Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum Complex
Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum Complex
Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum Complex
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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4.5
188 reviews
Excellent
109
Very good
64
Average
14
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Ratna K
Colombo, Sri Lanka515 contributions
Jan 2012 • Family
This was originally started as the Martin Wickramasinghe Memorial museum in His ancestral home. Now it covers a lot of aspects of Sri Lankan heritage with sprawling complex of buildings displays some working replicas of the past.
The Original Museum is there displaying about the life of the great Sinhala Author Martin Wickramasinghe.
In Addition you can see the old Fishing Boats, Bullock carts, Horse drawn carts and few elephant carts as well which covers most of the ancient modes of transport. Then they have huge collection of industrial and domestic equipment used in the past. One should see exhibit is the ancient steel manufacturing system displayed there. Also some weapons of war too can be seen.
They have also built and operate working replicas of village blacksmiths workshop, a weaving mill, Coconut oil refinery, and few other old village industries.
They also have a sort of picnic grounds so if you come up with packed lunch or picnic basket you can enjoy it there as well.
The Original Museum is there displaying about the life of the great Sinhala Author Martin Wickramasinghe.
In Addition you can see the old Fishing Boats, Bullock carts, Horse drawn carts and few elephant carts as well which covers most of the ancient modes of transport. Then they have huge collection of industrial and domestic equipment used in the past. One should see exhibit is the ancient steel manufacturing system displayed there. Also some weapons of war too can be seen.
They have also built and operate working replicas of village blacksmiths workshop, a weaving mill, Coconut oil refinery, and few other old village industries.
They also have a sort of picnic grounds so if you come up with packed lunch or picnic basket you can enjoy it there as well.
Written 15 May 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jayanath Palihawadana
Athurugiriya, Sri Lanka115 contributions
May 2011 • Family
Martin Wickramasinghe folk museum is not only worth due to the house and to see his great work, but also it is very important to see the various aspects of Sinhala culture in the folk museum. The only house in Koggala which escaped demolition to build the airport.
Written 27 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caroline C
Nottingham56 contributions
Nov 2018 • Friends
An interesting collection of both Sri Lankan life and the life of Martin Wickramasinghe, worth an hour or so of your time, a minute's walk from the main road, lovely gardens.
Written 9 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dhruv Shanker
Singapore, Singapore167 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
We spent a little over an hour at this museum, and it was a good way to learn about the history and culture of Sri Lanka. I found it especially interesting how this one house has survived only because a British officer's wife had decided to use it as her personal quarters. The amount of effort that has gone into putting the museum together and keeping it running is commendable, but the place could do with a little bit of a clean up now. Overall, a good thing to do if you're keen on understanding a little more about the folk history of the area.
Written 6 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dr. Dharshana Weerakoon
Gampaha, Sri Lanka530 contributions
Apr 2015 • Family
The house in which Martin Wickramasinghe was born has inspired the Martin Wickramasinghe Trust to established a Folk Museum Complex, surrounded by a restored ecosystem planted with hundreds of varieties of indigenous trees and shrubs in which bird life abounds. The house and the surroundings brings to life a little part of the Koggala which is so vividly depicted in Wickramasinghe’s writings.
Written 7 January 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Randy W
Colombo, Sri Lanka3 contributions
Jun 2014 • Family
Loved the ancient beauty and glamor. So much to learn and so much to teach your kids about the history and things like way of living, transport, food our ancestors had. Also the little island called "Madol Doowa" which is not far away from Koggala.
Written 17 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Harsha P
Colombo, Sri Lanka1,778 contributions
Apr 2014 • Family
Martin Wickramasinghe museum is a museum and it has a many of things depicting traditions, tools, culture of the different areas of Sri Lanka which is not seen at the Museum at Colombo. It is an insight to the folk life of the Sri Lanka people of yesteryear.
I was amazed to see that Mr. Martin Wickramasinhe has received many Awards & Honors from other countries including the OBE “Order of the British Empire but no honor even posthumously from the Sri Lankan government although it bestows honors on persons who cannot even hold a candle to Mr. Wickramasinghe.
There were boards stating “no photography”, “Do not touch the exhibits” but Sri Lankan visitors flouted these rules in broad daylight. There were very old men to guard these who were powerless when brawny men brazenly did not care & took photographs of the exhibits & sat on the antique chairs of Mr. Wickramasinghe.
The garden is well laid out & full of rare trees which have name boards.
There is no CCTV to cover to monitor this place & it needs professional security staff.
It is a shame that such a museum charges on Rs 30 from Sri Lankans & this allows all the ruffians to enter, consume alcohol in the premises & destroy this gem of a museum. I have paid more than US$ 25 to see museums which have less to offer. I feel that Sri Lankans should be charged at least Rs. 500/= per head to visit this museum.
The book shop offers Mr. Wickramasinhe’s books at a discounted price. I also found the ruins of Mr. Wickramasinhe’s uncles house adjacent to his house.
A Sri Lankan child has to be brought here as many of Mr Wickramasinhes books are used by them as text books. A visit to this museum will give a child in-depth knowledge as to what he used for his stories.
I was amazed to see that Mr. Martin Wickramasinhe has received many Awards & Honors from other countries including the OBE “Order of the British Empire but no honor even posthumously from the Sri Lankan government although it bestows honors on persons who cannot even hold a candle to Mr. Wickramasinghe.
There were boards stating “no photography”, “Do not touch the exhibits” but Sri Lankan visitors flouted these rules in broad daylight. There were very old men to guard these who were powerless when brawny men brazenly did not care & took photographs of the exhibits & sat on the antique chairs of Mr. Wickramasinghe.
The garden is well laid out & full of rare trees which have name boards.
There is no CCTV to cover to monitor this place & it needs professional security staff.
It is a shame that such a museum charges on Rs 30 from Sri Lankans & this allows all the ruffians to enter, consume alcohol in the premises & destroy this gem of a museum. I have paid more than US$ 25 to see museums which have less to offer. I feel that Sri Lankans should be charged at least Rs. 500/= per head to visit this museum.
The book shop offers Mr. Wickramasinhe’s books at a discounted price. I also found the ruins of Mr. Wickramasinhe’s uncles house adjacent to his house.
A Sri Lankan child has to be brought here as many of Mr Wickramasinhes books are used by them as text books. A visit to this museum will give a child in-depth knowledge as to what he used for his stories.
Written 12 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
geofftravel
UK91 contributions
Jan 2014 • Couples
This museum is built around Martin Wickramasinghe's house - you can visit his house and pause to reflect on where this far-sighted Sri Lankan legend and his family lived.
The museum itself is informative with a variety of displays. You can learn about the engineering feat that established the 'tanks' that serviced irrigation in the dry central zone of Sri Lanka 4 centuries BC as well as enjoying a vivid display of masks ranging from the old and traditional to the modern and current. Archeological explorations are revealing the nature of Sri Lankan culture from prehistoric times.
We were helped to understand aspects of Buddhism and Sinhalese culture by a knowledgeable gentleman - the exhibits are not comprehensively labelled in English (but then the British Museum doesn't label all its displays in Sinhala does it?). He didn't expect payment either!
The grounds are lovely too, beautifully tended with many of the trees labelled with their scientific names. A thoroughly fulfilling visit which I would recommend without hesitation!
The museum itself is informative with a variety of displays. You can learn about the engineering feat that established the 'tanks' that serviced irrigation in the dry central zone of Sri Lanka 4 centuries BC as well as enjoying a vivid display of masks ranging from the old and traditional to the modern and current. Archeological explorations are revealing the nature of Sri Lankan culture from prehistoric times.
We were helped to understand aspects of Buddhism and Sinhalese culture by a knowledgeable gentleman - the exhibits are not comprehensively labelled in English (but then the British Museum doesn't label all its displays in Sinhala does it?). He didn't expect payment either!
The grounds are lovely too, beautifully tended with many of the trees labelled with their scientific names. A thoroughly fulfilling visit which I would recommend without hesitation!
Written 15 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gin B
Weston-super-Mare557 contributions
Oct 2013 • Solo
This museum was just a short walk from my hotel and had been well reviewed in my guidebook, and I wasn't disappointed. The museum is set in a large park with beautiful trees, each labelled with its name. The main thing to see is the Folk Museum, which has 3 rooms all about Sri Lankan history and culture. It's a bit dingy and old-fashioned in its layout, but the exhibits were really interesting, particularly the dance masks and life-size traditional puppets. I was also interested to find out about the ancient iron and steel industry, with excellent diagrams and model, thanks to research by Exeter University. There was also a museum of costumes which was well worth seeing. In a large covered area outside was a display of carts, coaches and carriages from the past, though most of these were in a bad state of repair and could do with some restoration. Finally I went to the small traditional bungalow which had been the home of Martin Wickramainghe, who was one of the foremost Sri Lankan writers of the 20th century. The simple house was very evocative of times past, and the exhibition room at the back, full of old documents and photographs, really told the story of the author's life and personality. I enjoyed my visit very much, and it's a great place to go if the weather's bad!
Written 5 November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ardhanareeshvara
Pune, India1,056 contributions
Sept 2012 • Family
If the hedonistic delights of the turquoise beaches of southern Sri Lanka can get a bit overwhleming, there is a peaceful getaway in the town of Koggala just off the A2 (Galle Road),beyond Galle and directly opposite the spa hotel intimidatingly called The Fortress.
Titled the Martin Wickramasinghe Museum of Folk Culture,the attraction, to visit which there is a small admission fee, is spread over several acres around his birthplace and has been visualised as a memorial to this doyen of Sri Lankan writers and a man of letters. Such a
initiative was close to his heart and therefore the Trust in his name has built a museum depicting folk arts and crafts and folk technology,and re-creates the work of craftsmen and their role in rural society.
Following entry,one traverses a path through several interesting botanical specimens of trees,
Walking Pine tree,Golden Shower pudding pipe tree,Beauty Leaf Alexandrian laurel and other unique varieties before reaching the small house where Martin Wickramasinghe was born.It was designed as a home typical of the headman,the tacher,and the native physician, the rural village gentry of the early 19th century.A samadhi (grave)where his ashes were interred in 1976 and later his wife's in 2001 are nearby. The samadhi and the house of his birth are symbols that span over seven decades of continuous intellectual exploration and creative writing.
The high-roofed,spacious halls of the Folk Museum house a vast array of artifacts of Sri Lankan folk culture and life.
Traditional vehicles used for travel and transport such as carriages and canoes are displayed in separate sheds.
One can easily spend 2-3 hours in this memorial absorbing the many facets of Sri Lankan culture before being rejuvenated to experience the modern way of life in this beautiful country.
Titled the Martin Wickramasinghe Museum of Folk Culture,the attraction, to visit which there is a small admission fee, is spread over several acres around his birthplace and has been visualised as a memorial to this doyen of Sri Lankan writers and a man of letters. Such a
initiative was close to his heart and therefore the Trust in his name has built a museum depicting folk arts and crafts and folk technology,and re-creates the work of craftsmen and their role in rural society.
Following entry,one traverses a path through several interesting botanical specimens of trees,
Walking Pine tree,Golden Shower pudding pipe tree,Beauty Leaf Alexandrian laurel and other unique varieties before reaching the small house where Martin Wickramasinghe was born.It was designed as a home typical of the headman,the tacher,and the native physician, the rural village gentry of the early 19th century.A samadhi (grave)where his ashes were interred in 1976 and later his wife's in 2001 are nearby. The samadhi and the house of his birth are symbols that span over seven decades of continuous intellectual exploration and creative writing.
The high-roofed,spacious halls of the Folk Museum house a vast array of artifacts of Sri Lankan folk culture and life.
Traditional vehicles used for travel and transport such as carriages and canoes are displayed in separate sheds.
One can easily spend 2-3 hours in this memorial absorbing the many facets of Sri Lankan culture before being rejuvenated to experience the modern way of life in this beautiful country.
Written 22 September 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Any entry fees for below :
Martin Wickramasinghe folk museum Rumasalla mountain
YatagalaRaja maha viharaya
Written 9 February 2019
There is an entry fee for tourist at the Wickramasinghe Museum. Not sure about other places being asked.
Written 17 February 2019
Is this place open on weekdays as well?
Written 9 December 2018
The museum is open every day of the year, except on the 13th and 14th of April, from 9AM to 5PM.
Written 22 April 2018
How much time does it take to visit this museum. This is important as we are short of time.
Written 10 October 2015
You could potentially cover the highlights in an hour. However, ideally, you should spend a couple of hours at the museum to truly appreciate what it has to offer.
Written 10 October 2015
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