SriLankan Airlines Regional Building, Colombo

Photo credit: Google Street View

The SriLankan Airlines Regional Building (Sinhala: කොළඹ පැරණි ගුවන් සමාගම් ගොඩනැගිල්ල) is located on Sir Baron Jayatilaka Mawatha, opposite the Lloyd's Building in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

History

This building is said to have been used as the office of the Dutch Governor of Ceylon in 1786 and was renovated in 1850 by the British rulers (Manathunga, 2016).

The building

The two-storied building has Dutch/ British architectural features (Manathunga, 2016). Some old Dutch pillars that were in the front porch of the building are said to have been replaced by present arches added during the British Period (Manathunga, 2016). The arches have been decorated with horizontal lines.

References

1) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. pp.28-29.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 14 July 2022

Read More

State Pharmaceuticals Corporation Building, Colombo

Photo credit: Google street view

The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka Building is located on Sir Baron Jayatilaka Mawatha, near the Gaffoor Building in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

History

This building is said to have been constructed in 1854 by John Walker, a Scottish planter who arrived in Sri Lanka in 1842 (Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

The building

The four-storied building has been constructed following British architecture (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). Although many alterations have been made to the interior of the building, the facade remains largely unchanged (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). The front porch on the ground floor is designed with five arches and subsequent renovations have removed the arches in the back portion of the building (Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

Presently, the building is used as the headquarters of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka (SPC), a state-owned enterprise established in 1971.

References

1) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. p.36.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 31 July 2021
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map

Read More

Former General Post Office (Colombo Fort)

The Old General Post Office Building (Sinhala: කොළඹ පැරණි ප්‍රධාන තැපැල් කාර්යාල ගොඩනැගිල්ල) is located at No. 15 on Janadhipathi Mawatha, opposite the President's House in Colombo Fort, Sri Lanka. It was the headquarters of the Sri Lanka Post and the office of the Postmaster-General until it was moved out to a new building in 2000 due to security reasons.

History

This building was designed by Herbert Frederick Tomalin, the architect of the Public Works Department and constructed by Avasi Marikar Wapchi Marikar during the period 1891-1895 (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018; Wright, 1999; Welandawe, H., Weerasinghe, J., 2016). The completed building was declared open by Arthur Elibank Havelock, the then British Governor of Ceylon from 1890-1895 (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018). The memorial plaque fixed onto the building can be read as follows;

General Post Office Colombo 1895

Sir Arthur E. Havelock G.C.M.G. Governor

R.K. Macbride M.I.C.E. C.M.G. Director of Public Works

H.F. Tomalin F.R.I.B.A. Architect

The building

The Building is designed in the Renaissance Classical tradition (Welandawe & Weerasinghe, 2016). Constructed on a raised platform, the building can be entered through a wide flight of steps leading to four arch-shaped entrances. The Corinthian, Ionic and Doric pillars with various mouldings and decorations have given a majestic appearance to the facade of the building (Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

A protected monument

The old building called the General Post Office (G.P.O.), situated on Janadhipathi Mawatha Street in Colombo Fort in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Colombo is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 21 January 2000. 

.

See also

#) Post Office Building (Nuwara Eliya)

Attribution

1) Colombo, Sri Lanka, September 2016 by hectorlo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

References

1) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. pp.22-23. 
2) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. p.25.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1116. 18 June 1999.
4) Welandawe, H., Weerasinghe, J., 2016. Urban Heritage in the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project. p.17.

5) Wright, A. ed., 1999. Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources (first published in 1907). Asian Educational Services. pp.122.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 21 August 2022

Read More

Colombo Club

The Colombo Club (Sinhala: කොළඹ සමාජය) is located at the Taj Samudra Hotel premises overlooking Galle Face Green in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

History

The Colombo Club is considered the second-oldest social club in Sri Lanka as well as one of the oldest social clubs in Asia. It was established in 1871 for the promotion of social intercourse among gentlemen residing in Ceylon and the then Governor of Ceylon, Sir Hercules Robinson (Governor of British Ceylon: 1865-1872) was among its founding members (Wright, 1999). In the beginning, its membership was limited to the British and Europeans and the club building was used as a resting place and a pavilion for them for watching horse racing at Galle Face Green (Manathunga, 2016). In 1893, it turned into a clubhouse (Manathunga, 2016).

Attribution

1) Colombo, Sri Lanka, September 2016 by hectorlo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

References

1) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. pp.45-46.

2) Wright, A. ed., 1999. Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources (first published in 1907). Asian Educational Services. pp.419.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 10 December 2022

Read More

Lloyd's Buildings, Colombo

The Lloyd's Buildings (Sinhala: ලොයිඩ්ස් ගොඩනැගිල්ල) is an old five-storied building located at No. 24, on Sir Baron Jayatilaka Mawatha in Colombo Fort, Sri Lanka. 

History

This building was built in 1908 by Clifford Lake & Company in accordance to the design by Edward Skinner, a British architect (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018; Welandawe & Weerasinghe, 2016). At the time, it was known by the name "Freudenberg Building" as the main occupant of the building was Freudenberg & Co., an import and export company (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018; Welandawe & Weerasinghe, 2016).

In the beginning,  Freudenberg & Co. used this building for their business activities mainly focused on coffee and oil trading (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018). Later, Aitken Spence purchased the building and renamed it the "Lloyd's Building".

Attribution

1) Colombo, Sri Lanka, September 2016 by hectorlo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

References

1) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. p.39. 
2) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. p.35.
3) Welandawe, H., Weerasinghe, J., 2016. Urban Heritage in the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project. p.25.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 17 July 2022

Read More

Whiteaways Building (Colombo Fort)

The Whiteaways Building (Sinhala: වයිට්අවේස් ගොඩනැගිල්ල) is an old three-storied building located at No.25, Sir Baron Jayatilaka Mawatha in Colombo Fort, Sri Lanka. 

History

This building is said to have been built following a plan of the British architect Edward Skinner under the Walker & Company during the period 1905-1908 (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018). In the beginning, it was owned by Whiteway, Laidlaw & Co., a renowned colonial emporium or department store of British India which was founded in Calcutta in 1882 and opened its branch in Colombo in 1907 (Welandawe & Weerasinghe, 2016).

The building was initially used for various retail trade activities (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018; Wright, 1999).

Attribution

1) Colombo architecture by Carsten ten Brink is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

References

1) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. pp.29-30. 
2) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. p.44.
3) Welandawe, H., Weerasinghe, J., 2016. Urban Heritage in the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project. p.29.

4) Wright, A. ed., 1999. Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources (first published in 1907). Asian Educational Services. pp.456.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 31 July 2022

Read More

Wolvendaal Church (Colombo)

Wolvendaal Church (Wolvendaalse Kerk) is a Protestant church situated in Pettah in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. It is considered the first Protestant church in the country and also the only Dutch building in Colombo which is still being used for the same purpose it built (Jayatunga, 2010; Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

History

This church was begun to construct in 1749 by the Dutch Reformed Church with the help of the Dutch East India Company [(Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC) De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009; Jayatunga, 2010; Lewis, 1913; Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018]. It was dedicated to public worship on 6 March 1757 by Rev. Mattias Wirmelskircher (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009). A Portuguese church of Our Lady of Guadalupe that was standing at this site is said to have been demolished by the Dutch to occupy the ground for this church building (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009; Jayatunga, 2010; Rajapakshe et al., 2018). 

Tombstones

A number of tombstones of deceased priests and elites are found on the church premises (Lewis, 1913; Manathunga, 2016). Of them, about 37 tombstones have been fixed onto the floor of the church while a few are in the outer compound (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). Some of these tombs are not original to the church and have been brought from other churches outside (Lewis, 1913; Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

The church building

The church building is about 100 ft. in height and has been built in accordance with Dutch Architecture (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). The cross-shaped foundation is made with large granite slabs and blocks and the walls have been made of laterite while burnt red bricks were used for the arches (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018). The walls are about 5 ft. in thickness.

The dome which has been constructed with bricks and cement is considered a special feature of this building. It was damaged by a bolt of lightning in 1856 but repaired later (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). 

The church building went through renovations in the years 1783, 1856, 1969, and 1992 (Manathunga, 2016). In 2017, the glass windows of the church building were conserved by the Department of Archaeology with the financial assistance of the Government of the Netherlands (Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

Attribution

1) SL Colombo asv2020-01 img01 Wolvendaal Church by A.Savin is under the Free Art License 1.3
2) This painting (Dutch Reformed Church, Colombo) by J.L.K. van Dort has been drawn more than 100 years ago and therefore in the public domain.

References

1) De Silva, N.; Chandrasekara, D.P., 2009. Heritage Buildings of Sri Lanka. Colombo: The National Trust Sri Lanka, ISBN: 978-955-0093-01-4.  pp.60,85.
2) Jayatunga, P.A., 2010. Wolvendaal: An Etymological Study. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, 56, pp.31-56.
3) Lewis, J. P., 1913. List of inscriptions on tombstones and monuments in Ceylon, of historical or local interest with an obituary of persons uncommemorated: Colombo. pp.101-120.
4) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. pp.79-80. 
5) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. pp.19-20.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 5 July 2022

Read More

Pravachanodaya Pirivena, Molligoda

Pravachanodaya Pirivena is a Buddhist temple situated in Molligoda in Kalutara District, Sri Lanka. Presently it serves as a Pirivena (an educational institute) for Buddhist monks.

History

After the establishment of Vidyoda Pirivena in Colombo (1873), and Vidyalankara Pirivena in Peliyadoda (1876), several Pirivenas were set up around the country mainly to educate Buddhist monks (Abeyawardana, 2002). Pravachanodaya Pirivena in Molligoda was one such institute established in 1891 by a local donor named Liyanage Lewis Perera Vidana-arachchi (Abeyawardana, 2002).

References

1) Abeyawardana, H.A.P., 2002. Heritage of Sabaragamuwa: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Sabaragamuwa Development Bank and The Central Bank of Sri Lanka. ISBN: 955-575-077-7. p.100.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 25 July 2021
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map

Read More

Sunandarama Pirivena, Ovitigala

Sunandarama Pirivena (Sinhala: ඕවිටිගල සුනන්දාරාම පිරිවෙන) is a Buddhist temple situated in Ovitigala in Kalutara District, Sri Lanka.

History

This temple is said to have been established in the second half of the 19th century. Induruwe Medhankara Thera was the first incumbent of the temple.

The image house

The old image house of Sunandarama Viharaya is considered the most important monument of the temple. It mainly consists of two parts; the inner chamber and the outer chamber (the vestibule). The inner chamber contains three Buddha statues in the seated, standing and reclining postures. An entrance decorated with Makara Thorana (the dragon arch) provides access to this chamber. The walls and the ceiling of the outer chamber are filled with old murals depicting Buddhist themes such as Sath Sathiya (the first seven weeks after the enlightenment), Suvisi Vivaranaya (Buddha to be receiving the blessing from 24 previous Buddhas), and some important events in the life of the Buddha.

Two male figures wearing a colonial dress

The entrance door of the inner chamber is flanked by two lions and two guardian statues. Adjacent to the guardian statues are the paintings of two male figures wearing a dress of the colonial period. The black coat, tight-fitting breeches, and pointed shoes have given these figures a western appearance and the white halo around their crowned heads has increased their status among other figures in the vestibule. As both figures have the same features, they probably represent the same person. However, of the two figures, one holds a brown leather-bound book by his right hand.

The front cover as well as the spine of this book contain some words written in Roman and Devanagari characters. The Roman scripts on the front cover label this book as "Denapota" which is probably the incorrect form of the original word "Dinapotha" (Sinhala: the diary), because the word written in Devanagari characters above this Roman word can be pronounced as "Dinapota". The Devanagari word on the spine of the book says "Me Potha" which can be translated from Sinhala to English as "this book". The year 1827 is also denoted in this book.

A protected site

The old Vihara-geya (image house) of Sunandarama Viharaya, situated in Ovitigala village in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Matugama is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 1 November 1996. 

.

References

1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 948. 1 November 1996.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 7 May 2022
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map

Read More

Ashokarama Maha Viharaya (Kalutara)

Ashokarama Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: කළුතර අශෝකාරාම මහා විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Kalutara North in Kalutara District, Sri Lanka.

History

According to the details in the plaque fixed on the front wall of the image house, a wealthy devotee named Wel Arumage Elliyas Fernando established the Ashokaramaya temple in the Buddhist Year 2411 (1868 A.D.) and bestowed it to Buddhist monks headed by Matara Sri Dhammarama Maha Swamipadayan Vahanse (Priyandana, 2013). Later, they (the Buddhist monks) handed over the custody of the temple to the lineage of students of Alutgama Sangharatana Maha Sthavira (Priyandana, 2013).

The Stupa of the temple, as mentioned on the upper part of it (in the Hatares Kotuwa), has been built in the Buddhist year 2442 (1899 A.D.). The decorative gate in front of it has been constructed by a person named A.F. Jayasekara Dharmasiriwardana Mudiyanse Ralahami.

Image house

The image house can be considered the main monument of this temple. Having Dutch architectural features, the image house consists of a sanctum (Garbha), a vetibule (Antarala), an ambulatory and a portico. The building is 67 ft. in length and 65 ft. in width and preserves a valuable collection of Buddhist sculptures and paintings of the Kandyan style (Priyandana, 2013).

.

References

1) Priyandana, W.H.R., 2013. කලුතර අශෝකාරාම මහ විහාර බිතු සිතුවම්. ARSRU. University of Rajarata. pp.164-166.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 17 January 2023

Read More

Sudarshanarama Viharaya (Dodangoda)

Dodangoda Sudarshanarama Viharaya (Sinhala: දොඩංගොඩ සුදර්ශනාරාම විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Dodangoda in Kalutara District, Sri Lanka.

History

By the 19th century, there were no Buddhist temples in the Dodangoda area and people had to go to Pushparama Viharaya in Malegoda for their religious activities (Priyandana, 2013). Therefore, a new Buddhist temple was established at the present site in Dodangoda under the guidance of a Buddhist monk named Dodangoda Sudassi Thera on 12 August 1855 (Priyandana, 2013). Later, Sudassi Thera handed over the custody of this temple to one of his students named Mawanane Indragupta Thera (Priyandana, 2013).

With the support of local donors such as D.V.W. Kotalawala and K.K.A. Ranaweera, an image house for this temple was begun to construct in 1880 (Priyandana, 2013). In 1911, the preaching hall of the temple was erected (Priyandana, 2013). A Stupa was added to the temple in 1928 (Priyandana, 2013).

The image house

The image house of Sudarshanarama Viharaya is considered the most important monument of the temple as it contains Kandyan mural and sculptures belonging to the second half of the 19th century. It mainly consists of two parts; the old image house and the newly-built outer house. The old image house is 52 ft. long and 45 ft. wide and contains two sections, viz; the inner chamber and the outer chamber (Priyandana, 2013). The inner chamber contains three Buddha statues in the seated, standing and reclining postures. Two entrances provide access to this chamber and a figure of the Queen of Great Britain surrounded by a lion, a unicorn and a royal crown is found over one of these entrances (Priyandana, 2013).

 

The murals in this old image house have been drew between the period 1881-1882 by a painter of the Kadolgalla Sittara lineage (Priyandana, 2013).

.

References

1) Priyandana, W.H.R., 2013. Dodangoda Sri Sudarshanarama Maha Viharaye Bithusithuwam (In Sinhala). An author publication. pp.1-17

Location Map

This page was last updated on 12 January 2023

Read More

Medawachchiya Wewa

Medawachchiya Wewa is a reservoir situated in Medawachchiya in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka. 

History

The present tank was restored in 1876 but breached in 1923 due to excessive rains (Arumugam, 1969). The repaired tank was damaged again during the heavy flood in December 1957 (Arumugam, 1969).

The reservoir

The bund of the reservoir is about 3,100 ft. long and the water is extending in an area of about 180 acres at its full supply level (Arumugam, 1969). It has one spill and two sluices (Arumugam, 1969). 

References

1) Arumugam, S., 1969. Water resources of Ceylon: its utilisation and development. Water Resources Board. p.324.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 24 July 2021

Read More

Mamaduwa Wewa

Mamaduwa Wewa (Sinhala: මාමඩුව වැව) is a reservoir situated in Mamaduwa village in Vavuniya District, Sri Lanka. 

History

Mamaduwa Wewa has been identified as the ancient Mahida Wewa (Mahinda-vapi), as it is mentioned in the slab inscription of King Sena II (853-887 A.D.) that was discovered on the bund of this tank (Nicholas, 1963; Ranawella, 2001). The inscription has been set up to prohibit fishing (poaching or stealing) in Mahida Wewa (Ranawella, 2001).

 

The tank is believed to have been repaired during the reign of King Kassapa V [(914-923 A.D.) Arumugam, 1969]. The Mahindatalaka Wewa restored by King Parakramabahu I (1153-1186 A.D.) during his reign is identical to this tank (Nicholas, 1963).

The present tank was restored in the 1888-1896 period (Arumugam, 1969).

The reservoir

The bund of the reservoir is about 6,480 ft. long and the water is extending in an area of about 600 acres at its full supply level (Arumugam, 1969). It has two spills and three sluices (Arumugam, 1969). 

References

1) Arumugam, S., 1969. Water resources of Ceylon: its utilisation and development. Water Resources Board. p.304.

2) Nicholas, C. W., 1963. Historical topography of ancient and medieval Ceylon. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series (Vol VI). Special Number: Colombo. Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch). p.87.

3) Ranawella, S., 2001. Inscription of Ceylon. Volume V, Part I. Department of Archaeology. ISBN: 955-9159-21-6. pp.38-39.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 4 June 2022

Read More

Madukanda Wewa

Madukanda Wewa (Sinhala: මඩුකන්ද වැව) is a reservoir situated in Madukanda village in Vavuniya District, Sri Lanka. 

History

The Madukanda area is believed to be one of the places where the sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha was lodged on the journey from India to Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka (Arumugam, 1969).

The tank was restored in the 1886-1896 period (Arumugam, 1969).

The reservoir

The bund of the reservoir is about 3,550 ft. long and the water is extending in an area of about 270 acres at its full supply level (Arumugam, 1969). It has three spills and two sluices (Arumugam, 1969). 

References

1) Arumugam, S., 1969. Water resources of Ceylon: its utilisation and development. Water Resources Board. p.302.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 1 July 2022

Read More

Rajanganaya Reservoir

Rajanganaya Wewa (Sinhala: රාජාංගනය ජලාශය) is a reservoir built across the Kala Oya river, at Rajanganaya, bordering the North Western and North Central provinces of Sri Lanka.

History

This is a newly built reservoir. However, on the Kadigala hill where the dam of Rajanganaya reservoir abuts into the rock are the ruins of ancient Maha Mangala Viharaya built on the bank of Gona Nadi (the ancient name used to identify the present Kala Oya river) by King Vankanasika Tissa [(111-114 A.D.) Arumugam, 1969; Nicholas, 1963]. Rock-cut flight of steps, Stupa Mounds and an inscription of Vankanasika Tissa are found at this site (Arumugam, 1969).

Kadigala rock inscription of Vankanasika Tissa

The rock inscription found on the Kadigala hill is the only inscription of King Vankanasika Tissa found so far in the country. The purpose of engraving this inscription was to record that a share of the merit, presumably gained by the performance of a good deed, was transferred by the king to his mother named Jitadevi (Paranavitana, 1983).

Rajangane Wewa Pillar Inscription of Dappula IV

A pillar inscription of King Dappula IV (924-935 A.D.) has been discovered from the site of this reservoir (Ranawella, 2005). It records certain immunities granted in respect of a village named Harepugama attached as a heritable property to Mahara Rapuha, (son ?) of the Mahaya (Ranawella, 2005).

The reservoir

The reservoir has been constructed by damming the Kala Oya river (Arumugam, 1969). The bund of the reservoir is about 1.62 km. long and the water is extending in an area of about 4,000 acres at its full supply level (Arumugam, 1969). It has one spill and two sluices (Arumugam, 1969).

Attribution

1) Dam at Rajangana by Michael Shehan Obeysekera  is licensed under CC BY 2.0

References

1) Arumugam, S., 1969. Water resources of Ceylon: its utilisation and development. Water Resources Board. p.349.
2) Nicholas, C. W., 1963. Historical topography of ancient and medieval Ceylon. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series (Vol VI). Special Number: Colombo. Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch). p.92.
3) Paranavitana, S., 1983. Inscriptions of Ceylon, Late Brahmi Inscriptions, Volume II (Part I). Archaeological Survey of Sri Lanka. pp.81-85.
4) Ranawella, S., 2005. Inscription of Ceylon. Volume V, Part III. Department of Archaeology. ISBN: 955-91-59-57-7. pp.25-26.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 4 June 2022

Read More

Hambegamuwa Wewa

Hambegamuwa Wewa is a reservoir situated in the Thanamalwila area in Monaragala District, Sri Lanka. The ancient Hambegamuwa Viharaya is located adjacent to this reservoir.

History

This ancient tank was restored in 1890 and improved in 1961 (Arumugam, 1969).

The reservoir

The reservoir has been constructed by damming the Mau Ara (Arumugam, 1969). The bund of the reservoir is about 2,800 ft. long and the water is extending in an area of about 400 acres at its full supply level (Arumugam, 1969). It has three spills and two sluices (Arumugam, 1969). 

References

1) Arumugam, S., 1969. Water resources of Ceylon: its utilisation and development. Water Resources Board. p.106.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 11 December 2021
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map

Read More

Dewahuwa Wewa

Photo credit: Google street view

Dewahuwa Wewa (Sinhala: දේවහුව වැව) is a reservoir situated in the Galewela area in Matale District, Sri Lanka. 

History

A few stories are there that describe how the present name of this reservoir was originated. As the belief of some, "Devahuwa" is the corrupted name of "Deyahuva", a word that originated by the combination of two words "Diya" (water) and "Huva" [(pronounce as  "Hoova") Abeyawardana, 2004]. It is said that there was a noise similar to a cry of a "Hoo" when releasing the water from the sluice of this tank (Abeyawardana, 2004).

According to another story, King Dutugemunu (161-137 B.C.) had received a Pirith thread (Huya) from the gods (Dewa) when he encamped at this site (Arumugam, 1969).

The reservoir

The present reservoir has been made by merging two tanks named Dewahuwa and Palu Rotawewa in 1950 (Arumugam, 1969). The bund of the reservoir is about 4,300 ft. long and the water is extending in an area of about 850 acres at its full supply level (Arumugam, 1969). It has one spill and one sluice (Arumugam, 1969). 

References

1) Abeyawardana, H.A.P., 2004. Heritage of Kandurata: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo: The Central Bank of Sri Lanka. p.170.

2) Arumugam, S., 1969. Water resources of Ceylon: its utilisation and development. Water Resources Board. p.341.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 20 January 2023

Read More

Paramananda Purana Viharaya (Kotahena)

Photo credit: Google street view

Paramananda Purana Viharaya (Sinhala: කොටහේන පරමානන්ද පුරාණ විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Kotahena in Colombo District, Sri Lanka.

History

This temple is said to have been erected in 1808 under the guidance of a Buddhist monk named Pandure Dhammananda Thera (Hulugalle, 1965; Manathunga, 2016). It is considered the second Buddhist place of worship to be built in the Colombo area (Corea, 1988). Before the establishment of Vidyodaya Pirivena, Ven. Hikkaduwe Sumangala Thera (1827-1911) is said to have lived here (Hulugalle, 1965; Manathunga, 2016). Some buildings of this temple have been built in 1870 (Manathunga, 2016).

References

1) Corea, I., 1988. Glimpses of Colombo. Colombo Municipal Council. p.73.
2) Hulugalle, H.A.J., 1965. Centenary Volume of the Colombo Municipal Council, 1865-1965. Colombo Municipal Council. p.155.
3) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. p.78. 

Location Map

This page was last updated on 25 December 2022

Read More

Vipashyaramaya, Maharagama

Photo credit: Google street view

Vipashyaramaya (also known as Puwakpitiya Temple) is a Buddhist temple situated in Maharagama in Colombo District, Sri Lanka.

History

This temple is said to have been established by a Buddhist monk named Bogoda Vipassi Thera during the period of the 1818 Uva-Wellassa rebellion (Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

The image house

The old image house is the main attraction of this temple with archaeological value. It consists of two parts; the inner section and the outer section (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). The outer section can be entered through two entrances and another two entrances have been provided after them in order to enter into the inner section. The front wall of the inner section has been decorated with paintings and sculptures belonging to the low-country style of the latter Kandyan Period (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). In the inner section, three seated and two standing Buddha statues are found.

A protected site

The old Vihara-geya (image house) of Vipashyarama Viharaya, situated in Watte Gedara in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Maharagama is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 8 July 2005. 

References

1) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. pp.52-53.

2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1401. 8 July 2005.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 31 July 2021
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map

Read More

Cargills & Millars Buildings (Colombo)

The old Cargills & Millars Buildings (Sinhala: කාර්ගිල්ස් හා මිලර්ස් ගොඩනැගිල්ල) are located No. 40 on the corner of the Sir Baron Jayatilaka Mawatha and the York Street in Colombo Fort, Sri Lanka. They are considered to be some of the oldest department stores in the country (Welandawe & Weerasinghe, 2016).

History

A Dutch building is said to be on the land where the present Cargills & Millars buildings are located and it had been occupied by Sir Frederick North (1766-1827), the first British Governor of Ceylon from 1798 to 1805 (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). In 1844, a British businessman William Miller started his company at this premises by replacing the old Dutch building and in 1896, it was acquired by David Sime Cargill, a Scottish businessman who headed the popular Cargills & Company (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

During the period 1902-1906, the present two-storied Cargills building following the renaissance architecture was built by Walker Sons & Company in accordance with the design by Edward Skinner, a British architect (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018; Wright, 1999). In 1907, another two-storied building designed by Skinner was attached to this Cargills building and it belonged to William Cramond Miller, the head of the Millers & Company (Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

By 1946, the ownership of this building was in the hands of local businessmen (Manathunga, 2016). In 1981 its present owners Ceylon Theaters acquired controlling shares of the company Cargills Ltd. (Welandawe & Weerasinghe, 2016).

A protected monument

The building belonging to the Cargills company at No. 40/1, York Street, Colombo 01, situated in the Grama Niladhari Division of Fort in Colombo Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 9 September 2011.

Attribution

1) SL Colombo asv2020-01 img25 Cargills Building by A.Savin is under the Free Art License 1.3

References

1) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. pp.38-39. 
2) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. pp.33-34.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1723. 9 September 2011.
4) Welandawe, H., Weerasinghe, J., 2016. Urban Heritage in the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project. p.43.
5) Wright, A. ed., 1999. Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources (first published in 1907). Asian Educational Services. pp.457.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 20 August 2022

Read More

Colombo Terminus Railway Station

The Colombo Terminus Railway Station (Sinhala: කොළඹ අන්ත්‍ය දුම්රිය ස්ථානය) is an abandoned railway station in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is considered as the first railway station built in the country by the British who pioneered in the beginning of the railway service in Sri Lanka (Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

History

In the 19th century, the British rulers commenced the railway service in Sri Lanka for planters to facilitate the transportation of their harvest from inland to the seaport located in Colombo (Kesavan et al., 2015). On 3 August 1858, the then Ceylon Governor, Henry George Ward (1855-1860 A.D.) commenced the construction of the first railway line in the country to be run between Colombo and Ambepussa (Abeysinghe, 2016). After the completion, the first train transportation happened between Colombo and Ambepussa on 27 December 1864 (Abeysinghe, 2016).

Besides the stations at Colombo (the Colombo Terminus Railway Station) and Ambepussa, three more stations at Mahara (present Ragama), Henarathgoda (present Gampaha) and Veyangoda were completed along the railway line in 1866 (CGR, 1964). In 1867, the railway station at Peradeniya was built.

Colombo Terminus Railway Station

This railway station was built in the 1858-1865 period by a contractor named William Frederick Faviell (1822-1902) following the architecture of the Manchester Railway Station in England (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018). The first train in Sri Lanka commenced its journey from this station to the railway station at Ambepussa in 1864 (Abeysinghe, 2016; Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

However, after the construction of the Maradana Railway Station in 1908, the activities of the Colombo Terminus Railway Station were stopped (Manathunga, 2016). The station was completely neglected after the construction of the present Colombo Fort Railway Station (Manathunga, 2016).

The station

Initially, the railway station consists of an office, a train platform, two store rooms, and a quarter for officials (Rajapakshe et al., 2018).  The office is presently used as a museum and one can approach to the train platform through this office building (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). At the beginning, the train platform was about 50 m in length and after the addition of another platform, the length increased up to 108 m (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018). The roof of the platform was held on a frame made of cast iron imported from England (Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

A protected monument

The Old Fort Railway Station in Maradana in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Colombo is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 18 June 1999.

Attribution

1) Erstwhile Colombo Terminus station by shankar s. is licensed under CC BY 2.0

References

1) Abeysinghe, A.H.M.S.P., 2016. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ දුම්රිය කාර්මික පුරාවිද්‍යාව; නව මානයක් කරා රැගෙන යමු. Puraveda 2016.
2) CGR, 1964. Ceylon Government Railway : One hundred years, 1864-1964, Colombo. p.19.
3) Kesavan, R.A., Chandrakumar, C., Kulatunga, A.K., Gowrynathan, J., Rajapaksha, R.T.D., Senewiratne, R.K.G.D.M. and Laguleshwaran, D., 150 Years of Sri Lankan Railways: Evaluation of the Services from Employee and Customer Perspectives. International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering. Volume 5, Issue 5.
4) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. pp.60-61. 
5) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. pp.37-38.
6) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1085. 18 June 1999.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 21 August 2022

Read More

De Mel Building, Colombo

The De Mel Building is an old building located in Colombo Fort, Sri Lanka. 

The four-storied building (with a ground floor) is said to have been built in 1901 (Manathunga, 2016). A restaurant is maintained on the ground floor while the upper floors are reserved for office activities (Manathunga, 2016). The facade of the building is decorated with cylindrical columns of Corinthian style and floral designs (Manathunga, 2016).

 

Attribution

1) _MG_8275 and _MG_8274 by Pahol Chaloeykitti are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

References

1) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. pp.31-32. 

 

Location Map

This page was last updated on 31 July 2021
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map

Read More

Olcott Building, Colombo

The Olcott Building (Sinhala: ඕල්කට් ගොඩනැගිල්ල) is an old two-storied building located in Pettah in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was the residence of Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (1832-1907), an American who played a major role in the revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the latter part of the 19th century (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

History

Built between 1881-1885, this two-storied building was the residence of Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, the co-founder of the Theosophical Society who arrived in Sri Lanka in 1880 (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018). Later, an English Buddhist school named "Pitakotuwa Ingrisi Bauddha Pasala" was established on the upper floor of this building by the Theosophical Society (Manathunga, 2016). This school was later moved to land at Maradana and presently it is known as Ananda College (Manathunga, 2016).

In 1929, a building named "Bauddha Mandiraya" (Buddhist Mansion) was annexed to this for the usage of the Theosophical Society and for the religious activities of local residents (Manathunga, 2016).

The building

The Olcott building is considered one of the few Dutch period buildings in Colombo which has all the typological features of 17th and 18th-century Dutch villas (Welandawe & Weerasinghe, 2016). The two-storied and rectangular-shaped building has been built using Kabok (laterite), brick and lime mortar (Manathunga, 2016). It is 15 m in length and 13.40 m in width (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). The two stories are divided by a floor made of wood and a wooden flight of steps provides access to the upper floor (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018). Two open verandahs are found on either side of the building and their roofs are held by round pillars (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). There are four entrances at the front verandah of the building while six entrances at the rear verandah (Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

A protected monument

The Olcott Building (of Theosophical Society), situated on Maliben Street in Pettah in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Colombo is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 18 June 1999.

.

References

1) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. pp.67-68.
2) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. p.32.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1085. 18 June 1999.
4) Welandawe, H., Weerasinghe, J., 2016. Urban Heritage in the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project. p.73.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 30 August 2022

Read More

Gaffoor Building

The Gaffoor Building is an old building in Colombo Fort, Sri Lanka. Located on the corner of the Sir Baron Jayatilaka Mawatha and Leyden Bastian Street, it is a wedge-shaped building of four stories. 

History

This building is said to have been built in 1907 by H. W. Cave, a leading writer and a book publisher at the time (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018; Wright, 1999). The printing, binding and all other marketing works of the travel and religious books published by his business named the H. W. Cave & Company were done from the offices established at this building (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018). Besides that, the building also provided space for the offices of other companies that are involved in businesses related to sports and music items as well as crockery and silverware (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018). It is said that this building was begun to call the Gaffoor Building after it was purchased by Abdul Gaffoor (Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018).

 

However, as mentioned in another source, the Gaffoor Building was completed in 1915 and was owned by the prominent jewellery trader N.D.H. Abdul Gaffoor (Macmillan, 2005). At the time it was considered as one of the largest and finest commercial structures in Colombo (Macmillan, 2005). 

Attribution

1) Colombo by massa 我嫌日的冬 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

References

1) Macmillan, A., ed., 2005. Extract from Seaports of India and Ceylon (first published in 1928). Asian Educational Services. p.479.

2) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. pp.40-41. 

3) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. p.22.

4) Wright, A. ed., 1999. Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources (first published in 1907). Asian Educational Services. pp.455-456.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 25 July 2021
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map

Read More