Archaeology National Museum Kotte — Attraction in Western Province

I visited the Archaeological Museum in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte today, and it was an enriching experience—especially for anyone curious about our nation's history during the Kingdom of Kotte and the early colonial period.

Why Visit This Museum? Located in the former residence of freedom fighter E.W. Perera (Ihala Walauwa), the museum was established in 1992 and opened to the public in 1995. It serves as the regional archaeological museum for the Western Province, maintained by Sri Lanka’s Department of Archaeology .

Inside, there are five thoughtfully arranged exhibition rooms showcasing remarkable artifacts from the Kotte era, such as swords, knives, regional flags, coins, clothing, pottery, maps, and even personal items that belonged to E.W. Perera himself .

Exhibits That Bring History to Life I was particularly fascinated by the collection of miniature statues—like an ivory Samadhi Buddha, a wooden standing Buddha, a limestone Samadhi Buddha, a metal kneeling figure, a female figurine, and a unique bell with a human-shaped handle. These are complemented by colonial-era items, including garments influenced by Portuguese, Dutch, and British styles, as well as firearms like a long double-barrelled pistol .

Contextual Depth and Insight The museum goes beyond mere display; it helps you connect with the social, political, and cultural fabric of Kotte. Many artifacts—coins, pottery, weaponry, religious items, and stone inscriptions—are carefully labelled to reveal everyday life and the governance of that bygone era .

Practical Details

Location: Ethul Kotte

Entrance Fee: Free.

Overall Impression This museum is a small but impactful cultural treasure. It’s quiet, insightful, and deeply connects you to the legacy of Kotte—highly...

Kotte Museum (Sinhalese: කෝට්ටේ කෞතුකාගාරය) is an archaeological Museum in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka. It is located at Bangala junction in Ethul Kotte, on the Borella-Pitakotte main road. The museum serves as the regional museum for Western Province of the country and is maintained by Archaeological department of Sri Lanka.

The museum was first established in 1992 as E. W. Perera Memorial Museum in Ihala Walawwa,[1] the residence of late politician E. W. Perera and was declared open for the public in 1995.

The museum building is consisted of five exhibition rooms and used to display variety of archaeological antiquities recovered from Kotte and its surrounding area. They include various regional flags, clothing, statues, coins, swords, knives, guns, weapons, pottery, maps and a collection of items used by E. W. Perera and items donated by...

Small but very informative collection.. Visit this place if you are a museum person.. This has a nice collection of old flags in sri lanka. Old textiles and ancient artifacts belongings to kotte eara.. photos are not allowed. The name of E.W. Perera cannot be forgotten in the resurgence of the state of Kotte. Not only that, he donated the house where the Kotte Urumaya museum is located, but he also gave the initial direction for the preservation of many treasures in Kotte.

And there are some small library also there with several archiology books in the museum.

In this pace you can study about Flags. Architectur of Kotte Era. Money and Economy. Specially you can learn about late E. W. Perera which was a National Hero who has contributed a lot...