Deshamanya Vajira Chitrasena (15 March 1932 – 23 September 2024) was a Sri Lankan traditional dancer, choreographer and teacher.
[2] Vajira is credited with creating brand for a female style of Kandyan dancing and setting the tone for women to become ritual dancers.
She and her husband Chitrasena co-founded the Chitrasena-Vajira Dance Foundation in 1944 and both toured India on several occasions between 1959 and 1998 to collaborate with artistes from different genres.
Her rise to stardom was coupled with unswerving discipline and dedication not only as a teacher, but as a performer and a choreographer as well, even as she illumined her husband's career.
[20] On 17 November 2021, she was felicitated in the Indian High Commission with the Padma Shri award in a ceremony which was held in the Temple Trees.