Half Day - Colombo Sight Seeing Tour

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Gangaramaya (Vihara) Buddhist Temple, 61 Sri Jinaratana Road, Colombo Sri Lanka

GANGARAMAYA BUDDHIST TEMPLE
The Gangaramaya Temple is one of the bigger Buddhist temples in Colombo. Once you enter the temple buildings you completely forget that you are in a busy city. In the evening, sitting under the Bodhi tree where monks chant and pray, tranquility descends around you. It is definitely not a site to be missed on your visit to Colombo.
Situated near Beira Lake, in the heart of Colombo, the temple was established in 1885 by Venerable Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera. It gradually grew into the complex it is today, which includes the Vihara (monastery), Cetiya (pagoda), Vihara Mandiraya (Image House, which is full of colorful Buddha statues), Seema Malaka, the Bodhi Tree, the Relic Chamber, as well as a library and a museum. At the far end of the courtyard are rows of elevating steps on which Buddha statues of the Thai style have been sequentially placed to greet the skyline.

The temple houses sacred relics of Buddha, his disciples, and Arahant Seevali.


Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Independence Square, Independence Avenue, Colombo 7 Sri Lanka

INDEPENDECE SQUARE
Independence Commemoration Hall located on Independence Square (formally Torrington Square) in Cinnamon Gardens, is a national monument in Sri Lanka. This was built long after independence was gained from the British rule on February 4, 1948.
The structure is made of concrete, and bear columns similar to what is found in ancient Sri Lankan architecture and it was designed to resemble a Kandyan audience hall. The rows of stone lions that guard this great monument are a unique feature of this Commemoration Hall. This is also an impressive piece of art that clearly signifies the ancient architecture and the elaborated stone carvings and painting found at the memorial hall are simply breathtaking.
Other than a momentum it is commonly used as a place to conduct annual national day celebrations and other significant national celebrations and cultural activities that mark national unity. Currently Independence Square and its surroundings is considered to be one of the most prestigious locations in Colombo are to be converted into an exclusive for cultural activities, recreation and academic and research excellence.


Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Old Parliament Building, Fort, Colombo Sri Lanka

Old Parliament Building in Sri Lanka: The Center of Administration. ... This Neo-Baroque-style building was built during the British colonial era to house the Legislative Council of Ceylon. ... Old Parliament Building in Sri Lanka: Architecture.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Colombo National Museum, Albert Crescent, Colombo Sri Lanka

Colombo National Museum

The Colombo Museum as it was called at the beginning was established on 1st January 1877. It founder was Sir William Henry Gregory, the British Governor of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) at the time.

The Royal Asiatic Society (CB) was instrumental in bringing to the notice of Gregory on his appointment as Governor in 1872 the need for a public museum with much difficulty the approval of the legislative council was obtained within a year. The Architect of the Public Works Department, J.G. Smither was able to prepare the plans for new structure on Italian architectural style. The construction was completed in 1876 and the Museum commenced it functions in the following year.

The Authorities of the museum took various steps to display the cultural and natural heritage of the country for this purpose.

With the development of the museum to international level, it earned the status of a national museum during the period of Dr. P. E. P. Deraniyagala. He was able to open up branch museums in Jaffna, Kandy and Ratnapura and a full - fledged Department of National Museums was established in 1942 under the act No. 31. The extension of the number of branch museums has now increased to nine and in addition a school science programme and a mobile museum service are also in operation.

This process has further been improved by the arrangement of the galleries of the ground floor in a historical sequence and those of the upper galleries on a thematic basis.

Duration: 45 minutes