Sri
Lanka
Sinhalese Family Genealogy
Soysa
Soysa Family #3877
Sir
Bennett Soysa and
the BASTIAN'S PILGRIMS' REST in Anuradhapura.
Sir Bennet Soysa (30 March 1887 - 1981) CBE, Senator, JP,
Businessman and extraordinary Philanthropist.
Sir
Bennet Soysa was born
in Nallauru, Panadure in 1887 as Warusahennedige Abraham Bastian
Soysa (Jr.),
but was known throughout as "Bennett". His father,
Warusahennedige
Abraham Bastian Soysa (Snr.) was a nephew of Mudaliyar Jeronis
de Soysa and a
successful businessman.
In
1929 Benett Soysa built
the BASTIAN'S PILGRIMS' REST in Anuradhapura in memory of his
father Bastian
Soysa. Sir Bennett was also responsible for the Restoration of
the Mahiyangana
Stupa, building the Pilgrims' Rest in Kandy and numerous other
charitable
activities.
In 1929, Benett Soysa built the Bastian's Pilgrims' Rest in
Anuradhapura in memory of his father, Bastian Soysa. Note the
advent of Kandyan architectural decorations to Anuradhapura -
the column capitals and the cloud wall above.For
whatever reason, the
Parliament of Sri Lanka has passed Act. No. 40 of 1986 on 18th
November 1986
repealing the Sri Anuradhapura Bastian Pilgrims Rest Management
Society Law,
No. 15 if 1975.
Sources:
Anil M Fernando,
Geni. com., Open Source Media.
Sir
Bennett Soysa (30 March 1887 - 1981) CBE, Senator, JP,
Businessman and
outstanding philanthropist.
Abraham
Bastian Soysa Jr. was born in Nalluruva Panadura, and was known
to all as
"Bennet". His father was Warusahennedige Abraham Bastian Soysa,
a
successful businessman in the transport and estate supplies
sector. Sir
Bennet's grandfather was a cousin of Mudaliyar Jeronis de Soysa.
Bennet,
who was studying at St. John's College Panadura was brought to
Kandy in 1900
when he was twelve years old, and boarded at Dharmaraja College
where he
completed his schooling. Bennet's younger brother was John
Martin who went on
to become a Surveyor. There is no mention of their mother
anywhere. Maternal
deaths were quite common in that era and she too may have died
young, resulting
in both boys being brought to Kandy and boarded. John Martin
married Adlene
Francina, a daughter of Kalutaravedage Soloman De Fonseka.
In
1914 Benett married Lokukankanange Sarah Caroline (1887 - 1956)
from the Pieris
family of Aluthgama, on his 27th birthday. The Lokukankanan
Pieris' were active
participants in the Buddhist revival movement.
Bennet
traded as Messrs W. B. Soysa & Co., developed his father's
transport
business into fleets of busses and lorries, expanded into the
urban property
sector and diversified into fuel stations. Unlike his father,
Bennet settled in
Kandy, called it his home, lived at "Green Lodge" and was one of
Kandy's wealthiest and the most charitable citizen.
He
was a Member of the Kandy Municipal Council since 1929, the
Deputy Mayor in
1930 and the Mayor of Kandy on five occasions from 1943. Bennet
was elected as
a member of the 2nd State Council of Ceylon in 1944. He was also
elected to the
Senate in 1947 and re-elected in 1951 at the end of his first
term.
He
founded the
"Senkadagala
Eksath Bauddha Mandalaya” , the Buddhist Association of Kandy
and its first
project was to build a Pilgrims' Rest for the Temple of the
Tooth. The
foundation stone was laid in 1956, carnivals and other
fundraisers were
organised but the money collected was insufficient. Bennet
contributed over and
above the amounts so collected, and the building was opened in
1965.
Construction of the Kandy Cultural Hall commenced in 1966 and
was completed in
1969. It's still in use and has since been named as “Sir Bennet
Soysa Cultural
Hall”.
He
was also a patron and the Treasurer of the 'Mahiyangana Raja
Maha Vihara
Restoration Society'. It had been a dilapidated jungle shrine
and the twenty
foot pinnacle alone, which had a Burmese crystal atop and
weighed several tons,
had cost 2.5 million rupees then.
He
also spent much on repairs and improvements to the Kandy Dalada
Maligawa,
General Hospital Kandy and Dharmaraja College and was also the
publisher of the
Buddhist Annual of Ceylon.
Read
about the Bastian's Pilgrims' Rest built in Anuradhapura in
memory of his
father Bastian Soysa:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=620149329320446&id=108823527119698
Mahamaya
Vidyalaya, the first Buddhist girls' school in Kandy was built
with significant
financial assistance from Bennet, by the Women's Society formed
by his wife
Lady Sarah.
Kandy's
'Yasodhara Daham Pasala', the Buddhist Sunday School had been
established by
Sarah in 1940 by providing buildings and funding.
Read
about Lady Sarah here:
https://www.facebook.com/108823527119698/posts/453798405955540/
Bennet
was made a Justice of the Peace in 1944, conferred M.B.E. in
1950, C.B.E. in
1953, and a Knighthood in 1954 for his social service. The Sir
Bennet Soysa
Veediya in Kandy is named in recognition of his services to the
city of Kandy.
He
gifted "Bennett Nivasa" in Panadura, the house his father had
named
after him, to the Gothama Lama Nivasa in 1963. His Kandy
residence "Green
Lodge" was gifted as a residence for the Kandy General
Hospital's Doctors.
It was named "Chulapaya" later, in memory of the Soysa's only
child
Chula who died as an infant.
Bennette's
132nd birth anniversary passed uncommemorated a few days ago
(2021).
Information
and photo credits: Lalith Salgado, Kaurava Vansa Kathava p.271,
Open Source
Media.