Museum, information centre at Kataragama

A museum and information centre were opened at the Kataragama Devala premises recently. The construction of the building housing the museum and information centre was completed at a total cost of Rs. 65 million.

Kataragama Devala

The project was initiated by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage, and was funded by the Netherlands government under the Sri Lanka-Netherlands Cultural Co-operation programme. The building, planned by the Archaeology Faculty of the University of Moratuwa, was constructed in a land donated by the Department of National Physical Resources.

Kataragama is held sacred by people of all faiths and communities in Sri Lanka. This project aims to preserve the legacy of this multi-religious national heritage. The interior of the museum has been designed to represent the multi-religious, multi-cultural nature of the country and is expected to further strengthen the bonds between the different communities.

The floor area of the building is 10,000 square feet. It would display over 400 archaeological items of historical significance discovered from the Kiri Vehera, Kataragama Devala, the Mosque, Buduruwagala, Maligawila and Weheragala.

Among the artefacts in the new museum are those of cultural and national heritage belonging to the Dutch period as well as those reflecting the history of Kataragama.

Documentaries depicting the historical and archaeological importance of the Kataragama Devala have been prepared and will be screened for the public at the information centre.

The new building is expected to attract an increased number of tourists to the area, which in turn will contribute to economic empowerment of the residents. It will also provide a forum for foreign academics to conduct research on Sri Lanka’s heritage.

Arrangements have been made to keep the museum open at night during the Kataragama festival.