A marble statue of Queen Victoria is standing at the opposite side of Viharamahadevi Park and the main entrance of Laksala Museum Gallery Cafe, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.
History
This statue which was erected to mark the Diamond Jubilee (1897) of Britain's Queen Victoria (born: 1819; died: 1901) is said to be a creation of George Edward Wade (1853-1933 A.D.), a British sculptor who is famous for his statues of royal people and politicians. The statue had been originally placed in the Gordon Gardens premises adjoining the residence of the British Governor and the Governor-General of Ceylon. This residence which was known as the "King's House" or the "Queen's House" until Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972, is presently served as the official residence of the President of Sri Lanka and hence called as the "Presidential Palace".However, the statue was removed from the premises of the Presidential Palace amid fears of bad luck which was thought to have come from the statue. The Queen was then standing in a new site near the back entrance to the Colombo National Museum, not facing any public thoroughfare. However, the statue was face-lifted and installed at the present site, as a part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which was held in Sri Lanka on 15-17 November 2013. Presently, the statue is gazing into the thickets of the "Viharamaha Devi Park" that was originally known as "Victoria Park" until 1958.
The inscription of the memorial can be read as follows,
"1897- DIAMOND JUBILEE MEMORIAL."
See also
