He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2001 and again from April 2004 until his assassination in August 2005.

He had four older brothers: S.J.C.Kadirgamar Jr., QC, who became an eminent lawyer in commercial law; Rear Admiral Rajan Kadiragamar who became the head of the Royal Ceylon Navy and Major Selvanathan "Bai" Kadirgamar of the Ceylon Artillery, Thirumalan "Mana" Kadirgamar, a planter who died very young in a motor bike accident.

Ladies' College, Colombo and moved with his sister to Matale in the war years, where her husband was posted to.

In recognition of his all-round performance in academic and extra curricular spheres, he was awarded the prestigious Ryde Gold medal for the best all round student of 1950.

In 1963, he was commissioned by Amnesty International to investigate the Buddhist-led resistance campaign that year against the regime in South Vietnam.

Widely respected in his role as foreign minister, he was elected vice-chairman (1997–99) and later chairman (2003–05) of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC).

[10] He criticisms of this agreement, and of the Norwegian mediation effort in Sri Lanka, were most cogently expressed in his speech from the opposition in the parliament in Colombo on 8 May 2003.

[12] He stood with the support of South Africa, which was critical of incumbent Don McKinnon's opposition to Zimbabwean involvement in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2003, at which Zimbabwe withdrew from the organisation.

[13] Following the victory of the United People's Freedom Alliance in the 2 April 2004 Sri Lankan legislative elections, he was mentioned as a possible candidate for Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, but on 6 April President Kumaratunga appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa to the post.

The daughter, Ajita Perera Kadirgama, became a broadcaster and son, Sriraghavan Jebaratnam Christian "Ragee" Kadirgamar, became an architect.

[17] In lectures he emphasised the common features in the parables and principles of the great belief-systems: Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam.

[18] During a BBC interview he was asked if he thought he was a traitor to the Tamil people since he was a minister in a Sinhalese-dominated government.

[19] On 12 August 2005, around 2300 (UTC+6), Kadirgamar was shot by an LTTE sniper[citation needed] in Colombo as he was getting out of the swimming pool at his private residence in Cinnamon Gardens.

[22] India condemned what the foreign ministry described as a "terrorist crime" and offered its full support.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who last met Mr Kadirgamar in June, condemned the assassination of Sri Lanka's foreign minister as a "senseless murder and vicious act of terror" and urged Sri Lankans not to let it lead to resumed civil war.

She praised Kadirgamar as a man of "dignity, honor and integrity, who devoted his life to bringing peace to Sri Lanka".

[23] UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency: "Sri Lanka has lost a deeply respected statesman dedicated to peace and national unity."

Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer paid tribute to Kadirgamar saying he played a key role in bringing forward the peace process in Sri Lanka.

Peace brokers Norway also condemned the assassination, with Foreign Minister Jan Petersen describing it as "an atrocious crime and a tragedy for Sri Lanka."

I said I had played before he was born – without helmets and thigh guards, on matting wickets that were full of holes and stones, and I had my share of broken bones to show of it.

In November 2024 the Sri Lanka Embassy honored Kadirgamar at Wisdom Park (New Manila, Quezon City) during the visit of his spouse Suganthi Wijeysuriya.

Ambassador Chanaka Talpahewa gifted her with the Philippine Postal Corporation Vesak stamp, followed by the ritual of bodhi pooja offering, circumambulation of ficus religiosa grown from the Bodhi Tree and finally the Buddha Pooja.