{{Short description|Third highest national honour in Sri Lanka}}{{about|the Sri Lankan national civilian decoration|the Indian politician and independence activist who is entitled as "Deshbandhu"|Chittaranjan Das}} {{Infobox order | name = Deshabandhu <br />{{nobold|දේශබන්ධු<br />தேசபந்து}} | image = | caption = | image2 = | caption2 = | awarded_by = <br />30px<br /> The Government of Sri Lanka | type = Title of honor/Order of merit | established = | ribbon = | motto = | eligibility = Sri Lankan citizens | criteria = Highly notable service to the nation | status = Currently constituted | classes = <!-- (Default:classes, or use: grades); Use {{plainlist}} or {{unbulleted list}} --> | post-nominals = | former_grades = | first_induction = 1986 | last_induction = 2019 | total = | higher = Deshamanya | same = | lower = Veera Chudamani | related = }}

'''Deshabandhu''' ({{langx|si|දේශබන්ධු|translit=dēśabandhu}}; {{langx|ta|தேசபந்து|translit=Tēcapantu|translation=Patriot}}) is the third highest national honour awarded in Sri Lanka. It is awarded "for meritorious service".<ref name=Gunawardena>{{cite book|last=Gunawardena|first=Charles A.|title=Encyclopedia Of Sri Lanka|year=2005|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd|page=254|isbn=9781932705485|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hWLQSMPddikC&q=Veera+Chudamani&pg=PA254}}</ref> The title is held by no more than 150 living holders at any time. It is conferred with a citation and a silver medal with a symbol of a peacock.<ref>{{cite web |title=LAUGFS Group Chairman receives 'Deshabandu' National Honour |url=http://www.ft.lk/article/605962/LAUGFS%C2%A0Group-Chairman-receives%C2%A0-Deshabandu--National-Honour |website=Daily FT |access-date=31 August 2018}}</ref> It is conventionally used as a title or prefix to the awardee's name.

Deshabandhu ranks lower than Deshamanya.

==Awardees== Awardees include:

;1986 * Ahangamage Tudor Ariyaratne * Hewa Komanage Dharmadasa * Norendradas Jayaratnam Wallooppillai * Daphne Attygalle * Wimala de Silva * Arulanandam Yesuadian Samuel Gnanam * David Edwin Hettiarachchi * Dhamital Senakumar Jayasundera * Clara Motwani

;1987 * Bulathsinhelage Sirisena Cooray * James Ernest Ivan Corea * Albert Edirisinghe * Don Jinadasa Attygalle * Siva Chinnatamby * Lena Charlotte Fernando * Mohamed Thassim Ahamed Furkhan * Sathischandra Jayasinghe * Abeysiri Mendis Munasinghe * Abdul Haleem Sheriffdeen * Franciskuhettige Gerald Hudson Silva * Samuel Jeyarajah Stephen * Victor Garwin Weerawardhana Ratnayake * Michael Tissera * Wickremasinghe Wimaladasa

;1988 * Velu Annamalai * Mohamed Mohideen Mohamed Abdul Cader * Nuwarapaksa Hewayalage Keerthiratne * Sembukuttiarachchige Bertram Silva * Manicam Sivanathan * John William Subasinghe * Noel Wimalasena * Swarna Ferdinand * Alec Robertson * Mirisse Hewage Gunadasa Siriwardena * Julian Bolling * Kosgamage Thilaka Dhammika Jinadasa

;1989 * Palita Edward Dias Wijesiri Jayavardhana Karunaratna Weeraman * Bogoda Appuhamilage Premaratne * Callistus Reginald Seimon * Sita Seneviratne * Don Piyadasa Jayasinghe * Gardi Punchi Hewage Karunaratne * Jezima Ismail * Joyce Selina Abeywardana Goonasekera * Edith Marguerite Grace Fernando

;1990 * Bomullage Dilipkumar Dharmasena * John Arthur Ameratunge * Carl Sepala Illangakoon * Bertram Russell Heyn * Victor Hettigoda * Sangarapully Sellamuttu * Surath Wickramasinghe * Ayisha Rauf * Eric Suriyasena * Mohamed Sadique Gaffoor * Surendra Ramachandran * Albert Athisayaratnam Page * Kaluthanthirige Nandasena Perera

;1991 * Nihal Wilfred Karunaratne * Abdul Raheman Mohamed Hathy * Ajith Mahendra de Silva Jayaratne * Jivaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotalawala * Lankalalama Arunasiri Adithiya

;1992 * Theva Anugriham Buell * Deepika Chanmugam * Kanitha Kumar Lal Devapura * Kombala Vithanage Damayanthi Darsha * Sriyantha Subashan Abeysekara Dissanayake * Balapuwaduge Rohan Duleep Mendis * Amugoda Arachchige Dayananda Gunawardena * Karunaratne Jayasuriya * Chevalier Andrew Kariyawasam * Kuruppu Arachchilage Karunaratne * Sinhalage Buddhi Keerthisena * Mohotti Arachchilage Sriyani Kulawansa * Muthumuni Roy Quintus de Silva * Ethel Violet Rajapakse * George Wilfred Rajapakse * Ranasinghe Arachchige Saranapala Perera Ranasinghe * Joseph Francis Antony Soza * Peremartne Weerakoon * Lihini Imala Weerasooriya

;1993 * Bernard Alfred Botejue * Reginald Sebastian Rodrigo Candappa * Arjun Rishya Fernando * Sirisumana Godage * Nahammal Kasipillai * Mas Dharma Kitchilan * Pathirannahelage Nimal Pathirana * Veeyanna Theyna Vaana Deivanayagam Pillai * Arjuna Ranatunga

;1994 * Abdul Wahab Mohamed Ameer * Mohamed Rushdi Uvais * George Lawrence Andrew Ondaatjie * Sohli Edelji Captain * Wilbert Kaggodaarachchi * Tikiri Banda Madugalla * Aelian Alwis Cohomban Wickrama Jayasekera * Hevatantrige Patrick George Ernest Peiris * Percival Upajiva Ratnatunga * Weliwitigoda Ariyadasa Wimaladharma * Don Piyadasa Wijenarayana * Alfred Samaraweera

;1996 * Aravinda de Silva * Roshan Mahanama * Hashan Tillakaratne * Asanka Gurusinha * Sanath Jayasuriya * Pramodya Wickramasinghe * Muttiah Muralitharan * Romesh Kaluwitharana * Chaminda Vaas * Kumar Dharmasena * Marvan Atapattu * Ravindra Pushpakumara * Upul Chandana

;1998 * Primus Tillekeratne de Silva * Ananda Daivin Soysa * Rajadurai Sellaiah Thanabalasundaram * Adhikari Mudiyanselage Dharmasena * Nowfel S Jabir * Rajapakse Pathirannehelage Jayaratne Pathirana * Sunna Deniyage Gunadasa * Seekkubaduge Wilbert Silva * Mapatunage James Perera * Minuwanpitiyage Darmasiri Dayananda Pieris * Thambimuttu Duraisingam * Muhammed Abdul Hameed Muhammed Hussain * Merangne Gaulis Mendis * Chasnyn Musafer * BalaupasakageYasodis Thudawe * Lady Puvaneshwari Vaithianathan * Kolamba Patabendige Tissaweera Siriwardana Jinasena

;2005 * A. E. T. Ellawala * A. L. M. Abusali * Arumadura Nandasena Silva Kulasinghe * Christopher Gunapala Uragoda * D. P. Wickremasinghe * Diyanath Samarasinghe * Harold Herath * Indradasa Hettiarachchi * Jinadasa Guruge * Joe Abeywickrama * K. P. Silva * Kapila Gunawardena * Kirthi Tennakoon * Lakshman de Mel * Lionel Fernando * Lyn de Alwis * Macky Hashim * N Navaratnarajah * Olcott Gunasekera * Osmund Jayaratne * Don Chandraprema Patrick Amarasinghe * Ranjith Athapattu * Reginald George Bernard Forbes * S. D. R. Jayaratne * Siran U. Deraniyagala * Saddhamangala Karunaratne * Senaka Dias Bandaranayake * Stanley Kirinde * Sivaramalingam Anandacoomaraswamy * Suriya Wickremasinghe * Swarana Jayaweera * Tilak de Soysa * Tissa Abeysekara * Tony Ranasinghe * Tuley de Silva * Vajira Chithrasena * Vivendra Lintotawela * M. A. Careem

;2017

* Deivanayagam Eassuwaren * Lakshman Lucian de Silva Weerasena * Leslie Shelton Devendra * Mahinkande Gamladdalage Kularatne * Susanthika Jayasinghe * Ranjan Madugalle * Shanthilal Nilkanth Wickremesinghe * Thommadura Pabilis Silva * Wegapitiya Kattadiyalage Hemachandra Wegapitiya * Ahamed Rizvi Mohamed Rifkhan * Sivanalagu Balakrishnan

;2019 *M.R. Latiff *Edwin Ariyadasa *Sugath Thilakaratne *Professor Wimal Dissanayake *Anura Punchi Bandara Tennakoon *Anslem Boniface Perera *Professor Raja Sarath Bandara *Professor Lakshman Dissanayake *Professor Shirajini Niriella *Professor Nimal Herath Sadaratne *Jerome L. de Silva *Augustin Roshan <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newsfirst.lk/2019/08/19/president-honours-outstanding-citizens-at-national-awards-ceremony/ | title=President honours outstanding citizens at National Awards ceremony | date=19 August 2019 }}</ref>

==References== * {{cite web|title=National Awards|url=http://www.presidentsoffice.gov.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=89&Itemid=236|publisher=Presidential Secretariat|access-date=9 July 2013}} {{reflist}}

==External links==

{{Honors and decorations of Sri Lanka}}

Category:Deshabandu Category:Civil awards and decorations of Sri Lanka