National Museum

The National Museum is set in an elegant white neoclassical building dating from 1877 and boasting a large and absorbing collection of Sri Lankan artefacts from prehistoric times to the colonial era. Sir William Henry Gregory who was the British Governor of Ceylon was the founder of the National Museum. The museum opens daily except on Fridays from 9am-5pm. The two storey building designed according to the Italian style, houses a library with a collection of over 500,000 rare and valuable books.

The National Museum of Sri Lanka is a comprehensive guide to the culture tourist; because the layout of the museum provides a step by step guide of Sri Lankan history. The tour begins with artefacts from Anuradhapura, the first capital of Sri Lanka and ascends through the different eras and kingdoms. The range of artefacts included at the museum include, paintings, ancient jewellery, frescoes, antique furniture, masks, ceramics, royal objects from the Kings of Kandy, Buddhist and Hindu statues made of bronze and stone. A separate section in the first floor houses the children's museum and the puppet art. For those who want to obtain more comprehensive information of Sri Lanka's history the museum offers guided tours, workshops, seminars and audio visual programmes .................. ........................................................ ...... ............................................