D. S. Senanayake rendered great service to this country - Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana

RT. HON. D. S. SENANAYAKE should be considered not as a political leader but as a leader who rendered a great service to this country, said Cultural and National Heritage Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana when he went to see the Bothale Walawwa the home of the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka D. S. Senanayake, built by his father Mudliyar Don Spater Senanayake, ecently.

Expressing his views further the Minister said that this Walawwa does not belong to one party or one group, now, but belongs to whole nation and that it is the responsibility of the Government as well as his Ministry to protect it as a national heritage.

As the people of this country do not know properly about the Senanayake family and their service to this country the Minister said that a book should be published containing such inform action and instructed the Ministry Secretary to look into it.

As the front portion of Bothale Walawwa, a national heritage, which is a monument of the Department of Archaeology is collapsing, the Ministry took steps to restore it to its former state and the Commissioner of Archaeology also agreed to supervise the work.

The Minister and his officials also went to see the tomb where the ashes of the Rt. Hon. D. S. Senanayake have been deposited and the Minister instructed the Department of Archaeology and its Director to conserve the tomb and the site which are in the process of being dilapidated.

The Bothale Walawwa, the home of the Senanayake's was built in 1865 and the land in which it is situated was originally 400 acres in extent but because they sacrificed their property for politics, the land has been reduced to 38 acres today.

D. S. Senanayake made an offering of the Walawwa that he built as his home to mark the birth day of his son Duddley Senanayeke to a Viharaya and today the Senanayake Pirivena is conducted there. This Walawwa situated in a picturesque surrounding is flanked by the Atavisi Bodhiya.