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HonourableLeslie GunawardanaMP
Minister of Science and Technology
In office October 2000 – September 2001
Member of Parliament for National List
In office 2000–2001
Personal details
Born	(1938-08-17)17 August 1938 Tholangamuwa, Ceylon
Died	16 November 2010(2010-11-16) (aged 72)
Political party	Communist Party of Sri Lanka
Other political affiliations	People's Alliance
Alma mater	University of Ceylon, Peradeniya School of Oriental and African Studies
Profession	Academic

Ranaweera Appuhamilage Leslie Herbert Gunawardana (17 August 1938 – 16 November 2010) was a Sri Lankan historian, academic, politician and government minister.

Early life and family

Gunawardana was born on 17 August 1938 in Tholangamuwa, Ceylon. Both of his parents died when he was young and he was brought up his uncle. He was educated at Tholangamuwa Central College. Having won the 1956 the University Entrance Arts Scholarship, he joined the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, graduating in 1960 with a first class B.A. honours degree in ancient history. He received a PhD degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies in 1965 for his research, guided by Arthur Llewellyn Basham and Johannes Gijsbertus de Casparis, on Buddhist monastic institutions in Ceylon during the early medieval period. His thesis was published by the University of Arizona Press in 1979 under the title Robe and Plough: Monasticism and Economic Interest in Early Medieval Sri Lanka.

Gunawardana was married to Viru. They had a son - Asela.

Career

Gunawardana joined the faculty of the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya in 1960 as an assistant lecturer in the Department of History. Rising up the academic ladder, he was appointed Personal Chair in History in 1982 and dean of the Faculty of Arts in 1991 before serving as vice-chancellor (1997-00) of the University of Peradeniya. He also served as chairman of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Gunawardana was a long-standing member of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, having joined in 1960. He was appointed as one of the People's Alliance's National List MP in the Sri Lankan Parliament following the 2000 parliamentary election. He was appointed Minister of Science and Technology after the election. He lost his ministerial position in September 2001 following a cabinet reshuffle.

Gunawardana died on 16 November 2010 following a prolonged illness.

References

1. "Directory of Past Members: Nanaweera Appuhamilage Leslie Herbert Gunawardane". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
2. ^ Kuruluwansa, Asela (18 November 2010). "Prof Leslie Gunawardena bids adieu". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
3. ^ Indrapala, K. (7 December 2010). "Prof Leslie Gunawardana: A true scholar". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
4. ^ Obeysekera, Gananath (5 December 2010). "Professor R.A.L.H. Gunawardana:an appreciation of his life and scholarly contributions". The Island (Sri Lanka).
5. ^ Fernando, Rex (6 February 2011). "He was every inch a great scholar". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
6. "New cabinet sworn in today". Current Affairs. Policy Research and Information Unit, Presidential Secretariat. 19 October 2000. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
7. Weerawarne, Sumadhu (15 September 2001). "18 member Cabinet sworn in yesterday". The Island.

v t e ← Members of the 11th Parliament of Sri Lanka (2000 (2000)–2001 (2001)) →
Speaker: Anura Bandaranaike Prime Minister: Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Leader of the Opposition: Ranil Wickremesinghe
Central Province	Kandy Mahindananda Aluthgamage Sarath Amunugama Tissa Attanayake A. R. M. Abdul Cader Rauff Hakeem M. H. A. Haleem Keheliya Rambukwella Anuruddha Ratwatte D. M. Jayaratne Lucky Jayawardena Lakshman Kiriella Ediriweera Weerawardhana Matale Alick Aluvihare Ranjith Aluvihare Nandimithra Ekanayake Monty Gopallawa Janaka Bandara Tennakoon Nuwara Eliya Periyasamy Chandrasekaran Navin Dissanayake S. B. Dissanayake Muthu Sivalingam Suppiah Sathasiwam Krishnan Jegatheeswaran Shanmugam Arumugam Thondaman
Eastern Province	Ampara Ferial Ismail Ashraff A. L. M. Athaullah P. Dayaratna Wimal Dissanayaka Chandradasa Galappaththige Markandu Gunasekeram U. L. M. Mohideen Batticaloa Abdul Cader S. Ganeshamoorthy Seyed Ali Zahir Moulana Joseph Pararajasingham Nimalan Soundaranayagam Trincomalee M. K. A. D. S. Gunawardana M. A. M. Maharoof M. N. Abdul Majeed M. S. Thowfeek
Northern Province	Jaffna V. Anandasangaree Douglas Devananda Karthigesu Velummylum Kugendran T. Maheswaran Nadarasah Mathanarajah Kandiah Sangaran Mavai Senathirajah S. Sivamaharajah A. Vinayagamoorthy Vanni Selvam Adaikalanathan R. Kuhaneswaran Noordeen Mashoor Vino Noharathalingam Santhakumara Punchihewa Premaratnage Sumathipala
North Central Province	Anuradhapura Duminda Dissanayake Punchi Banda Dissanayake W. B. Ekanayake P. Harrison Chandrani Bandara Jayasinghe Tissa Karalliyadde Don Simanralalage Shantha Premaratne Appuhamilage Herath Banda Semasinghe Polonnaruwa Earl Gunasekara Nandasena Herath H. G. P. Nelson Rukman Senanayake Maithripala Sirisena
North Western Province	Kurunegala Rohitha Bogollagama Salinda Dissanayake Johnston Fernando Jayarathna Herath Nimal Herath Sarath Munasinghe Ranjith Navaratne S.B. Nawinne Gamini Jayawickrama Perera Munidasa Premachandra Amara Piyaseeli Ratnayake Nimal Bandara Rathnayake Somakumari Tennakoon Piyasoma Upali Anura Priyadharshana Yapa Puttalam Palitha Range Bandara D. M. Dassanayake Ivon Sriyani Fernando Milroy Fernando Piyankara Jayaratne Festus Perera Neomal Perera Dayasritha Thissera
Sabaragamuwa Province	Kegalle Jagath Balasuriya Lalith Dissanayake Mahipala Herath Jayathilaka Podinilame Champika Premadasa Sirisena Rupasinghe Athauda Seneviratne Ranjith Siyambalapitiya Mano Wijeyeratne Ratnapura Gamini Atukorale Surangani Ellawala Heenmahaththaya Liyanage Abeynayaka Piyadasa Susantha Punchinilame Jayatissa Ranaweera Mahinda Ratnatilaka W. D. J. Senewiratne Dharmadasa Wanniarachchi Pavithra Wanniarachchi
Southern Province	Galle Vajira Abeywardena Amarasiri Dodangoda Piyasena Gamage Sarath Gunawardena Padmasiri Kariyawasam Gayantha Karunathilaka Keerthi Mawellage Hemakumara Nanayakkara Richard Pathirana Athula Indika Weerakoon Hambantota Siri Alexander Andrahennady Nihal Galappaththi Ananda Kularatne Sajith Premadasa Chamal Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa Dilip Wedaarachchi Matara Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena Dullas Alahapperuma Chandrasiri Gajadeera Jinadasa Kitulagoda Sagala Ratnayaka Mangala Samaraweera Mahinda Wijesekara
Uva Province	Badulla Nimal Siripala De Silva W. J. M. Lokubandara Lakshman Senewiratne Sethapenage Appuhamy Ralalage Madduma Bandara Upali Samaraweera Ravindra Samaraweera Rathnayake Mudiyanselage Ratnayake Dilan Perera Monaragala Ranjith Madduma Bandara Sumedha Jayasena Ananda Kumarasiri Gamini Vijith Vijithamuni Soysa Jayasundara Wijekoon
Western Province	Colombo Nimal Fernando Tyronne Fernando A. H. M. Fowzie Bandula Gunawardena Dinesh Gunawardena Indika Gunawardena Ravi Karunanayake Chandana Kathriarachchi Jayantha Ketagoda Karunasena Kodituwakku Jeewan Kumaranatunga Gamini Lokuge Mohamed Maharoof M. H. Mohamed G. L. Peiris Lilantha Perera Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra Samson Silva Wimal Weerawansa Ranil Wickramasinghe Gampaha John Amaratunga Anura Bandaranaike Pandu Bandaranaike Jeyaraj Fernandopulle Edward Gunasekara Lionel Gunawardena Vijitha Herath Karu Jayasuriya Jayalath Jayawardena Sarath Keerthirathna Ananda Munasinghe Sarathchandra Peramunagamage Felix Perera Joseph Michael Perera Susil Premajayantha Suranimala Rajapaksha Reggie Ranatunga Neil Rupasinghe Kalutara Reginold Cooray Tuder Dayarathne Nandana Gunathilake Imthiaz Bakeer Markar Ediriweera Premarathne Mahinda Samarasinghe Abeyrathne Pathirage Rajitha Senaratne Kumara Welgama Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
National List (29)	JVP A. R. Anjan Umma Anura Kumara Dissanayake PA Somaweera Chandrasiri Raja Collure Basheer Segu Dawood Ronnie de Mel Monty Gopallawa Leslie Gunawardana Mohamed Haneefa Lakshman Kadirgamar Wijayapala Mendis Alavi Moulana Rizzwi Sinnalebbe Batty Weerakoon R. Yogarajan UNP A. H. M. Azwer Nihal Bakmeewewa K. N. Choksy Sirinal de Mel P. P. Devaraj K. Kanakaraj M. N. Abdul Majeed Tilak Marapana Milinda Moragoda Ravindra Randeniya M. S. Sellasamy Daham Wimalasena

• 1938 births
• 2010 deaths
• Academic staff of the University of Ceylon (Peradeniya)
• Academic staff of the University of Peradeniya
• Alumni of SOAS University of London
• Alumni of the University of Ceylon (Peradeniya)
• Cabinet ministers of Sri Lanka
• Communist Party of Sri Lanka politicians
• Members of the 11th Parliament of Sri Lanka
• People from British Ceylon
• 20th-century Sri Lankan historians
• Sinhalese people
• Sri Lankan historians
• Sinhalese writers
• Sri Lankan Buddhists
• Vice-chancellors of the University of Peradeniya
• Historians of Sri Lanka