COLOMBO NATIONAL MUSEUM

Overview

For an enthusiast of History, the Colombo National Museum is the perfect place to start off from. Located about an hour from the Airport, In the heart of Colombo 7, lies this magnificent Italian Architectural Structure. The museum is known to be the largest in the country being home to over 100,000 exhibits within its thick walls.

Landscape and artefacts

Housed in a two-storied building, the museum has a vast land scape of a lush green lawn shaded by towering banyan trees, which adds to the beauty of the place. To welcome you into the museum, a fourth-century Buddha Statue is placed at the entrance lobby.

The captivating walk within will drive you through the history of Ceylon encountering  different types of art, carvings, swords, guns and other paraphernalia from the colonial period. You will also find 19th-century reproductions of English paintings of Sri Lanka and a collection of antique demon masks staring down at you. One of its most prominent exhibitions showcases the throne of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the last king to rule over Sri Lanka from a monarchy that lasted for over 2300 years.

The museum is managed by the Department of National Museum, a ministerial department under the decree of the Sri Lankan government for its running and maintenance.

History of National Museum Colombo

The building housing all of these artefacts itself holds a historic value that dates back to the 19th century. The construction of the museum was carried out by Arasi Marikar Wapchie Marikar  who was descended from the Sheikh Fareed family who arrived in Ceylon in 1060AD). Being a Renowned Architect and a Mason of British Ceylon, his infamous architectural and building skills are portrayed by several prominent structures that still stand to this day such as General Post Office in Colombo, the Clock Tower, Victoria Arcade, Colombo Customs, Old Town Hall in Pettah, Zahira College building and many more. In January 1877, the Colombo Museum was declared open to the public by Governor Gregory.

Entrance fees

An entrance fee of Rs 1000 is charged for adults and Rs 500 kids.

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