How to Visit the Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum – The Legacy of a Ground-breaking Writer  

Martin Wickramasinghe, destined to become one of Sri Lanka’s most renowned writers was born in the year 1890 in the village known as Malagama in proximity to Koggala. At the age of five, the young Wickramasinghe was taught the basics of the Sinhala language by the local monk. In due course, he studied both at a local school as well as the Buono Vista school in Galle where he learned English and Latin. 

Wickramasinghe’s literary career commenced when he was 24 years of age with the publication of his first work ‘Leela’. In the course of his career, he authored many acclaimed works including the highlight ‘Viragaya’ which relates the story of a young Sinhalese man confronted with adult responsibilities in a modernizing world. For his various works, Wickramasinghe received numerous literary awards during his career as well. 

Wickramasinghe spent his childhood in Koggala and this village is often depicted in his literary creations. The writer spent many carefree hours in this village playing with local friends, observing the sea creatures at the nearby reef and experiencing its quaint rural atmosphere. 

Today, you would notice a grassy mound situated near his childhood house which holds the writer’s ashes, along with those of his spouse Prema. Wickramasinghe himself had the desire to establish a museum containing the cultural objects relating to his childhood. By visiting this site, you would also have the opportunity to gain an insight into the distinctive folk culture of Sri Lanka. One of the hotels in Koggala to consider from which you could easily plan a trip to this attraction would be Tri Koggala.

During your visit to the Folk Museum, you would be able to view a portion of Wickramasinghe’s family home that still stands, having evaded the challenges posed to its existence over time. Interestingly, this house was amazingly saved from the destruction that befell neighbouring homes during World War II. 

The story goes that during the war, Britain’s Royal Air Force took over the entirety of the local village with residents being given 24 hours to leave the area. The majority of the local homes were demolished to create a military airstrip. However, Wickramasinghe’s residence was saved from this fate by a lady Air Force officer who chose it as her private quarters. 

There would be many features of the Folk Museum that would catch the eye of the discerning sightseer. Within the writer’s house, you would encounter the ‘Hall of Life’ which documents Wickramasinghe’s life story through a selection of photographs, awards, souvenirs, antique furniture and so on. You would find that all of the items are labelled with name boards and relevant descriptions in English as well as Sinhala. An interesting item would be the celebrated novelist’s desk and his rather fragile-looking antique chair. 

Meanwhile, in the Folk Museum itself – which you would find behind the writer’s residence – is an array of artefacts that are representative of the traditions and culture of Sri Lanka. It was Wickramasinghe’s dream to establish a folk museum and following his death, it was made a reality. You will see that this museum displays a fascinating collection of cultural artefacts such as traditional pans and pots, iron furnaces, wooden carts, rickshaws and carriages, masks, puppets, metal craftwork, dance costumes, musical instruments and more.