Background
He was born in Yatiyana, Hittetiya, Matara, the son of Hewavitharana Dingiri Appuhamy. In 1860, he married Mallika Dharmagunawardhana, the daughter of Lansige Lansige Andiris Perera Dharmagunawardhana, a wealthy businessman from Colombo.
Businessman Industrialist philanthropist pioneer astrologer
He was born in Yatiyana, Hittetiya, Matara, the son of Hewavitharana Dingiri Appuhamy. In 1860, he married Mallika Dharmagunawardhana, the daughter of Lansige Lansige Andiris Perera Dharmagunawardhana, a wealthy businessman from Colombo.
He was educated at Hittatiya Raja Maha Vihara by Venerable (of an Archdeacon)
He was the father of Anagarika Dharmapala, and created a political family of considerable influence. He became an astrologer by profession. As dowry, Don Carolis received a furniture shop in the Pettah, which became H. Don Carolis & Sons Limited, one of the largest and reputed furniture companies in Asia.
In 1886 exported furniture to Australia.
An Indo-Afric syndicate was formed in London in 1895 to carry out a large furniture business with South Africa. This led to the establishment of the firm‘s first factory, "Steam Furniture Works" in Slave Island.
The firm became the dominant furniture maker in the country. By the turn of the century, the firm was exporting to Australia, South Africa, India, Burma, England, Europe & the United States of America. Don Carolis obtained Gold and Silver medals for furniture exhibited at the Ceylon Agricultural Exhibitions, the Indian Industrial Exhibition of 1901, the Paris Exhibition of 1900, and the Saint Louis Exposition of 1904.
The most prominent members of the third generation:.
