The largest museum in Sri Lanka, the Colombo National Museum was built in 1877 under the guidance of Sir William Henry Gregory, who was the British governor of Ceylon at the time. At present, the museum is under the administration of the Department of National Museum. The museum houses a large selection of important historic artefacts, including items that belonged to the Kandyan monarchs.
The building
The building was built by the architect J.G Smither. It has two floors with an immaculate lawn dotted with banyan trees. At the entrance of the building is an old Buddha statue that has a history going back to the 4th century.
Contents
A diverse selection of artefacts adds to the delightful Italian architecture of the building. Carvings, statues, coins, clothing items, guns, swords, masks, and paintings make up the display of artefacts.
Getting here
Getting here is quite easy. Tourists can take a cab or a tuk-tuk. The distance between the Bandaranaike International Airport and the museum is about 36 KM – you can get here within an hour by taxi. If you are staying at one of the hotels in Colombo city, you can get your hotel to arrange transport for you – from Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, it’s only 10 minutes by taxi.
Best time to visit
You can visit the museum at any time you want, but you should avoid the dry season, from January to March, if you don’t fare well under hot climate conditions.
