He obtained his primary education at Ranasinghe Premadasa Madhya Maha Vidyalaya at Hasalaka (farming hamlet in the salubrious Kandy District of Sri Lanka).

[1] After seeing the brutality of the Tiger massacre he pleaded with the chief Thero and left robes to join the Sri Lanka Army on 27 August 1987 with the blessings of his father S.G. Babanis and mother S.G. Juliet.

Although the LTTE began pounding the Army camp with heavy mortars and weapons to the cries of injured and dying soldiers amidst deafening explosions, all eyes were still centered on the enemy's approaching bulldozer.

A statement made by Dambara Amila Thero [2] in March, 2015 in recommending the removal of this memorial sparked massive public outcry and widespread condemnation.

[citation needed] The Sri Lankan baila music singer Dhanapala Udawatta sang "Hasalaka Gamini", a song tribute to the famous war hero.