 Dhammanisanthi was 80 years of age at the time of his death.The distinguished senior monk Venerable Matara Sri Nanarama Mahathera was the first abbot and the meditation master.During his period Nissarana Vanaya became one of the most respected meditation monasteries of Sri Lanka due to the fame of its meditation master as well as its secluded and contemplative life where monks practiced sincerely with the aspiration of attaining Nibbana in this very life.