Kala Keerthi

The '''Kala Keerthi''' ({{langx|si|කලා කීර්ති}}) is a Sri Lankan national honour awarded "''for extraordinary achievements and contributions in arts, culture and drama''".<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> It is the highest national honour for arts, culture and drama in Sri Lanka. It is conventionally used as a title or prefix to the awardee's name. Kala Keerthi ranks lower than Vidya Jyothi.

==Awardees== Awardees include: <ref>http://www.presidentsoffice.gov.lk/?page_id=340 List of National Honour Awardees</ref>

;1986 * Wannakuwattawaduge Don Amaradeva * Rohan de Saram * Dayananda Ekanatha Hettiarachchi * George Keyt * Lester James Peries

;1987 * Ananda Weihena Palliya Guruge * Prof Nandadasa Kodagoda * Anton Wickremasinghe

;1988 * Prof Thomas Earle Joseph de Fonseka * Dr Punchi Bandara Sannasgala * Varindra Tarzie Vittachi

;1989 * Eileen Siriwardhana * Alankarage Victor Suraweera * Lorna Srimathie Dewaraja * Jinadasa Vijayatunge

;1990 * Miniwandeni Pathirannehelage Tillakaratna * Arumugam Kandiah

;1991 * Wimal Abayasundera * Diongu Badaturuge Nihalsinghe

;1992 * Edwin Ariyadasa * Ananda Salgado Kulasooriya

;1993 * Sembuge Shelton Gamini Fonseka * Miguel Hewage Goonatilleka * Chitra Malinee Jayasinghe Peris * Ponniah Poologasingham * Jayadeva Tilakasiri * Vini Vitharana

;1994 * Pinnaduwa Hewa Cyril de Silva Kulathilaka * Chitrasena * Swarna Jayaweera * Sinnathamby Thillainathan * Madawala Sirisena Ratnayake * Wimal Wickrama Surendra * Mawanana Hewa Peter Silva * Anuradha Seneviratne * Nambukara Thanthrige Karunaratna Gunapala Senadheera * Ashley Halpe

;1998 * Premasiri Kemadasa<ref name="1998 list">{{cite web|title=Deshamanya for 14 Lankans|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/980405/news2.html|publisher=Sundaytimes|access-date=10 July 2013}}</ref> * Irangani Serasinghe * Regi Siriwardena * Dharmasiri Jayakody * Nalini Jayasuriya

;2005 * A. J. Canagarathnam * A. Jesurasa * A. Sivananthan * Asoka Handagama * Bharahmasri Sarveswara Sarma * Carl Muller * Dharmasena Pathiraja * Dharmasiri Bandaranayake * Enid Anula Aluvihare De Silva * Gamini Haththotuwegama * Geetha Kumarasinghe * Gnarathan * Henry Jayasena * Jackson Anthony * Jayalath Manoratne * Karthigesu Sivathamby * Kulanthai M. shunmugalingam * Latha Walpola * M. Kanakasabai * Malini Fonseka * Monica Ruwanpathirana (Posthumous) * Olga De Livera * T. B. Richard M. Don Gabriel * Pandithar Sachchithanantham * Prasanna Vithanage * Rohana Weerasinghe * S. Maunaguru * S. Pani Bharatha (Posthumous) * Sanath Gunathilake * Sanath Nandasiri * Santhini Sevanesan * Shyam Selvadurai * Sybil Wettasinghe * Simon Navagattegama (Posthumous) * Somalatha Subasinghe * Sri Jayana Rajapakse * Sumitra Peries * Swarna Mallawarachchi * Tilak Abeysinghe * Tissa Ranasinghe * Vimukthi Jayasundara * Vasantha Obeysekera

;2017 <ref>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170319/news/national-honours-after-12-years-233395.html 2017 National Honour Awardees List</ref> * Arun Dias Bandaranaike * Edmand Ranasinghe * G. Kartini Drahaman Mohamed * George Edmond Jayasinghe * Gunawardhana Mudalige Ajith Hemachandra * Hapuwalanege Don Ariyadasa (Dasa Hapuwalana) * Herman Ronald Lakshman De Alwis * Ivor Dennis * Kurukulasuriya Eligius Camillus Perera * Lalitha Sarathchandra * Lionel Bentharage * Madhubhashini Disanayaka Ratnayaka * Namel Weeramuni * Nanayakkarage Sumana Jayatillake * Nellampitiya Pathirana Arachchige Dayawathi (Daya Nellampitiya) * Ranasinghe Arachchige Jayantha Prema Lal Hegoda * Saravanai Vinayagamoorthy * Singarampillai Thillanadarajah * Suminda Sirisena * Suresh Maliyadde * Sunanda Mahendra * Wijesinghe Arachchilage Abeysingha

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links==

Category:Kala Keerthi Category:Civil awards and decorations of Sri Lanka