J.R.Jayewardene Centre

The Centre was established by act of Parliament titled J.R Jayewardene Centre Act No. 77 of 1988. The act specified the venue as 191, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 07. It was an apt depository for the treasure for it was the house where President Jayewardene spent a part of his childhood and later till 1938 the year he shifted to his own house ‘Braemar’.

Ever since he became head of government and head of state he made it a practice to store the goods he received from state visitors or on state visits abroad in a special room or rooms at the President’s House, thus underlining the point that these were not personal to him but property of the state’. (A Political Biography Vol. II Cha. 37 P.718. K. M. de Silva and Howard Wriggins) This simple gesture was the indirect indication of his noble thought that he would leave everything he treasured, including his own house ‘Braemar’ at Ward place in which he lived with his charming wife Elina throughout his married life, to the benefit and service of the public.