NATIONAL MUSEUM

NATIONAL MUSEUM

 The National Museum, a repository of Sri Lankan art and antiques, has some of the finest bronzes, wooden carvings and sculptures of the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and later periods. These images are symbolic of the Sri Lankan art, that has retained a particular tradition and distinc­tiveness through its 2500-year-old history. The Buddha image from Anuradhapura placed at the entrance to the museum conforms to the classical. The facial expression is neutral, showing an absence of expressed feelings, but is the embodiment of prime wisdom and boundless compassion. The us of the eyes is directed at a point immediately front of the figure, which is characteristic of a son in Samadhi (deep meditation).

It is not unusual to find Buddha images and Hindu images to'!

got her, even in a Buddhist tem- I

pie. The Polonnaruwa period I

was symbolic of the infusion of 1 Hinduism into Buddhism, especially with the Sinhalese kings I marrying Hindu princesses from 1 South India. Lastly, many I Buddhist temples had Hindu 1 gods and goddesses. The sacred | pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses, mostly 12tn-century bronzes from Polonnaruwa, adorn the bronze room at the museum. The bronze of Siva and Parvathi, the husband and wife combination of a family of gods and goddesses, is in a particular combination known as Umasahithamoorthy. The fire gilt image of the Buddha of the Kandyan period, found in Danagirigala Vihara in Kegalle, dates Between the 17th and 19th centuries A.D

The regalia of Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe is among the treasures of kings and queens displayed in the museum. The 1 throne/kept at Windsor Castle in I England during the British rule 1 of the island, was used by Queen 1 Victoria before being returned to Sri Lanka by British royalty.

The use of masks has its origins in folk rituals and in pre-

Buddhist culture. Wooden masks worn to exorcise

devils during religious ceremonies, in processions and in dance and drama, are preserved in the muse­um. Many of these ancient rituals, practiced even now, have become the subject of intense study by scholars and scientists interested in the psychosomatic aspects of treatment. The mask of a mythical

bird, cited in folklore, is depicted as a dreadful

Raksha or Demon in the Kolam dance. These masksM

are reproduced for the traveller to Sri Lanka in

Ambaiangoda, a coastal town best known for it’s mask carving.

Old Colombo

Old COLOMBO

The Lighthouse clock Tower

 Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, brings together the old and the new. Colonial ruins and buildings contrast with high- rise hotels and commercial barks Almost everyone who visits Sri Lanka spends time in this busy city. Colombo, an eighth- century port, houses administrative e, financial and other offices of relevance to the traveler. A part of Colombo re-lives its past by preserving some of the finest structures of its colonial heritage. The city has developed, through several phases, into a modem city. The populace of Colombo is representative of Sri Lanka s ethnic and religious mixture.

Fort where the Portuguese and the Dutch had their well-protected bastions during the 16th and 17th centuries, has government offices, departmental .stores and shopping complexes.

The Laksala, a state-owned handicraft centre near the Millers and Cargills departmental stores on York

Street, offers Sri Lankan handicrafts at fixed prices.

The pink colonial facade now houses's, Colombo's World trade center 

The Immigration and Emigration department, the Tourist Information Bureau, the General Post Office and the Airline offices are centrally located in the Fort. The Pettah, i.e. the area outside the Fort, is the busiest and noisiest part of the city, teeming with wholesale and retail outlets and wayside eateries, as well as the main railway station and public trans­port stands. The bustling street market known as the World Market, on Duke Street, offers clothing and leather wear at bargain prices.

Colombo's hotels are centrally located, offering the visitor both pleasure and convenience. The Galle Face Hotel and the Hotel Taj Samudra open out to the ocean and to the breezy Galle Face green where horse racing was once common. The green is popu­lar with morning joggers and evening strollers, as well as with kite-flying enthusiasts and courting couples. The old Parliament Building, a landmark on Galle Face, now accommodates the Presidential Secretariat. The President's residence is in the renovated and refurbished Governor's House, which was originally a Dutch brewery. The Colombo Renaissance Hotel is on the banks of the Beira lake, where crocodiles laze and boating is popular, while the Hotel Taprobane offers the best view of harbor. Other conveniently-located star-class hotel are the Marriot. the Lanka Oberoi and the Intercontinental.        

The roads to and from the heart of Colombo are many. On Mondays and Fridays, particularly dur­ing the rush hours when a million commuters arrive in and leave Colombo, city traffic moves slowly. Taxis and three-wheelers are the fastest con­veyances, while public and private buses offer fairly good service.

The National Museum, established by the British Governor Sir William Gregory, the father of the cul­tural revival during the British period, was built by a descendant of a Moor, Arasy Marikar Wapuche Marikar, famous for his buildings in Grenada and Cordova. Gregory's statue adorns the lawn. For the traveler who has no time to visit historic cities, the National Museum is the best place to go to comprehend the island's past. The Archaeological Department and the Sinhala Dictionary Office are in front, and the Natural History Museum is located behind the National Museum. The buildings hous­ing the Public Library, the National Archives and the Royal Asiatic Society, all repositories of history, are nearby.

The John de Silva Memorial Theatre, the National Art Gallery and Lionel Wendt Art Centre and Theatre, are in the vicinity.

The Department of National Museums and the Archaeological Department manage several muse­ums in historic cities, including Ampara, Anuradhapura, Dedigama, Jaffna, Kandy, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya and Trincomalee.

The national museum, established in 1877, Is home to a unique collection depicting
Sri Lanka's culture and history from prehistoric times to the present