Name Bennet Soysa | Role Politician | |
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Sir Bennet Soysa or Warusahennidige Abraham Bastian Bennet Soysa (30 March 1889 - 1981) was a Ceylonese politician and philanthropist. He was a member of the State Council and the Senate of Ceylon. He was also Mayor of Kandy on five occasions and dedicated his wealth for the propagation of Buddhism.[1]
Bennet Soysa was educated at St. John's College Panadura and Dharmaraja College Kandy. His father was Warusahennidige Abraham Bastian Soysa and his grandfather was a cousin of Mudaliyar Jeronis de Soysa. He became successful in the transportation and the urban property sector.
Sir Bennet Soysa was the founding president and patron of the Senkadagala Buddhist Cultural Society and was chiefly responsible for its Pilgrims Rest and the Cultural Hall. He was a patron and the treasurer of the Mahiyangana Raja Maha Vihara Restoration Society. He was also a patron of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, the Kandy General Hospital and the Dharmaraja College.
The Mahamaya Girls' College, Kandy (the first Buddhist Girls' school in Kandy) was founded by his wife Lady Sarah Soysa and Lady Chitravo Ratwatte and was greatly assisted by Sir Bennet Soysa.
The Sir Benet Soysa Cultural Hall and Sir Bennet Soysa Veediya in Kandy are named in recognition of his services to the Buddha Sasana and the city of Kandy.