Colombo Public Library | |
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![]() Colombo Public Library | |
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Country | Sri Lanka |
Type | Public library |
Established | 10 August 1925 [1] |
Location | 15, Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Colombo 7 |
Coordinates | 6°54′46″N79°51′33″E / 6.912784759371049°N 79.85926055486318°E |
Branches | 13 [2] |
Collection | |
Size | ~ 1 million Books, 57 Newspapers & 111 periodical titles [2] |
Access and use | |
Members | 2 million (2019) |
Other information | |
Budget | ![]() |
Director | Waruni Gagabadaarachchi |
Staff | 52 (2020) |
Parent organization | Colombo Municipal Council |
Website | www |
Colombo Public Library is the largest public library in Sri Lanka, located in Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.
The first public library in the country was the 'United Service Library', which was established in 1813. It was exclusively used by civil and military officers of the Government stationed in Colombo and was housed in a building opposite the Queen's House on Janadhipathi Mawatha (formerly Kings Street). In 1829 the burghers opened the 'Colombo Pettah Library' in Pettah. On 1 October 1924 E. W. Jayawardena moved a resolution at the Colombo Municipal Council to establish the Colombo Library. The Colonial Secretary, Sir Cecil Clementi, called a meeting of subscribers of both libraries and it was agreed to hand over their books to the new library, which was to be run as a department of the Colombo Council.
The Colombo Library was opened on 10 August 1925 in a mansion, 'Sirinivasa', built by Mudaliyar Simon Fernando Sri Chandrasekera (who bequested the building to the government), on Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha (formerly Edinburgh Crescent). [1] At its formation the library had three departments, the Reading Room, the Lending Room and the Reference Library. It had approximately 16,000 books, 94 members, and seven staff, with S. C. Blok as the first principal librarian. [2] In 1980 the library was relocated to a newly constructed building adjoining Viharamahadevi Park (formerly Victoria Park). [3]
Transport in Sri Lanka is based on its road network, which is centred on the country's commercial capital Colombo. A rail network handles a portion of Sri Lanka's transport needs. There are navigable waterways, harbours and three international airports: in Katunayake, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Colombo, in Hambantota, and in Jaffna.
Colombo is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 in the Municipality. It is the financial centre of the island and a tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the Greater Colombo area which includes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the legislative capital of Sri Lanka, and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is itself within the urban/suburban area of Colombo. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life, colonial buildings and monuments.
Battaramulla is a suburb of Colombo, situated 8.4 km (5 mi) from the city centre at Colombo Fort, near the Parliament of Sri Lanka. It is one of the fastest developing administrative, commercial and residential areas in the Colombo District, being home to the country's elite. Battaramulla is an important town in Sri Lanka, because of the Sri Lankan government's decision to locate all the government department head offices in this town.
The Colombo National Museum, also known as the Sri Lanka National Museum, is a museum in Colombo and the largest in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1877 and maintained by the Department of National Museums, it holds collections of significant importance to Sri Lanka, such as the regalia of the Kandyan monarchs, as well as many other exhibits relating the country's cultural and natural heritage.
Colts Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. They have won 6 first class tournaments of Sri Lanka domestic league as in 1991/92, 1999/2000, 2001/02, 2004/05, 2008/09 and 2011/12 and 2 Premier Limited Overs Tournament as in 1998/99 and 2010/11.
Maharagama is an outer suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka on the High-Level (A4) Road about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the centre of the commercial capital. It developed rapidly in the 1980s as a dormitory suburb. Governed by the Maharagama Urban Council, the town possesses facilities like supermarkets, department stores, clothing, food and beverages shops to fulfill the needs of citizens.
The Kingsbury, trading as The Kingsbury PLC, formerly the Ceylon Continental Hotel Colombo and the Ceylon Inter-Continental Hotel, is a nine-story hotel located at 48, Janadhipathi Mawatha in the city centre of Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was built by U. N. Gunasekera, and is owned by Hotel Services (Ceylon) PLC, which is a subsidiary of Hayleys PLC. It was refurbished and reopened in January 2013.
President's House is the official residence and workplace of the President of Sri Lanka, located at Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Since 1804 it had been the residence of British Governors and Governors-General and was known as the "King's House" or the "Queen's House" until Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972.
The former Colombo General Post Office, at 17 Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo Fort, was the headquarters of the Sri Lanka Post and the office of the Postmaster General for over one hundred years, from 1895 until 2000.
Fort (Colombo) (කොටුව; கோட்டை) is the central business district of Colombo in Sri Lanka. It is the financial district of Colombo and the location of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and the World Trade Centre of Colombo from which the CSE operates. It is also the location of the Bank of Ceylon headquarters. Along the foreshore of the Fort area is the Galle Face Green Promenade, built in 1859 under the governance of Sir Henry George Ward, the Governor of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) during British colonial era. Fort is also home to the General Post Office, hotels, government departments and offices.
Rajakeeya Mawatha is a street in Colombo, Sri Lanka, named after Royal College Colombo, whose grounds border it on the southern side. Located in the prominent residential area of Cinnamon Gardens in Colombo 7, it is home to many notable residents and old mansions.
The Nelum Pokuna Theatre is a performing arts centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The theatre opened on 15 December 2011.
Sirinivasa is the official residence of the Mayor of Colombo. It is located on Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The Pettah Floating Markets are located on Bastian Mawatha in Pettah, a neighborhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and consist of 92 trade stalls, with a number of the stalls established on boats on Beira Lake. The floating market serves as a tourist attraction selling local produce and local handicraft.
The National Hospital of Sri Lanka is a government hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1864 as the General Hospital, it is the leading hospital in Sri Lanka and is controlled by the central government. The hospital has 18 intensive care units and 21 operating theaters and 3,404 beds. It employs 7,500 staff of which 1,500 are doctors. The hospital carries out 5,000 major and minor surgeries each month and treats over two million out patients a year. Situated on a 36-acre site, it includes the Dental Institute, Maligawatte Kidney Hospital, Nurse's Training School, Post Basic Nurse's Training School, School of Eco Cardiograph, School of Physiotherapy, School of Radiography and the University of Colombo's Faculty of Medicine.
Good Shepherd Convent, Colombo is a semi-government fee-levying Catholic girls' school and the first Catholic convent in Sri Lanka. Good Shepherd Convent, Kotahena is a leading Catholic girls' school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Located in the neighbourhood of Kotahena, the convent school educates girls from Kindergarten to age 19.
Trams existed in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo from 1899 to 1960.
CameraLK is a Sri Lankan retailing company which focuses on photography, electronic devices, digital cameras, and entertainment. The company was founded in 2010 by Anushka Gunasinghe as a small home business. The brand has distributed well over 35 branches island-wide and is now one of the largest independent retailers of photographic and digital equipment in Sri Lanka.
Arukathu Patabendige Jagath Pushpakumara, commonly known as Jagath Pushpakumara, is a Sri Lankan politician and Member of Parliament.
Panini Tennekoon was a renowned Sri Lankan architect. He spent most of his career as a public servant, working in the Public Works Department, serving as the country's chief architect, before running his own architectural practice, designing low-cost housing and investigating sustainable timber use in construction. He was a fellow of Sri Lankan Institute of Architects and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.
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