CONVERGENCE SEPT-OCT 2017

Special Feature
Colombo
As you move along the bustling roads with plenty of tuk tuks and Buddha statues,
some hidden while most in open spaces, the weather of this city is similar to Malaysia
although humidity levels are higher.
The first stop is a prominent landmark and every year on February 4, the country
gets a day off with many thronging the Independence Square to celebrate Sri Lanka's
freedom from the British which it obtained in 1948. The Square pays homage to the
event and is adorned by a large statue of the man who played a pivotal role – the
country's first Prime Minister, D.S. Senanayake.
The country's first Prime Minister, D.S. Senanayake
Colombo Municipal Council
Independence Square
Buddhist statues are a common sight
within the capital city
Galle Fort
Popular beach town, Galle
Meera Mosque
The 1939 Galle Lighthouse
Galle
Moving down south from Colombo, this
place was the centre of the Dutch regime
in the 17th century and the majestic Galle
Fort bears testimony to this fact. The fort
is a historical, archaeological and
architectural heritage monument in this
World Heritage site and seaside city.
Within its walls, some of the important
heritage monuments in the fort are the
Dutch Reformed Church, the old Dutch
government house, a Great Warehouse
near the Old Gate, built around 1669 to
store spices and ship equipment (which
now houses the National Maritime
Museum), the Old Dutch Hospital, the
Meera Mosque built in 1904, the
Buddhist temple built at the site of
Portuguese Roman Catholic church, the
All Saints Anglican Church built in 1871,
the 1882 Clock Tower and the 1939
Galle Lighthouse.
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