Sri Lanka is becoming an increasingly popular place for tourists to take an excursion. Located off the South East corner of the coast of India, the island nation of Sri Lanka has had its fair share of unrest and turmoil. The infamous Tamil Tigers have been at the center of rumored political problems that have resulted in violence throughout the country. Despite security issues in the small island, the capital city of Colombo has remained restful. Guarded borders surround the region just outside the city so that city dwellers and tourists can avoid ay troubles with the violence taking place just outside. Colombo is built on one of Sri Lanka's busiest seaports and as such is easily excluded from the rest of the island.
Sri Lanka, and especially Colombo is a strange mix of colonial ruins and modern day metropolitan infrastructure. The skyline of the city seen from afar is one of impressive skyscrapers, steel bridges and a sense of indestructible power. Once inside the city, however, you will find an unusual array of traditional wood painted landmarks beneath the shadows of political and financial ambition. Colombo hotels provide refuge as will as give insight into the country's modern advancement. Business people from around the globe can be seen here as Sri Lanka's political leaders attempt to leap the country forward into the modern day financial market.
If the history of Sri Lanka and how Colombo became to be the modern ideal of Western world is of interest to you, then be sure to visit the National Museum. The museum was established in 1877 by British Governor of Sri Lanka at the time, Sir William Henry Gregory. At the end of the 19th century, Sri Lanka was still known as Ceylon. It was the Royal Asiatic Society that helped appoint and Sir Gregory as well as aid him in his quest to develop the country's first collection of historical artifacts.
Built in a charming merge of classic Italian architecture and British parliament style sensibility, the all-white museum is home to a number of special research sub-divisions. In the ethnology department you will find coins, currency, and stone antiquities as well as jewelry and rare pieces of ivory. Weapons, paintings and antiquities all the way from China make the museum a well-rounded and interesting place to amuse over afternoon tea.
The anthropology wing is dedicated to the evolution of household utensils as specially made objects used during Sri Lankan religious rituals, providing unique insight into the ways of the ancient world prior to the spread of Age of Reason. Originally carved musical instruments also make for an educational and fun part of the museum. Music lovers are sure to find intrigue in the ways in which ancient tribes with nothing but wood and knives were able to create such beautiful and beloved sounds so dear to the Sri Lankan culture. Dance costumes, games, and medical instruments also make up this division turning it into a virtual tunnel into humanity's not so distant evolutionary past.
Under sciences, the museum lists botany, entomology, zoology and geology as areas of special research. Sri Lanka is home to a large array of flora and fauna, some of which has been listed as endangered thanks to research done by the museum and its local associates. The museum often hosts temporary exhibits showing off some of the country's most prized plants. The museum also boasts a whopping ten thousand item insect collection in its entomology department and has been working along side the Smithsonian Institute in the United States to help preserve he history of Sri Lanka's rare and exotic creatures.
About the Author
Lek Boonlert is an editor and content reviewer at DirectRooms and is responsible for all Colombo Hotels content.
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