Dr. Wijayathunga was well known in the political sphere as the founder of the Sinhala Maha Samanta Bhumiputra Party. He also contested as the party’s presidential candidate in the elections held in 1994 and 1999.
He was 94 years old at the time of his death.
Dr. Wijayathunga was the compiler of the Gunasena Maha Sinhala Dictionary, published in 2005 and comprising more than 2,000 pages. He also contributed valuable insights to the development of Sinhala dictionaries and the standardization of Sinhala script.
The funeral of Dr. Harischandra Wijayathunga—who excelled in many fields including writing, translation, lexicography, teaching, law, and politics—is scheduled to be held tomorrow.
