Colombo City Tour by Tuk Tuk Morning & Evening ( Private )

Built during the latter part of the 1700s, the Kovils at Captain’s Garden, Maradana are believed to be the oldest in Colombo. The area had been an island with the waters of the Beira Lake surrounding it. Devotees had travelled by boat to reach the temples to worship and make vows. During the Dutch period Captain’s Garden was known as ‘Cilamagoda’ and was an area of great economic activity since the warehouses for cinnamon, pepper, coconut, oil and coir were located in this vicinity. Today, the Beira Lake no longer surrounds the Kovils, but the railway tracks that are constantly busy with trains. Yet, the environs of the Kovils are peaceful and only the sounds of the poojas can be heard. The elaborately decorated Gopurams reflect the main deities of the respective abodes, Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesh. The interior is beautiful and spiritual, with sculptures and motifs depicting Hinduism and culture. The two premises are connected by a central courtyard where you can worship both.

The Jami – Alfar Mosque on 2 nd Cross Street is painted with red and white stripes, similar to an old –fashioned, candy-striped barber’s shop. Its col – our scheme makes its very hard to miss amongst all the other rather shabby Pettah buildings. Over a 100 years old , the mosque was constructed in 1908. Just inside the entrance , the inscription reads the architect was H.L.Saib Lebbe. A friendly security guard may allow you inside ( even if you are a women ) to view the washing ponds and the rear view of the mosque’s clock tower . Women’s are not permitted to go inside the prayer halls . The mosque is soon to undergo expansion to make it into a four – storey complex catering foe between 7,000 – 8,000 worshippers at one time . However , the façade will retain its current character . Avoid visiting on Fridays when it is at busiest.

Pettah is a neighborhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka located east of the City centre Fort. The Pettah neighborhood is famous for the Pettah Market, a series of open air bazaars and markets. It is one of Sri Lanka's busiest commercial areas, where a huge number of wholesale and retail shops, buildings, commercial institutions and other organizations are located. The main market segment is designed like a gigantic crossword puzzle, where one may traverse through the entire markets from dawn till dusk, but not completely cover every part of it. Pettah is derived from Tamil: Pettai, an Anglo-Indian word used to indicate a suburb outside a fort. Today, the Sinhala phrase, pita-kotuwa (outside the fort) conveniently describes the same place.

The building is right smack in the middle of all the little shops and street stalls of Pettah. It's all arches, needle point columns, crumbly yellow walls and creaky staircases - it's got the making of a haunted mansion so it might be a fun visit with friends later in the day rather than sooner. There is no entrance ticket, you just walk inside and ask somebody near the main staircase if you can check out the building. There's a random little museum of cool old stuff next to the building that you can check out too.Sugath is the caretaker these days and will take you up some creaky wooden steps to a musty floor upstairs. Next to the door to this 'museum' are some ordinary well-kept rooms with many chairs and wooden tables that look like they are still used today - Sugath says these spaces are sometimes used for official meetings.

The foundation stone of the independence hall was laid by the first prime minister of srilanka, D.S .Senanayake on the 4th February, 1949, for the first anniversary of the independence. It was designed by Tom Neville Wynne-Jones, the then architect of the public works department. It is entirely made out of reinforced concrete, even the roof, which were at that time an advanced tech technology and an unusual practice. No wood was used in its construction. The style is inspired from the ancient audience hall in Kandy. Special ceremonies and important national events are held in this building symbolizing the freedom, the hopes and pride of a nation.

Formerly called Victoria Park, this expanse of vegetation in the heart of the city used to stretch uninterrupted from the town hall to Alfred Crescent .the Ceylon Agricultural Society held shows there in the area to the rear of the museum (now Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha). Today the park is multifunctional. At the western end is the War Memorial (where the November 11th Armistice Day parade happens). Further to the south is the Colombo Public Library building (accessible from outside the park on Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha).Along the southern perimeter (across from the Art Gallery and former Garden Club building), one or two elephants can often be seen either bathing in a small pool or munching branches and leaves. It is from here the elephants that feature in the GanagaramayaPeraheradepart. Elephants are brought to Colombo from all over the island specifically for the perahera (procession) help in February each year.

In 1844 British businessman William Milne started ‘Milne & Company' , general warehousemen, importers of oilman stores etc, with branches in Kandy and Galle. In 1850 Milne was joined by his friend, David Sime Cargill, and the firm became ‘Milne, Cargill & Co'.In 1860 Milne retired from business in Ceylon and moved back to England to form a company in Glasgow to look after the business of Cargill & Co. in the UK. Cargill became sole partner until he was joined by David MacKenzie and the name was changed to ‘Cargill & Co’. The company had a Colombo office at the intersection of Price and York Streets in Colombo Fort, a Kandy office at Upper Lake Road and an office in Galle Fortat 22 Pedlar Street. The Galle office was closed down in 1863.

Galle face green has always played a special part in the lives of Colombo-dwellers, although it is the British who are credited with making it a place of social interaction, as it remains today. In colonial times, the British embraced Galle face green as a leisure ground especially in the evening when elite ladies were said to promenade the length of the green. Active pursuits of cricket, football, polo and the famed horse races also took place on Galle face green. Horse-racing become popular in the 1840s and the Ceylon turf club was founded here sometime between the and 1860, although official records were not kept until 1866. The formal structure of the walk along the seaside was built during the period of governor ward in 1859. A plaque recognizes his achievement in providing a place where residents of Colombo could gather and socialize.

The current 29-metre-high (95 ft) lighthouse was built in 1952 after the Old Colombo Lighthouse was deactivated when its light became obscured by nearby buildings as part of the Colombo Harbor Expansion project. It was opened by Rt Hon D.S. Senanayake, the first prime minister of Ceylon. Built on a concrete base which is 12 m (39 ft) high, it has four statues of lions at its base. Due to the panoramic view of the Indian Ocean it offered, it became a city landmark. With the escalation of the Sri Lankan Civil War, public access to the site was restricted. This was due to its placement in a high-security zone as it is across the street from the Naval Headquarters and close proximity of the Port of Colombo.

The tower was constructed as a clock tower in 1856-57 and completed on the 25 February 1857.The tower was designed by Emily Elizabeth Ward, the wife of Governor Sir Henry George Ward (1797 – 1860).The construction was undertaken by the Public Works Department, under the supervision of Mr John Flemming Churchill (Director General of Public Works). The 29-metre-high (95 ft) tower was the tallest structure in Colombo at that time.The original clock was commissioned for £1,200 in 1814 by the then Governor Sir Robert Brownrigg (1759 – 1833) but was kept in a warehouse, due to economic reasons, until 1857 when it was finally installed. The lighthouse was deactivated after its light became obscured by nearby buildings and was decommissioned on 12 July 1952.The modern Galle Buck Lighthouse was erected on Marine Drive as its replacement.

President's House is the official residence and workplace of the President of Sri Lanka, located at Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Since 1804 it has been the residence of British governors and governors-general and Sri Lankan presidents, having been known as the "King's House" or the "Queen's House" until Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972. There have been 29 governors who resided here, and also six presidents who resided or used it in an official capacity. Currently it is used by Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka for state functions. The Presidential Secretariat functions as the office of the president, with much of the presidential staff based there.

Just east of Fort train station, Manning Market is ripe with everything grown in Sri Lanka. It’s the city’s wholesale fruit and veg centre and is a monkey’s dream of bananas.

Kayman's Gate was an entrance to the former Colombo Fort located at the foot of the Wolvendaal Hill in the Pettah district of Colombo, Sri Lanka. A historic free-standing bell tower still stands at the site, now at the intersection of Main and 4th Cross Streets.

The skyline of Colombo's Fort has changed through the centuries but vestiges of Colonial and local rule are still visible. Some of the largest, oldest and newest buildings are located here. The Clock Tower was a lighthouse over 150 years ago. The sprawling President's House carries the boulder engraved with the Portuguese Court of Arms in 1505. Most of the buildings, though refurbished by the British, have retained the aesthetic and architectural features inherited from the Dutch and Portuguese.

Lotus Tower (Sinhala: නෙළුම් කුළුණ; Tamil: தாமரைக் கோபுரம்), also referred to as Colombo Lotus Tower, is a 350 m (1,150 ft) tall tower, located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It has been called a symbolic landmark of Sri Lanka.As of 2019, the tower is the tallest self-supported structure in South Asia; the second tallest structure in South Asia after the guy-wire-supported INS Kattabomman in India; the 11th tallest tower in Asia and the 19th tallest tower in the world.It was first proposed to be built in the suburb of Peliyagoda but later the Government of Sri Lanka decided to change the location.The lotus-shaped tower is used for communication, observation and other leisure facilities. Construction is estimated to have cost USD 113 million.

Gangaramaya Temple is one of the most important temples in Colombo, Sri Lanka, being a mix of modern architecture and cultural essence. Located on the Beira Lake, it was completed in the late 19th century.

Wolvendaal Church is located in Pettah, a neighbourhood of Colombo. It is one of the most important Dutch Colonial era buildings in Sri Lanka, and is one of the oldest Protestant churches still in use in the country.