National Museum

The National Museum of Sri Lanka at Albert Crescent is the largest of the two museums in Colombo.  At the approach to the National Museum, there is a 9th century stone Buddha with an enigmatic smile.  The galleries date back as far as 1877 and present all manner of art, carvings and statuary from Sri Lanka’s ancient past, as well as swords, guns and other paraphernalia from the colonial period. There are 19th-century reproductions of English paintings of Sri Lanka and a collection of antique demon masks.  A particular highlight is the magnificent royal throne created for King Wimaladharmasuriya II in 1693.   He ruled from 1687 to 1707.  The grounds are shaded by magnificent banyan trees and there is also a good cafe.