Most Ven. Randombe Somasiri Tissa Thero
Buddhists who have not been able to identify the exact location of Nagadeepa for more than 5 centuries worshiped Nagadeepa with the stanza "Bhagini Suta Matulehi ..." when worshiping at any temple. Randombe Somasiri Tissa Himi, who lived at the Randombe Maha Chethiya in Ambalamgoda, was one of the leaders who focused on this. Determined to explore the Buddhist heritage of the North and East, including Nagadeepa, he took his own life.
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He left the temple where he was ordained as a monk and set out for the North, determined to find Nagadeepa and worship the Buddhists first, despite any obstacles. That was 1939. He traveled to Jaffna by train and inquired about this from the people of Jaffna. Following some clues, he traveled to Nainativu Island via Kayts Island, assuming that Nagadeepa was an island surrounded by the sea. They he sailed 13 nautical miles to Nainitivu Island in a dilapidated boat that sailed only once a day.
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Later, with the help of several locals, they built a little hut near the Kiripalu Nuga tree and lived there. Most of the times his only food was bread brought from Kayts. Also, on some days, he received some food from the locals, but the food may not have been enough for him, who was six feet tall and had a strong body. But it did not take long for the Thera, who had mastered the art of being happy with what he had received to prove that he was in the island that the Nagadeepa sacred place where the Buddha was blessed.
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From then onwards, he started the construction of the Nagadeepa Shrine amidst many obstacles.
The Chief Incumbent Passed Away
The Nagadeepa Chief Incumbent, who was fortunate enough to pay homage to the Nagadeepa Sacred Area left Nagadeepa as he achieved his purpose by further building and developing the temple and entrusting it to the Dhammakiththi Thero. But he came to Nagadeepa several times a year with sweets and gifts. They were happily distributed to the people of Nainativu.
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He also visited Jaffna on April 22, 1973 for his last visit to Nagadeepa. He was admitted to the Nagadeepa Hospital and later to the Colombo General Hospital and rested his holy life on 25th April. His cremation was held with great reverence on April 29 at Nagadeepa. It was the first time in 500 years that a monk was cremated in Nagadeepa.