National Museum

The most well-known museum in Sri Lanka is the Colombo National Museum, which displays an enormous number of historically significant and intriguing artifacts while also providing information about the island’s colorful past and rich cultural heritage. It was constructed in 1877 and is also known as the Sri Lanka National Museum. Its design was inspired by Italian architecture. In its two-story edifice, more than a thousand antiquities, paintings, statues, and royal relics, including a throne and a crown, are on display. The only natural history museum in the nation is also situated nearby, much closer to this national museum.

There are currently 10,000 exhibits in the National Museum of Colombo, ranging from historical and religious relics to royal vestiges and regional antiquities. A 4th or 5th century Buddhist statue carved of stone will greet you as soon as you approach this magnificent Italianate museum, which has been beautifully landscaped with a grass and environs. While the first floor is devoted to antiquities and other amusements, the ground floor displays a variety of historical items. Among its wealth are items like a royal throne and crown. You also have the only natural history museum in the nation close by.

The Royal Asiatic Society met Sir William Henry Gregory, the then-British governor of Ceylon, in 1872 to persuade him of the need for a public museum. As a result of his benign assent, the Colombo National Museum was established on January 1, 1877. It used to be closed on Fridays at the request of Wapchi Markar, the museum’s principal builder. When P. E. P. Deraniyagala opened satellite museums throughout the nation, the Colombo Museum was given the designation of national museum.

Colombo National Museum is located Less than 3 kilometers away from the heart of Colombo and can be easily reached by either bus or taxi. If you are taking the bus, ‘Museum Stop’ should be your get-off spot. Closed only on public holidays, the museum is open from 9 am to 6 pm every day. The natural museum nearby is a 10-minutes walk away from here. No need to take the bus!