Venerable Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda (1919-2006) graduated with a Diploma in Linguistics and Pali Tipitaka from Vidyalankara Pirivena and then proceeded to the Benares Hindu University in India where he read Sanskrit, Hindi and Studied Philosophy. He graduated with an M.A. in 1949.

In 1952, he was selected from among 400 other educated monks to begin his mission in Malaya at the invitation of the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, where he resided. Although there were many Buddhist temples in many parts of the country then, they did not cater for the needs of the English educated Buddhists who also wanted to learn about Buddhism. Venerable Dhammananda satisfied this need.

Since his arrival here on 5 January 1952, he began a mission which has continued without a break for fifty years. He founded the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia in 1961, which was officially registered in 1962 and embarked on a speaking and writing career, which literally transformed the state of Buddhism in the country,

The late Venerable had more than 55 publications in his credit, which have inspired Buddhists and non-Buddhist all over the world. He had received numerous awards in recognition of his work, the most recent of which is from Myanmar, which carries the title, "Agga Maha Pandita".