Prison of the Last King Sri Wickrama Rajashinghe of Sri Lanka

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The last jail cell of the last King of Sri Lanka is absurdly nestled in the shadow of the Ceylinco Building. It’s a few minutes from Dutch Hospital (O Bar) and is a nice way to show a date that you’re somewhat knowledgable about the city.

This whole area was shattered in the 1996 Central Bank bombing, so we doubt that this is the original structure. As it is, the last jail cell is a tiny building which looks like an ornate security post.

Inside there are portraits of the King (Sri Vikrama Rajasinha), his wife (Queen Venkata Rengammal), the first Prime Minister to betray them (Pilimatalawe) and the British Governor General who took over (Robert Brownrigg). There’s also images of the ship that took him away and his final resting place in South India.

Our last king is interesting not because he was an especially good king (he lost both local support and the entire kingdom, all while being pretty tortuous and murderous) but because, well, he’s more of a metaphor.

Firstly, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha was born Kannasamy Nayaka, in India, and he was Tamil speaking (among other things). That’s right, Sri Lanka was ruled by Madurai royalty for generations. It is his flag which forms the main part of the modern-day Sri Lankan flag and, while people point to this as a symbol of Sinhala chauvinism, it’s actually the standard of a Telugu/Tamil origin king.

Secondly, his somewhat absurd monument in the shadow of various skyscrapers and high-rises (the Bank Of Ceylon tower, the World Trade Centers, the InterContinental) shows how history passed this regent by. His kingdom was quickly cut up and devoured by the British and traitors within and that royalty is hardly remembered today.

You can, however, catch a random glimpse of history in the Ceylinco parking lot. If you’re at Dutch Hospital or thereabouts, it’s worth a gander.

About Colombo District

Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, the capital city of Sri Lanka. Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins and a city population of 647,100.The Colombo Metropolitan Region, defined by the districts of Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara, has an estimated population of 5,648,000, and covers an area of 3,694.20 km²

Colombo is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city. It is the most populous city in Sri Lanka, with 642,163 people living within the city limits. The population of Colombo is a mix of numerous ethnic groups, mainly Sinhalese, Moors and Tamils. There are also small communities of people with Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Malay and Indian origins living in the city, as well as numerous European expatriates.

The great majority of Sri Lankan corporations have their head offices in Colombo. Some of the industries include chemicals, textiles, glass, cement, leather goods, furniture, and jewellery. In the city center is located South Asia's second tallest building - The World Trade Centre.

About Western Province

The Western Province is the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center. Western Province is divided into 3 main districts called Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1,386.6 km²) and Kalutara (1,606 km²) districts. As Sri Lanka's economic hub, all the major local and international corporations have their presence in the city and so do all the major designer and high street retailers, so be ready to indulge in some retail therapy in western province.

Having the highest population in the all the provinces, the almost all the premier educational institutions in the island are located in western province. Universities in the province include the University of Colombo, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and University of Moratuwa .Western province has the largest amount of schools in the country, which includes National, Provincial, Private and International schools.

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