Museums & Galleries in Colombo

Colombo or Sinhala is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo today is an enticing mix of urban cosmopolitanism and ancient remains. The Museums and galleries in Colombo embody the rich culture and tradition of Colombo. The museums and galleries delve deep into the cultural, artistic and scientific quest Sri Lanka, concerning the country's pre-history, art, archaeology, anthropology, zoology, entomology, geology and paleontology. The most important museums and art galleries in Colombo are national Museum, national Museum of Natural History, Negombo Mahahunupitiya Walisinghe Harischandra Museum, Maligawa Museum, Monument to Rajah, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Ratnapura, Galle Maritime Museum, Jayawardane Cultural Centre, Koggala Folk Museum, Galle National Museum, The Dutch Period Museum, Bandaranaike Museum, Archaeological Museums, Weera Puran Appu Museum, Lionel Wendt Gallery, Sapumall Gallery, The Art Gallery and Kalagaraya Gallery.

Features of Museums and Galleries in Colombo:

  -   Several antique objects on display at the museums provide a deep insight into the culture and history of Sri Lanka.
  -   Various animal and plant specimens are found in the museums. The major exhibits of the museum are birds, mammals, reptiles, sea-mammals, insects botanical, gems and geological samples.
  -   Objects of traditional art and crafts are housed in the museums.
  -   Royal apparel, life size models of the last King and Queen of Kandy, variety of antiquities and ornaments, ritual objects are exhibited in the museums.
  -   The museums are home to a collection of objects offering an insight into the rural life of the North Central Province.
  -   Jewelry, textiles, and clothes, arms and weapons, ritual objects, ivory carvings, pottery of the kandyan period are on display at the Kandy museum.
  -   The Galle maritime museum displays objects pertaining to marine biology and botany with fine diagrams of local fishing methods, natural coral beds, sea grass beds and deep sea fishes.
  -   The folk museum at Koggala display folk items and implements classified under handicrafts, folk art and music, cottage industries, agriculture, folk medicine, costumes, religion etc.
  -   The mushrooming of art galleries unleashed new trends in the contemporary art movement of Sri Lanka.
  -   The modern elements have been enmeshed into the traditional features of art.
  -   Most of the art galleries exhibit the evolution and development of Sri Lanka's art from the 1920's until recent times.