Stone pillars
Richly carved.
Charaka Ranasinghe — CC BY 2.0 · Nigel Swales from Birmingham, UK — CC BY-SA 2.0 · No machine-readable author provided. Jolle~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Azeez Abubakr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ljuba brank — CC BY-SA 3.0 · FaysaLBinDaruL — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ljuba brank — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ljuba brank — CC BY-SA 3.0
A national monument in Independence Square in Colombo's Cinnamon Gardens, built to commemorate Sri Lanka's independence from British rule on 4 February 1948, on the very spot where the country's first parliament was formally opened that day. It was designed by a group of eight architects led by Tom Neville Wynne-Jones, modelled on the Magul Maduwa, the royal audience hall of the Kingdom of Kandy, the island's last native kingdom. The result is an open hall of carved stone pillars under a sloping tiled roof, its steps guarded by rows of stone lions. It served as the ceremonial hall of both houses of parliament until they moved to the new complex, still hosts the national day celebrations each year, and houses the Independence Memorial Museum. Walking around the square and the hall is free. Wide lawns and paths surround it, busy with walkers and joggers morning and evening, and the carved pillars look best in the soft light of early morning or late afternoon.
Richly carved.
On the steps.
For a stroll.
Independence Square, Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo 7
On the Magul Maduwa, the royal audience hall of the Kingdom of Kandy, with carved stone pillars and a tiled roof.
