Sir Tikiri Bandara Panabokke II, First Adigar, JP, UM (''known as Sir Tikiri Bandara Panabokke Adigar '') (28 March 1883 – 2 September 1963) 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 ...

, prominent

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

era legislator, lawyer and diplomat. He was the first Minister of Health in the

State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...

and second representative of the Government of Ceylon to India. He was the last person appointed by the British Government of Ceylon to the post of

Adigar The Mahâ Adigâr ( si, මහා අධිකාරම්) (also known as Adikārama, Adikār) was a Great Officer in the Amātya Mandalaya, or Sinhalese Council of State, in the Sinhalese Kingdoms of monarchical Sri Lanka. The office was sec ...

Early life and education

Born Walala, Patha Dumbara on 28 March 1883 to Tikiri Bandara Panabokke Snr and his second wife Halangoda Kumarihamy, daughter of Halangoda Rate Mahattaya. Panabokke Jnr received his primary education at the Walala Village School, and went to

Trinity College, Kandy "Look to the End" , mottoes = , founder = John Ireland Jones , established = , type = Independent Private , affiliation = Church of Ceylon, Anglican , grade ...

and

Royal College Colombo Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...

, where he played cricket for his college team. His class mates at Royal College where A Padmanadan (son of Sir

Ponnambalam Arunachalam Ponnambalam Arunachalam ( ta, பொன்னம்பலம் அருணாசலம், translit=Poṉṉampalam Aruṇācalam; 14 September 1853 – 9 January 1924) was a Ceylonese civil servant and a member of the Executive Council of Ceyl ...

), B.F. de Silva and Stanley Obeysekara. For higher studies he entered

Colombo Law College Sri Lanka Law College (abbreviated as SLLC), formerly known as Ceylon Law College, is a law college, and the only legal institution where one can enroll as a attorney-at-law in Sri Lanka. It was established in 1874, under the then Council of Legal ...

and passed out as a

Proctor Proctor (a variant of ''procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: * In law, a proctor is a historical class of lawye ...

in 1905.

Legal career

He practiced law at the Magistrate Courts of

Gampola Gampola ( si, ගම්පොල, ta, கம்பளை) is a town located in Kandy District, Central Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. Gampola was made the capital of the island by King Buwanekabahu IV, who ruled for four yea ...

and the District Courts of Kandy. He was appointed as

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

of Gampola for six months in 1928 and was appointed

Crown Proctor A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

Political career

In 1907 he was elected a member of the Local Board, Gampola and was re-elected every two years until he resigned his seat in 1924. In 1921 he was nominated as the Kandiyan member to a

Legislative Council of Ceylon The Legislative Council of Ceylon was the legislative body of British Ceylon, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1833, along with the Executive Council of Ceylon, on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission. It was the first f ...

along with Meedeniya Adigar. In 1931, the introduction of universal adult franchise he was elected from Gampola to the

State Council of Ceylon The State Council of Ceylon was the unicameral legislature for Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), established in 1931 by the Donoughmore Constitution. The State Council gave universal adult franchise to the people of the colony for the first time. It r ...

which had been created after reforms of the legislature replacing the Legislative Council. There he was elected as the first Minister of Health to head the ''State Council Committee on Health'' and was a member of the first Board of Ministers. During his tenor as Minister, he built a new hospital in Gampola and played a key role in controlling the

Malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

epidemic of 1933. In 1935 he was appointed as chairman of the Kandyan Law Commission and he became the first Ceylonese to be elected chairman of the board of the Tea Research Institute Talawakele, where he served from 1943 to 1945. In 1945 he succeeded Sir Baron Jayatilake as Ceylon Government's representative in India. He was a member of the Kandy National Museum Advisory Committee.

Honors

In 1940 he was appointed to the honorary post of First Adigar and retained the title of Adigar till his death in 1963 apron which it was discontinued with no new appointments made by the post independence government of Ceylon. His family donated his ceremonial adigar dress to the National Museum Kandy. He was knighted as a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

in the

1944 Birthday Honours The 1944 King's Birthday Honours, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were announced on 2 June 1944 for the United Kingdom and British Empire, New Zealand, and South Africa. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they w ...

for public services in Ceylon.

Philanthropy

A devout

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 ...

, he was responsible for the construction of the Sangaraja Pirivena Kandy and closely associated Anunanayake Thero of Malwatte, Amunugama Vipassi Thero who later was the Maha Nayaka of Malwatte Vihare. He was the founder of the Vidyartha Society, established in 1937, its main objective being to provide educational facilities for children in the Kandyan rural areas. The

Vidyartha College Vidyartha College ( Sinhala: විද්‍යාර්ථ විද්‍යලය) is an all-male national school located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. The college was founded in 1942 by the Vidyartha Society, and is currently run by t ...

was one of the primary achievements of this society. He funded the construction of the ''Panabokke Clinic'' in Gampola. He established the ''Gamini Panabokke Trust Fund'' under section 47 of the Ceylon University ordinance, providing funds to Medical Students of the

University of Peradeniya The University of Peradeniya ( si, පේරාදෙණිය විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය, ta, பேராதனைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம்) is a Public research university, public university in Sri Lanka ...

in need of financial assistance. One of the trustees of the fund is the Mahanayaka Thero of Malwatte Vihare. He died on 2 September 1963 at his ancestral

Walauwa Walauwa or walawwa is the name given to a feudal/Colony, colonial manor house in Sri Lanka of a Native headmen of Ceylon, native headmen. It also refers to the feudal social systems that existed during the colonial era. The term walauwa is derive ...

, in Elpitiya Village, Weligalle Gampola.

Family

He married Manthri Keppetipola, grand daughter of Monarawila Keppetipola Disawe. His eldest son

Theodore Braybrooke Panabokke Theodore Braybrooke Panabokke (11 May 1909 – 1989) was Sri Lankan politician, lawyer and diplomat. He was a former Parliamentary Secretary of Agriculture, Member of Parliament and Ceylon's High Commissioner to India. He was the Chancellor ...

became a Deputy Minister of Justice & Agriculture, Member of Parliament and Ceylon's High Commissioner to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

References

External links

Sir Tikiri Bandara Panabokke
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panabokke, Tikiri Bandara 1883 births 1963 deaths Sri Lankan independence activists Sinhalese lawyers Adigar Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Ceylonese Knights Bachelor Members of the 1st State Council of Ceylon Members of the Legislative Council of Ceylon High Commissioners of Sri Lanka to India Health ministers of Sri Lanka Parliamentary secretaries of Ceylon Ceylonese proctors Alumni of Trinity College, Kandy