Prime Minister’s Media Division

* Even at the time Western colonists came to this country, we were a developed nation in every way…

* We were a developed nation at the time we had to surrender…

* We were the first nation to defeat the imperialists… it was by Kings Mayadunne and Rajasingha of Sithawaka…

* Those victories of the warriors is hidden from history today…

* Sithawaka, which has not been researched so far, is a good research ground for researchers…- Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena

The Prime Minister made these comments when in vesting in the public of the Sithawaka Museum (21.07.2024).

This museum has been built in a building owned by the Department of Railway in Avissawella town at a cost of 50 million rupees by the Central Cultural Fund and with the labour of the Sri Lanka Navy.

The Prime Minister further commented that –
“This museum is a place where the information of natural history is handed down to future generations. The Kings Rajasinghe and Mayadunne of Sithawaka who defeated the Western imperialist armies that had the strength to invade the world, were the Sri Lankan leaders who challenged the world.
The Dutch came to our country first. Although some of their names and surnames were taken, their language was not learnt. After that, when the Portuguese came, the language spread a bit and a few names and surnames were taken, but the language was not learnt in depth, therefore their language disappeared from Sri Lanka.
We are proud to have defeated the first Emperor of the world. The English government came later. The Portuguese came first. Even when white people came to this country, we were a developed nation in every way. We are a developed nation even if we later surrendered. Our ancient people had taken steps to trade the country’s natural resources with the people of the world through rivers and ferries. These two war hero statesmen successfully fought for our freedom, thwarting the efforts of those who came to find them and acquired even more. Not only war heroism, but the process that entered into various fields of strategy and governance, which has not been studied yet. We did not want to do such a deep study at that time.
Sithawaka is one of the periods that we can be proud of, in our country’s history. This museum is part of that pride. The pride of that history is now to Sithawaka Urban Council. These Professors have brought that gem of pride to you…”

Minister Bandula Gunawardena –

“Today is a day of historical significance for the town of Sithawaka. We offer our respect and thanks to all those who have contributed to the establishment of such a museum so that future generations of children and students can witness the work done by the Kingdom of Sithawaka to proceed in the way through country’s long history. As the Minister for Transport, I am also happy to contribute to the issue of finding a place to build the museum. A cabinet paper was submitted for the transfer of this ancient building and land belonging to the Railway Department of the Government of Sri Lanka. Through that this land and building could be provided for these noble tasks…”

Minister Vidura Wickramanayake-

We should not boast ourselves. It is not the way of Sinhalese. We need to remember the instances where we made faults and try not to do the same mistakes again. We should all stand together and move this country forward from here. Our heritage should not be left aside in the journey towards a digital era…”

Member of Parliament Mr. Yadamini Gunawardena-

“Sitawaka is an area where the most advanced human beings lived in every era of world history. By creating this museum, we can make it clear to all of us that no matter what era we look at in the history of Kelani Valley, Sithawaka Hewagam Korale and the surrounding areas, the most advanced man of that era travelled through this area. Whether it is the prehistoric era, passing through the ages of kingdoms from the Balangoda man to the present day, whether it is the great war against the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial empires, the historical facts prove that we are gathered together today in a land where the most advanced man in the history of the world has walked.
For that, a special commemorative honour should be done on behalf of the King Mayadunne and the Prince Tikiri. Those two groups gathered everyone for that national battle and gave leadership to a group who did not see the future beyond.
If Portuguese were not restrained in Mulleriya then, the battle in the land would have been taken to the sea from the fort and the entire South Asian peninsula would have been surrendered to Western colonialism five hundred years ago. There is one museum in the Spanish Parliament. A glass box with eight sides of one and a half feet each. It contains the history of the entire South American continent. It took only 30 years for Western invaders to get the South American continent surrendered.
When Kotte fell on that day, Sithawaka made the transformation that could be brought to this day by preserving the historical and cultural heritage in this country. It is still the same in our age. If we pass today through any political, cultural or economic collapse, we can unite the nation and create a more proud era. The message from the museum is that it should be given to the unborn children as well.
By collecting the stories of that great history in this way for school children, the museum that was created today is able to reminding them of the proud history, and reminding them of the national tasks that have been carried out since the earliest humans till now. It is the border of Colombo, Gampaha, Kegalle, and Ratnapura districts. There are more than 200 schools in those districts. In my young age, I went to those schools and tried to make some reflection about that great history. My expectation is to see those children come to Sithawaka and see their proud history through Sithawaka museum and get involved in research…”

A large gathering including Maha Sangha, Christian Islam and Hindu priests, Member of Parliament Sudath Manjula, Director General of the Central Cultural Fund Professor Gamini Ranasinghe, Ministry Secretaries, and officials from the field of archaeology participated in this event.


Prime Minister’s Media Division