Old Town Hall Museum in Colombo is a fascinating historical site. It is located at the end of Main Street in Pettah, slightly hidden among the bustling shopping streets. The building dates back to 1865 and was the first municipality of Colombo. It served as the office and chambers of the Colombo Municipal Council and also functioned as a courthouse. Architect J. G. Smither, a British architect, designed this colonial Dutch building. The wooden furniture inside matches the building's woodwork. The Old Town Hall remained active until 1928 when the New Town Hall was built. The Old Town Hall houses a modest museum on the ground floor, exhibiting preserved steam engines, machinery, and old equipment. In one of the rooms, life-size dolls sit around a wooden table, replicating a council meeting from 1906. Rumor has it that the council members come alive at night! Adjacent to the council chamber, there's a room with an old map of Colombo from 1785, antique typewriters, and an old radio. The architecture features arches, needle-point columns, crumbly yellow walls, and creaky staircases.
Asgiriya Raja Maha Vihara (අස්ගිරිය රජ මහා විහාරය) is an ancient cave temple situated in the Gampaha District, Sri Lanka. The temple is located on top of a hillock along the Gampaha - Minuwangoda road, just away from Gampaha town. It has been formally recognized by the government as an archaeological site in Sri Lanka. Asgiriya's name is said to have originated after the loss of Prince Uttiya's horse (brother of King Kelanitissa) in this area. Its history is believed to date back to the reign of King Valagamba (89-77 BC). King Valagamba, who fled from Anuradhapura after invasions from South India, sought refuge in this historical place. The cave temple, constructed with wattle and daub, features drip ledges. Inside the image house, there's a Samadhi Buddha statue from the Kandyan period. The canopy of the cave is adorned with lotus flowers and other floral designs. A footprint of Buddha is etched into the rock surface, and a stupa stands nearby.
Gangaramaya is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Colombo, started by the famous scholar monk Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera in the late 19th Century. This Buddhist temple includes several imposing buildings and is situated not far from the placid waters of Beira Lake on a plot of land that was originally a small hermitage on a piece of marshy land. It has the main features of a Vihara (temple), the Cetiya (Pagada) the Bodhitree, the Vihara Mandiraya, the Seema malaka (assembly hall for monks) and the Relic Chamber. In addition, a museum, a library, a residential hall, a three storeyed Pirivena, educational halls and an alms hall are also on the premises
Richmond Castle, built at the turn of the century in Kalutara, is considered one of the most spectacular architectural works of the period. It was the property of a wealthy landowner turned philanthropist, Padikara Mudali Nanayakkara Rajawasala Appuhamilage Don Arthur de Silva Wijesinghe Siriwardena. The mansion stands majestically at top of a hill, on a 42 acre estate beside the Kalutara-Palatota Road. Once a circuit bungalow for high ranking officers of the British administrative service, today it is a popular tourist attraction, and serves as an educational centre for less privileged children of Kalutara and the vicinity.
