COLOMBO NATIONAL MUSEUM

It was the first museum created in Sri Lanka, in 1877, under the English governorship of Sir William Gregory Henry (1871 - 1877). A trustee of the British Museum in London, it was his passion for the arts that led him, with great difficulty, to push through the vote for the creation of a public museum. The building was specially constructed to house the museum. The architect Wapchi Marika Bass was commissioned and work began in 1872, finishing in 1877, the year the Colombo Museum opened. It became the National Museum in 1942. Today, this great white building inspired by Italian architecture is the country's largest museum. It houses many items declared to be national treasures, such as the crown and throne of the last king of Kandy, as well as weapons and other objects from the colonial era. On the second floor, don't miss Room 24. This is one of the most interesting rooms, with its rich collection of Hindu bronzes from the Polonnaruwa period. On the same level, a section houses the Puppetry and Children's Museum. The museum also houses a library with a collection of around 500,000 books, some of them very rare, and over 4,000 "ola" manuscripts (handwritten on palm leaves). The National Museum also acts as the National Library, and a copy of every document printed in Sri Lanka must be deposited in the archives. Last but not least, the National Museum regularly organizes conferences and seminars to present the country's heritage.