Museums to visit in Colombo - Discovering the City's Past

Housed in an Italian colonial style building the Colombo National Museum was founded by the British Governor of the country at the time Sir William Henry Gregory. It truly is a house of treasure with statues, artifacts, and paintings that lead back to Sri Lanka's history. There are two buildings located on the premises, the main museum, and the dated but fascinating Natural History Museum. The main museum was opened in 1877 with only 800 items on display but over the years the numbers have grown to 100,000. The museum was renovated in recent years and expanded further so it's pretty big. There are two floors in the museum building. Inside you find relics from ancient times, the royal throne of the last king of the Kandyan Empire, which is one of the highlights of the place. Paintings, statues, weapons and plenty of other historically significant artifacts are available here for viewing. The Museum also maintains a library with a vast collection of rare historical books and chronicles for those who are interested in local history. If you are staying in Colombo there is plenty of accommodation options close to the museum, however, if you are looking for five-star luxury and modern amenities in the hub of the city the Shangri - La One Galle Face which is part of a mixed-use development area is a great choice.

Located in the busy town of Pettah, within the city of Colombo, the Dutch Period Museum is housed in one of the best-preserved 12th-century colonial buildings in the area. There are numerous exhibits from the Dutch colonial times displayed here such as coins, ceramics, furniture, paintings and weaponry used to invade the country by colonists. Apart from the items showcased, the building itself would of interest to architecture enthusiasts and students. Even though you need to purchase a ticket to enter the building, it is not a museum, which is frequently visited. It may appear closed visitors may even have to knock on the door for the caretaker to come and let you in.

The serene, airy traditional puppet art museum located in Dehiwala is a place dedicated to preserving the waning tradition of storytelling through puppets in Sri Lanka. The puppets displayed at the museum, are handcrafted by local puppet artists with remarkable attention to detail. There are several rooms here with unique themes but all of them are based on historical references and traditional Lankan folklore. Visitors are allowed to take pictures at a very nominal fee and you can even organize a puppet show with prior reservation, these shows will be in Sinhala. The souvenir shop at the museum sells traditional masks and puppets all of which are decently priced.