Harischandra was the fourth son of Canduda Arachchige Odiris de Silva, a wealthy businessman.

[2] In 1938, Harischandra returned to his native Matara after graduating from the University of Colombo with a degree in Economics.

He initially managed his father's cinema and printing press before deciding to start a business of his own.

[7] Harischandra Mills is placed 19th on the "second board" of LMD 100 rankings in the 2020/21 edition, an annual list of quoted companies in Sri Lanka by revenue.

[8] In 2020, the import ban on several agricultural crops imposed by the government left Harischandra Mills with a scarcity of raw materials.