COLOMBO
Colombo is a colorful multi-ethnic contrast town that is quickly becoming a must-see destination for globe-wide tourists. According to US broadcaster CNN, the cultural and commercial capital of Sri Lanka is the fastest growing tourist town in the world, with an increase of 21 percent in 2015, while six of the top ten are also in Asia. A wealthy combination of land and water, Colombo city boasts a network of canals linked to the surrounding river Kelani, which joins the ocean just south of the town and for centuries has been a crucial business and defensive waterway.
ATTRACTIONS IN COLOMBO
GANGARAMAYA BUDDHIST TEMPLE
Built on land reclaimed from Colombo city’s landmark Beira Lake, the Gangaramaya Temple complex includes the Simamalaka Shrine, designed by renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. It was originally intended to be, and still is, a place where people of all religious persuasions can find peace and solace, which is reflected in its somewhat eclectic mix of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian, and Chinese architecture.
KELANIYA RAJAMAHA VIHARA
Just outside Colombo is one of the most sacred and historic Buddhist sites in the country, the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara or Kelaniya Temple. It is here that Lord Buddha made his third and last visit to Sri Lanka, and the Mahawansa records that the original stupa included a gem-studded throne on which the Buddha sat and preached.
OLD PARLIAMENT BUILDING
Sri Lankan architectural historian Ismeth Raheem described the Old Parliament Building in Colombo city, an imposing monument to Sri Lanka’s imperial past, as a “masterpiece in stone”. Built by the British to house Ceylon’s Legislative Council, this striking neo-classical edifice is now occupied by the Presidential Secretariat and Executive President.
ALL SAINTS CHURCH
Colombo city is redolent with examples of its British, Portuguese and Dutch colonial past, a prime example of the latter being All Saints Church, perched atop what remains of the city’s old defensive wall. Featuring outstanding European-style Gothic architecture, it was built and consecrated in 1865, and retains nearly all of its original, richly carved furniture and wood-carving.
JAMI UL-ALFAR MOSQUE
One of the oldest mosques in Colombo city, the striking-looking Jami-Ul-Alfar was reputedly built at the request of Muslim shopkeepers in the bustling Pettah Bazaar to make it easier to attend Friday prayers. A landmark building, with its red and white horizontal stripes, minarets and cupolas, it dominates one of the main streets of this north Colombo district, itself a major tourist attraction. Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque was completed in 1909, and in those days, before other taller and more notable landmarks were built, it was used as a navigational reference point by sailors approaching the nearby port.
OLD TOWN HALL
This charming and idiosyncratic building, tucked away in the heart of north Colombo’s bustling Pettah market, is regarded as something of a minor architectural masterpiece. Now a museum containing many equally charming and idiosyncratic not to say bizarre and extraordinary relics of Colombo’s colonial past, it fell into neglected disuse after the Colombo Municipal Council moved to the present Town Hall fronting Viharamahadevi Park in 1928.
SAMBODHI CHAITHYA
One of the most amazing sights in Colombo is the gleaming white Buddhist stupa built atop an arch just beside the Sri Lankan Navy base in the Fort area. Adjacent to the harbor, this bell-shaped landmark was created so that it would be visible to all ocean going ships, whether docking at the port or in transit to far-flung destinations around the world.
COLOMBO LIGHTHOUSE
Sri Lanka’s seafaring tradition is a cornerstone of its history and culture, one that fostered its centuries-old trade in gems and spices throughout Asia, Arabia and the Far East. Today, the thousands of cargo ships that call at Colombo port every year from around the world rely on GPS and satellite navigation to tell them exactly where they are as they approach their destination.
COLOMBO FORT RAILWAY STATION
Fort Railway Station, in the heart of Sri Lanka’s commercial capital of Colombo, was built by the British in 1917, and is strongly reminiscent of the celebrated Manchester Victoria station in the UK. The rapid development of pre-independence Ceylon’s rail infrastructure mirrors the export value of coffee, tea, coconut and rubber to our economic development.
VIHARAMAHADEVI PARK
This beautiful and historic green oasis—it was originally named Victoria Park by the British—is the oldest and biggest public open space in Colombo city. Apart from being a welcome refuge from the hustle and bustle, it also hosts the Cenotaph War Memorial, the public library, and the Vihara Maha Devi Park Open Air Stadium, a popular venue for concerts and public events.
NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF SRI LANKA
The breeding and conservation programs at the National Zoological Gardens, better known as Colombo Zoo, are key parts of Sri Lanka’s commitment to developing and expanding eco-tourism on the island. The zoo exists ‘to create one of the world’s outstanding zoological institutions, that is a centre of the excellence for conservation, research and education’, with the ‘resourceful conservation of animals’.
COLOMBO NATIONAL MUSEUM
A national museum can be more than just the memory of a nation, a collection of artifacts of historic and cultural significance. It can also hold the legacy of a nation’s journey to statehood. Colombo National Museum is no exception. It not only safeguards the ancient royal regalia, including the throne and crown of the Kandyan kings, it is also the national library.