MARTIN WICKRAMASINGHE FOLK MUSEUM

This folk art museum, housed in the home of the famous Sri Lankan writer Martin Wickramasinghe (1890-1976), displays many objects relating to traditional village life. The visit begins with an exhibition of the author's titles with framed book jackets. You have to cross a beautiful botanical garden planted with various species to reach the main building of the museum. Here is displayed a collection gathered by the writer's children which recalls the rural and popular life of Sri Lanka: fishermen's life, traditional cuisine, kolam masks, colonial crockery, ancient jewellery... This collection of popular arts brings back to life a whole part of the country's history that disappeared with the advent of the modern era. The visit ends with the author's house, which is located at the end of the garden. Here we see his bedroom, study, dining room and bathroom, which still contain the original furniture. Martin Wickramasinghe's birthplace was miraculously saved from the horrors of the Second World War. His entire village was razed to the ground in 1942 to make way for an air force base. The wife of the base commander asked that this house be preserved for her to live in.

The museum receives a limited number of foreign tourists, which is a pity. You will receive a very warm welcome from the staff who will be happy to give you a guided tour.