Deshabandhu
| Deshabandhu දේශබන්ධු தேசபந்து | |
|---|---|
| Awarded by The Government of Sri Lanka | |
| Type | Title of honor/Order of merit |
| Eligibility | Sri Lankan citizens |
| Criteria | Highly notable service to the nation |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Statistics | |
| First induction | 1986 |
| Last induction | 2019 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Deshamanya |
| Next (lower) | Veera Chudamani |
Deshabandhu (Sinhala: දේශබන්ධු, romanized: dēśabandhu; Tamil: தேசபந்து, romanized: Tēcapantu, lit. 'Patriot') is the third highest national honour awarded in Sri Lanka. It is awarded "for meritorious service". The title is held by no more than 150 living holders at any time. It is conferred with a citation and a silver medal with a symbol of a peacock. It is conventionally used as a title or prefix to the awardee's name.
Deshabandhu ranks lower than Deshamanya.