The final resting place of Sri Lankan royalty
- 69, Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo 01
- Open daily 24/7
Historic Site on a Parking Lot
In the parking lot of the Ceylinco Building, just opposite the World Trade Centre, stands the jail cell of the last king of Sri Lanka, Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe. If you think this seems a rather absurd location for a prison cell then you’d be right, but the view from his little window was probably very different two centuries ago.
Who was the Last King?
Crowned at the tender age of 18, Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe was a clever king. He proved to be more competent than his chief minister, who was pulling the strings of power. The chief minister was subsequently executed and his nephew appointed in his place. Kandy was the final royal stronghold, protected by its mountainous terrain and expert guerrilla warfare tactics. Yet, years of dedicated British plotting and scheming won through in the end. After 17 years of reign, the kingdom fell to the Brits and the king was put in prison.
Local legend has it that somewhere here is a secret underground tunnel, a clever idea of the beautiful Samudra Devi, to help her famous general husband escape from prison