Siddhalepa LK

Siddhalepa (the balm) is the flagship brand of the Hettigoda Group, a manufacturer of over 150 products including authentic Ayurveda medicines, health care, oral care, skin & beauty, skin, hair care, and spa products. Siddhalepa was founded in 1934, in Sri Lanka by Kidney Specialist and Astrologer Dr. Hendrick de Silva Hettigoda who hailed from an ancestral family of Ayurveda physicians for over 200 years. In 1969, Dr. Hendrick De Silva Hettigoda chose his fifth child Victor out of his nine children to continue his Ayurveda medical practice. The father recognized in his son, the making of an entrepreneur. Victor is also the nephew of a world-famous Buddhist priest and philosopher, the late Venerable Aggamahapanditha, Prof. Walpola Sri Rahula Thero, who authored ‘What the Buddha Taught’ and propagated Buddhism in the West.

Victor was a student of Rahula College, Matara, and later apprenticed in the family profession under his father’s tutelage. He spent nearly twelve years learning the theory and practice of Ayurveda, consulting ancient manuscripts and books while acquiring practical experience. His dedication and devotion towards Ayurveda convinced his father, Dr. Hendrick de Silva Hettigoda, to share with Victor a family secret: the formula of a balm with powerful healing and analgesic properties, known as Siddhalepa.

A modern young man with an ancient practice handed down to three generations, Victor set out to do what his forebears had never attempted before: manufacture and market Siddhalepa on a commercial scale. With seed money from a relative, he launched his venture in 1971. He worked hard, crisscrossing the country to persuade Ayurveda apothecaries, pharmacies, and other retailers to try the product for themselves and recommend it to customers based on their own experience with it. His efforts paid off: today the Hettigoda Group is a large, diversified conglomerate based on Ayurveda medicine, with its flagship brand Siddhalepa.

In recognition of Dr. Victor Hettigoda’s contribution to the Ayurveda industry, the presidential award of “Deshabandu – Class I” was presented by the then President, Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1990. Dr. Hettigoda received many national and international accolades including being recognized among the 50 greatest Sri Lankan Entrepreneurs after the independence. According to the LMD, a leading local business magazine, the Siddhalepa Group is ranked one of the best 100 companies in Sri Lanka.