, History, Culture, Sowa-Rigpa (Traditional Tibetan Medicine), and Fine Arts. It also houses the Shantaraksita Library, a treasure trove of rare Tibetan manuscripts and texts, and a vibrant publication unit dedicated to restoring and translating important works. The institute also includes the Sowa-Rigpa Medical College and Hospital and a Centre for Teacher Education.