Journey back to pre-colonial Ceylon
The National Museum of Kandy is located on the north shore of the Kandy Lake next to the Temple of the Tooth Relic. The Royal Palace of Kandy was the last palace built in Sri Lanka as Kandy was the last capital of the ancient kings’ era. Part of the Royal Palace was later converted into the National Museum of Kandy which was opened to the public in 1942. The museum, along with four devales and two monasteries form one of Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle sites.
The museum has over five thousand exhibits which include weapons, royal relics, collections of coins, jewelry, tools and other artifacts from the Kandian era and post British Colonial era. The copy of the 1815 agreement and the golden crown of King Rajasinghe II are considered as the most impressive exhibits on display at the museum.
The museum is maintained by the Department of National Museums. The primary exhibits are placed in the Palle Vahala building. Secondary exhibits are displayed in the main palace building. The Palle Vahala and Meda Vahala were both built during King Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe’s era . The Meda Vahala which used to be the quarters of the queens now has historical artifacts made by the Kandy Art Association. A statue of Sir Henry Ward a former Governor of Ceylon can be seen in the Museum grounds.
The National Museum of Kandy is a must visit place for history lovers. The museum can be visited from Tuesdays to Saturday any time between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The entrance fee will be as follows:
Adult – Rs. 500
Child – Rs. 300
Camera – Rs. 160