The Colombo Museum

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By Laurie Ashton

When the Colombo Museum opened in 1877 in palatial, purpose built premises, the preservation of the country’s heritage seemed assured. A century and a quarter later, however, with little modernization, the museum is no more than an exhibit itself. So it is heartening to learn that the financial sector, in the shape of the HSBC the world’s local bank, is funding a refurbishment . . .

I’m one of those people that love going to art galleries, museums, planetariums, and other boring, stuffy, cultural exhibitions when they’re on vacation. People like us don’t just breeze through, looking at all the pretty objects. Oh, no! We actually like reading the fine print and learning something. Then, over dinner afterwards and for years to come, we spout off those useless facts we’ve collected.  I’m the bane of existence for those who’ve vacationed with me in years past. Unless, of course, they were also one of those people.

And as such, I   visited the Colombo Museum.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I can tell you that the huge building housing the museum was much larger than I imagined, as was the impressively large collection of objects inside. And, based on how busy other museums haven’t been when I visited them, I wasn’t expecting to see so many people traipsing through. And I wasn’t expected to feel like an exhibit myself.

There was a school program at the museum the day I went, and with it, several hundred school children. Once again, I was mistaken for a Japanese. And here’s where the first warning comes in. If you are obviously not of Sri Lankan heritage, be prepared to be stared at. If you’re a female to boot, be prepared to have boys of all ages from ten years of age all the way up to young adults try to chat you up and otherwise flirt with you.

I enjoyed walking around the museum and seeing relics from Sri Lanka’s past. The Buddha in various poses, sometimes a head only in coral, were interesting. The statues were made from anything from limestone to marble to bronze. Hindu gods were likewise interesting, especially the goddesses with four arms, which took me back to Sindbad movies I’d seen years ago. I found it interesting how, in the light of how modestly dressed the Hindu people are, the goddesses have such exaggerated large breasts, skinny waists, and large derrieres, and would frequently appear bare-breasted and otherwise scantily clad.

Ivory gunpowder flasks, ivory glasses and a canoe carved from a breadfruit tree trunk (artocarpus nobilis, no less!) captivated me, as did the elaborate and intricately designed jewellery, hair combs and weapons. There were weapons of the most interesting and intriguing design with purposes I’m really not at all sure I want to know about! Then there were the Roman coins which, I was flabbergasted to read, were used in Sri Lanka from 3rd to 6th century AD. Some were even minted here.

In the Stone Antiquities section, I saw distance milestones, Arabic inscriptions from the 16th century, a tombstone with Portuguese inscriptions, and even stone domestic utensils. There was also a Sira Linga from Polonnaruwa, 12th Century Polonnaruwa. However, I’m left wondering what’s a Sira Linga?

Going up the stairs to the second level, there were displays of masks that fascinated me. One in particular had snakes, cobras perhaps? coming out of the head. It had large, bulging eyes, and huge fangs. If I had a nightmare with a mask in it, this would be it.

There were other masks as well, colourful and cartoon-like, some with contorted facial expressions. I read that some paintbrushes were made from cat fur, and the polished masks were rubbed with thalapath and madu fish for added sheen. How fascinating!

Around a corner were elaborate hats, colourful dancing costumes and musical instruments oboes and flutes, for example, which look nothing like the oboes and flutes I’m familiar with. There were also stringed instruments that vaguely resembled guitars with enormous bulbous bodies.

The furniture gallery was vast. Dining room tables and chairs were all shoved into one corner with four-poster beds squeezed in beside them. Unfortunately, this also meant that I couldn’t get close to any to see details of artwork or craftsmanship - except for the items on the outermost edge. Armoires and palanquins lined another wall. Labels provided only the most general information, such as palanquins. But who were they used by, and where, and when?

This gallery best summarized the museum experience for me. This isn’t a museum, it’s a badly organized and poorly maintained warehouse of antiquities.

Throughout the Museum, some of the objects are labeled in Sinhalese only, or Sinhalese and Tamil. But even when the labels have English as well as Sinhalese and Tamil, they are still less than useful. Frequently, the labels are in very small type, and curled, faded, or yellowed at the back of a dirty, smudged, or scratched display cabinet, making them very difficult to read! Or the label over an entire cabinet of objects might be simply one word - Masks. And labels like Chunam Boxes or Arecanut Cutters with no explanation tell me absolutely nothing. I have no idea what chunam boxes or arecanut cutters are. I don’t even have a clue what chunam or arecanut are. I’d like to know. Obviously, they’re important enough that they’re on display, so why not explain them so these objects have meaning?

But that isn’t all that’s wrong with the museum. In one gallery I entered, there was a large puddle of water about ten feet wide along one wall that I and others had to carefully step around. In many galleries, there were loose floorboards. It looked like the exhibits had not been updated in at least thirty years. Added to that, a significant number of galleries were closed.

The only map of the museum is at the front entrance. There are no guidebooks, brochures, or history books either to give away or for sale. In fact, they have only one book available for sale, and if you want it, you have to request it as it’s not on display. Colombo Museum, 100 Years 1877-1977 (ISBN 955-578-016-1, Rs. 330), is a very dry publication that’s devoid of any Sri Lankan history or culture and contains no meaningful information on any of the artifacts held within the museum.

While there is a canteen on the grounds, it’s very poorly stocked. They had four flavours of fizzy drinks only, no other beverages, and some pastries and other sweets. I was told if I wanted bottled water or anything else, I’d have to go to an outside concession.

And then there was the museum gift shop. I’ve been known to spend fair bit of money at museum gift shops, but this one had nothing to interest me. It was very poorly stocked. They had perhaps a half dozen postcards. There were smaller statues, carvings, and jewellery, but not enough to capture attention. Given that the museum shop is in a room about six feet square, it’s hardly surprising that there isn’t much in it.

Despite the fact that I enjoyed the museum yes, I very much enjoyed walking around and looking at all the objects that could tell stories about Sri Lanka’s past, I left disappointed. With all these magnificent artifacts, which the museum has been collecting since its inception in 1877, there is no way that anyone can fully enjoy them and appreciate them the way they’re displayed at present.

I would have liked to learn about the history of the many artifacts. In other words, I’d like to be able to put all those wonderful relics into some kind of context and understand the history and culture better. I saw just about everything the museum had to offer in a couple of hours and I walked away knowing nothing more about the culture and history of Sri Lanka than when I arrived. If there was meaning attached to these relics if the museum became an actual educational experience the way that it could then that would make the days I would inevitably spend there all that much more worthwhile.

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Admission Prices:
Foreign Adults: Rs. 65
Foreign Children: Rs. 35
Local Adults: Rs. 6
Local Children: Rs. 3
Concessionary Rates for School Groups:
Teachers: Rs. 4
Children: Rs. 2
Photographic Permit (unlimited photos): Rs. 160
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Hours of Operation:
Saturday through Sunday: 9am to 5pm
Last tickets sold at 4:30 pm
Closed on Fridays and Public Holidays