The Nayaka thero was born to Appuhami Dassanayake and Podihamine Dassanayake of Kollupitiya, Colombo. He is the fifth in the family of four brothers and two sisters. Brothers are Upali Dassanayake, Nimal Dassanayake, Nihal Dassanayake and Sunil Dassanayake and the sisters are Sudharma Dassanayake & Pushpa Dassanayake. Dassanayake. Educated in the Royal College, Colombo he holds brilliant childhood records both in studies and sports.

Entering the sasana (the Buddhist order of monks) in the 1960s under the preceptorship of the then Chief Incumbent of the Kelani Temple Ven. Thalewela Vijitha Dhammarakkhitha Thera, novice Mahinda Sangharakkhitha studied scripture at the Gangarama Temple in Hunupitiya and was graduated from the Vidyalankara Campus of the University of Ceylon studying Buddhist Philosophy and French language in 1979. Thereafter, Sangharakkhitha Thera was awarded a two year scholarship to conduct a research at the Sorbonne University to gain a postgraduate degree in French language leading to Masters and doctoral research that he obtained from the University of Delhi.

Returning to Sri Lanka, Sangharakkhitha Thera joined the academic staff of the University of Kelaniya in 1993 where he became a Professor of Buddhist Studies (2006), Head of the Dept. (2006 – 2008) and acting Dean on several occations.

His broad academic career contributes the country with teaching, research, publication and administrtative work at the seats of higher learning specially the University of Kelaniya. He teaches and researched specially in the field of Buddhist ethics and psychology. Some of his contributions (books and articles ) to the academic world given below.

Mentioned below are only a few of present Nayaka Thera’s contributions to grace the Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya. construction of the two storied Talewela Wijita Dhammarakkhita Memorial Cultural centre with the sponsorship of Most Ven. Ryugen Tanaka and Most ven. Ryusho Tanaka of the Ryugen Shoja of Hiroshima, Japan, construction of the alms hall with resident rooms for monks with the sponsorship of Mrs. Hirai Eisho of Japan, Mrs. Amari Wijegunawardhane, and Mr. Priyanta Kariyapperuma, construction of the new three storied desidence house with modern resident rooms for monks and visitors; and a conference hall, construction of the traditional giant entrances (the southern entrance ) with the sponsorship of Gamlath Ganegoda family, the western entrance with the sponsorship of the Nawaloka group of companies, the northern entrance with the sponsorship of Siera company, construction of the giant Avalokite § vara Bodhisattva Statue with the sponsorship of the Nawaloka group of companies, construction of the giant Maithreya Bodhisattva Statue with the sponsorship of Dr. Saman Weerasinghe and Dr. Priyadarshanee Weerasinghe.