Sights in Colombo
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Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
Even if the thought of seeing yet another temple sends you reaching for the arrack, this Buddhist temple is worth the effort. The original temple was destroyed by Indian invaders, restored, destroyed again by the Portuguese, and restored again in the 18th and 19th centuries. The dagoba, which (unusually) is hollow, is the focus of the Duruthu Perahera in January each year. To reach the temple take bus 235 from in front of the traffic-police station, which is just northeast of the Bastian Mawatha bus station.
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Isipathanaramaya Temple
The Isipathanaramaya Temple has particularly beautiful frescoes.
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Wolvendaal Church
The 1749 Wolvendaal Church is the most important Dutch building in Sri Lanka. When the church was built, this area was a wilderness beyond the city walls. The Europeans mistook the packs of roaming jackals for wolves, and the area became known as Wolf’s Dale, or Wolvendaal in Dutch. The church is in the form of a Greek cross, with walls 1.5m thick, but the real treasure is its Dutch furniture. The Dutch governors had a special pew made with elegant carved ebony chairs, and the workmanship in the wooden pulpit, baptismal font and lectern is just as beautiful. The stone floor includes the elaborate tombstones of five Dutch governors.
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St Anthony's Church
One of the city’s most interesting shrines is St Anthony’s Church. Outside it looks like a typical Portuguese Catholic church, but inside the atmosphere is distinctly subcontinental. There are queues of devotees offering puja(offerings or prayers) to a dozen ornate statues; a statue of St Anthony said to be endowed with miraculous qualities is the centre of devotions. Mothers often bring pubescent daughters here to pray for protection from evil spirits that might take advantage of the girls’ nascent sexuality. Photography is frowned upon.
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University of Colombo
The centrepiece of the district is the 50-acre University of Colombo (also called the University of Ceylon) campus, which originally opened as the Ceylon Medical School in 1870.
Today it contains elegant tree-lined streets and the posh mansions of the wealthy and powerful, as well as the city's biggest park, several sports grounds and a cluster of museums and galleries. But the centrepiece of the Cinnamon Gardens is the 50-acre campus of the University of Colombo, which originally opened as the Ceylon Medical School in 1870.
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Fort
During the European era Fort was indeed a fort, surrounded by the sea on two sides and a moat on the landward sides. Today it’s a curious mix of brash modern structures, such as the World Trade Center, and venerable red-brick institutions from the Colonial-era, such as Cargills and Millers. The security presence is heavy here, curtailing vehicle access and some pedestrian access. A good landmark in Fort is the clock towerat the junction of Chatham St and Janadhipathi Mawatha (once Queen St), which was originally a lighthouse.
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National Museum
Colombo’s National Museum is amust-see sight. Within its hallowed halls you’ll encounter all manner of art, carvings and statuary from Sri Lanka’s ancient past, as well as swords, guns and other paraphernalia from the colonial period. There are fascinating 19th-century reproductions of English paintings of Sri Lanka, and an excellent collection of antique demon masks. Look out for the magnificent royal throne made for King Wimaladharma in 1693. The museum, built in 1877, is located on the south side of Viharamahadevi Park.
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Cinnamon Gardens
About 5km south of Fort and 2km inland, Cinnamon Gardens is Colombo’s ritziest address. A century ago it was covered in cinnamon plantations. Today it contains elegant tree-lined streets and the posh mansions of the wealthy and powerful, as well as the city’s biggest park, several sports grounds and a cluster of museums and galleries.
The centre piece of Cinnamon Gardens is the 50-acre University of Colombo (also called the University of Ceylon) campus, which originally opened as the Ceylon Medical School in 1870.
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Viharamahadevi Park
This is Colombo’s biggest park, originally called Victoria Park but renamed in the 1950s after the mother of King Dutugemunu. It’s notable for its superb flowering trees, which bloom in March, April and early May. The broad Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha cuts across the middle of the park, while Colombo’s white-domed Old Town Hall (also called White House) overlooks the park from the northeast. Working elephants sometimes spend the night in the park, happily chomping on palm branches.
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Gangaramaya Temple
A short walk east of theSouth Beira lake is the sprawling Gangaramaya Temple. Run by one of Sri Lanka’s more politically adept monks, the temple complex has a library, a museum (donation Rs 100) and an extraordinarily eclectic array of bejewelled and gilded gifts presented by devotees and well-wishers over the years. Gangaramaya is the focus of the Navam Perahera on the February poya(full moon) day each year.
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Dehiwala Zoo
By Western standards the conditions for the inhabitants of this are pretty dismal. Having said that, the place has steadily improved over the years. Still, most of the cages are too small and it’s pretty depressing to see all the elephants chained up at the foot. The monkeys seem to have scored the best digs. The zoo is 10km south of Fort; you can get there on bus 118 from Dehiwala train station.
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New Kathiresan Kovil
Known as kovil, Hindu temples are numerous in Colombo. On Sea St, the New Kathiresan Kovil (along with the old Kathiresan Kovil) is dedicated to the war god Murugan (Skanda), and is the starting point for the annual Hindu Vel festival held in July/August, when the huge vel (trident) chariot is dragged to various kovils on Galle Rd in Bambalapitiya.
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Galle Face Green
Immediately south of Fort is Galle Face Green, a long stretch of lawn facing the sea. It was originally cleared by the Dutch to give the cannons of Fort a clear line of fire. Today its broad lawns are a popular rendezvous spot; on weekdays it’s dotted with joggers, kite flyers and walkers, and on weekends (especially Sunday evenings) food vendors gather to feed the hordes.
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Seema Malakaya
The small but captivating Seema Malakaya on Beira Lake consists of two island pavilions, designed by Geoffrey Bawa in 1985 and run by Gangaramaya Temple. The pavilions - one filled with Thai bronze Buddhas, the other centred on a bodhi tree and four Brahmanist images - are especially striking when illuminated at night.
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Independence Hall
Critics lambast this modern recreation of a Kandyan audience hall as a concrete nonentity, but it's a rather impressive structure nonetheless, and makes a good photo opportunity. As the name suggests, it was built to commemorate Sri Lanka's independence in 1948. The parkland surrounding it is painstakingly well kept.
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Dutch Period Museum
This unique museum was originally the 17th-century residence of the Dutch governor and has since been used as a Catholic seminary, a military hospital, a police station and a post office. The well-restored mansion contains a lovely garden courtyard. Exhibits include Dutch colonial furniture and other artefacts.
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Kathiresan Kovil
On Sea St, the goldsmiths’ street, Old Kathiresan Kovil and New Kathiresan Kovil, both dedicated to the war god Murugan (Skanda), are the starting point for the annual Hindu Vel festival held in July/August, when the huge vel (trident) chariot is dragged to various kovils on Galle Rd in Bambalapitiya.
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Sri Kailawasanathar Swami Devasthanam
Reportedly the oldest Hindu temple in Colombo, the Sri Kailawasanathar Swami Devasthanam has shrines to Shiva and Ganesh.
During the harvest festival of Thai Pongal (held in January) devotees flock to Hindu temples, which become even more colourful and lively.
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St Lucia's Cathedral
The enormous, late-19th-century St Lucia’s Cathedral lies in the Catholic heart of the Kotahena district. The biggest church in Sri Lanka, it can hold up to 5000 worshippers. The interior is plain but the immense domed mass of the church is impressive.
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Mt Lavinia Beach
The only Colombo beach where you'd consider swimming is in Mt Lavinia, a somewhat faded resort area 11km south of Fort - and even that's borderline, with a severe undertow at times and some foul waterways issuing into the ocean just to the north.
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Vajiraramaya Temple
The Vajiraramaya Temple has been a centre of Buddhist learning since 1901. From here monks have taken the Buddha's message to Western countries, and on Sundays the complex is thronged with thousands of children taking Buddhism school.
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Sri Ponnambalam Vanesar Kovil
In Kotahena, northeast of Pettah, you’ll find this temple built of South Indian granite. During the harvest festival of Thai Pongal (held in January) devotees flock to Hindu temples, which become even more colourful and lively.
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Sapumal Foundation
The Sapumal Foundation is located in what was once the home of artist Harry Pieris. Today this rambling tile-roofed bungalow is packed with some of the best examples of Sri Lankan art since the 1920s.
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Temple Trees
Temple Trees is the prime minister's fortified official residence. Galle Rd - the 'backbone' of Colombo - is also home to the Indian and British high commissions and the US embassy.
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National Art Gallery
Visit the National Art Gallery next to the National Museum. It has a permanent collection of portraits and landscapes, as well as some temporary exhibitions by Sri Lankan artists.
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