National Museum, A Treasure Trove of Sri Lankan History and Culture
854 Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Colombo 07, across from Viharamahadevi Park
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Introduction
Sri Lanka National Museum is the oldest museum in Sri Lanka, established in 1877. It is a grand double-storied white building, with a new wing built in 1980. The museum houses a collection of artifacts from different historical periods of Sri Lanka, including fossils, ancient bronzes, sculptures, gemstones, ancient warrior masks, ancient maps, flags, and various textiles, metalwork, lacquerware, porcelain, exquisite handicrafts, famous murals, and armor of the last Kandyan king. The museum also exhibits a variety of animal, insect, and geological specimens. Its library holds over 200,000 books and manuscripts, including over 4,000 leaves of ancient palm leaf manuscripts that record ancient history, Buddhism, and religious teachings of Sri Lanka. The museum also holds a stone inscription known as the "Zheng He Stele," discovered in 1912, which was erected by the Chinese Ming Dynasty eunuch admiral Zheng He during his voyages to Sri Lanka. The stele features relief carvings of two dragons playing with a pearl and inscriptions in Chinese, Arabic, and Tamil, primarily documenting Zheng He's purpose of visiting Sri Lanka. Address 854 Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Colombo 07, across from Viharamahadevi Park
Opening hours 9:00-17:00, closed on Fridays.
Transportation Can be reached on foot from Viharamahadevi Park.
Various exquisite Buddha statues and stone carvings, especially
