page_title: Nissanka Wijeyeratne
section_title: Sacred City & new town of Anuradhapura
hierarchical_section_title: Nissanka Wijeyeratne / Sacred City & new town of Anuradhapura
caption_attribution_description: English: Dr.Nissanka Wijeyeratne, Diyawadana Nilame (1975–1985)
context_page_description: Deshamanya Nissanka Parakrama Wijeyeratne, known as Nissanka Wijeyeratne, was a Sri Lankan politician, civil servant,
  diplomat and English language poet. He was also the Diyawadana Nilame of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy from 1975 to 1985. At the time of death he was serving as the chairman of The Law and Society Trust in Sri Lanka.
context_section_description: During his public service career, Nissanka Wijeyeratne was Government Agent of Anuradhapura District from 1958 to 1962.
  He was arguably the best known of all government agents of his time. His stature ensured that the voice of Anuradhapura was heard at the highest levels in Colombo. Apart from being Government Agent, he was Chairman of the Anuradhapura Preservation Board. This was the time when the city of Anuradhapura was in a period of historic transition. The new town of Anuradhapura was being built, and the residents of the old were being transferred to the new town. It was a time of some tension and of excitement. He managed this process of change with courage and remarkable political skills. While in Anuradhapura, he unveiled a memorial for H. R. Freeman, a popular British Government Agent who later was elected by the people of the district to represent them in the 1st State Council of Ceylon. Coming events cast their shadows before. A striking feature of Wijeyeratne's Anuradhapura days was his great ability to see the bigger picture and focus on the key issues, and delegate responsibilities to his staff officers. He was never one to be enmeshed in detail. He also set up the Sacred City of Anuradhapura shifted the urban city to the newly created Anuradhapura town and is responsible for the establishment of Anuradhapura Airport.
caption: Carrying the casket tooth of the Buddha by Diyawadana Nilame Nissanka Wijeyeratne
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