Ven.dauldena Gnanissara Maha Nayaka Thero,the Supreme Patriarch of the Amara pura Maha Nikaya

Our country which is known as “Serendib” is a term given by the foreigners. Mahawansa testifies that the Buddha visited this land during the ninth months since His enlightenment. Our country which is endowed with natural beauties and blessed with the Dhamma of the Buddha. It is this country which celebrates its 64 anniversary of independence and as such it will be the duty of all our citizens to have pride in ourselves and work in close unity.

Our country was self-sufficient in rice then had set apart a certain area to produce rice comprising of million fields. We who were under the foreign rule of the Portuguese, Dutch and the Brit- ish for 433 years lost all our valuable artefacts etc

Today we are celebrating our 64th anniversary of obtaining independence from the colonial rule. However during the last few years due to the far sighted polices of our administrators with patriotic feelings we have been able to attain self-sufficiency in rice. We have been able to accumulate a surplus production of paddy and our stores are filled with paddy etc. We are enjoying the full freedom as a unitary state. Many are the people who sacrificed their lives to attain this freedom and it should be obligatory on all of us as true citizens of this golden land to commemorate them.

We are enjoying the full freedom as a unitary state