• Latest
  • Trending
The Bright and the dark side of Independence Square

The Bright and the dark side of Independence Square

January 12, 2021
Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

January 23, 2021
Relevance of the English language in Sri Lanka

Relevance of the English language in Sri Lanka

January 23, 2021
Treading a fine line in big power rivalries

Treading a fine line in big power rivalries

January 23, 2021
Sri Lanka approves emergency use of Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine. Image credits - Newswire

Sri Lanka approves emergency use of Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine

January 22, 2021
“De-Fi”, Finance redefined

“De-Fi”, Finance redefined

January 22, 2021
Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

January 22, 2021
Kamala Harris’ village in Tamil Nadu celebrates  inauguration

Kamala Harris’ village in Tamil Nadu celebrates inauguration

January 22, 2021
FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Google says it will shut search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

January 22, 2021
A medical staff member receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the CHIREC Delta Hospital in Brussels, Belgium January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman

European Union to tighten travel curbs for virus hot spots as COVID-19 third wave fears mount

January 22, 2021
FILE PHOTO: People gather in the viewpoint in Leblon Beach, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 31, 2020. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo

Brazil recorded a record number of divorces during the second half of 2020

January 22, 2021
India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

India to donate COVID-19 vaccines for Sri Lanka front line workers

January 22, 2021
Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

January 21, 2021
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Saturday, January 23, 2021
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Relevance of the English language in Sri Lanka

    Relevance of the English language in Sri Lanka

    Treading a fine line in big power rivalries

    Treading a fine line in big power rivalries

    Sri Lanka approves emergency use of Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine. Image credits - Newswire

    Sri Lanka approves emergency use of Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine

    Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

    Kamala Harris’ village in Tamil Nadu celebrates  inauguration

    Kamala Harris’ village in Tamil Nadu celebrates inauguration

    India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

    India to donate COVID-19 vaccines for Sri Lanka front line workers

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    A smoke rises from fire at Serum Institute of India in Pune, India January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

    Fire at India’s Serum Institute kills 5, AstraZeneca vaccine output unaffected

    A healthcare worker reacts as she receives a dose of AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination campaign at a medical centre in Mumbai, India, January 19, 2021. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

    South Africa to pay $5.25 a dose for AstraZeneca vaccine from India’s SII

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
    Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

    Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

    Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

    FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    Google says it will shut search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

    A medical staff member receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the CHIREC Delta Hospital in Brussels, Belgium January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman

    European Union to tighten travel curbs for virus hot spots as COVID-19 third wave fears mount

    FILE PHOTO: People gather in the viewpoint in Leblon Beach, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 31, 2020. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo

    Brazil recorded a record number of divorces during the second half of 2020

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    BAGHDAD, IRAQ - JANUARY 21: Security forces stand guard at the explosion site after a suicide bombing attack in Baghdad, Iraq on January 21, 2021. (Photo by Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

    Rare twin suicide attack kills at least 28 in Baghdad

    Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer on Epiphany, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the Vatican, January 6, 2021. Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

    Pope, due to visit Iraq in March, condemns Baghdad attack

    Full text  of  President Joe Biden’s inaugural address

    Full text of President Joe Biden’s inaugural address

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    © Bang Showbiz Priyanka Chopra Jonas

    Priyanka Chopra Jonas hints at shock role in The Matrix 4

    © Bang Showbiz Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas

    Priyanka Chopra wants Hollywood to embrace Asian stories

    Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) enjoy their own show on Disney Plus. Image credits - Marvel Studios

    WandaVision first reactions are in: A ‘tantalizing experiment’ for Marvel

    Photo Feature: Galle Face promenade comes to life at dusk

    Photo Feature: Galle Face promenade comes to life at dusk

    ‘The ability to sell an unfashionably uncynical heroine in an age of moral torpor’: Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Photograph: Clay Enos/AP

    Wonder Woman 1984 review – the superheroine 2020 needs

    Image: InnerSloth

    Nearly half a billion users played Among Us in November

    Image: CD Projekt Red

    Cyberpunk 2077 has sold more than 13 million copies, despite launch disaster and refunds

    © Sujit Jaiswal Bollywood actress Shriya Saran (C) and dancers perform for a music video in Mumbai in February. Pandemic restrictions have forbidden producers from shooting the elaborate musical sequences that are a hallmark of Hindi movies

    After a catastrophic year, Bollywood hopes for a 2021 comeback

    PHIs urge immediate border restriction for all 9 provinces in Sri Lanka

    PHIs urge immediate border restriction for all 9 provinces in Sri Lanka

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

    FILE PHOTO: People gather in the viewpoint in Leblon Beach, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 31, 2020. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo

    Brazil recorded a record number of divorces during the second half of 2020

    Sri Lanka airports officially open for tourists. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Airports in Sri Lanka officially open for tourists

    FILE PHOTO: An IndiGo Airlines Airbus A320 aircraft takes off in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo

    IndiGo tightens grip in India and targets growth abroad

    India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

    India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

    FILE PHOTO: NASA's Space Launch System mobile launcher stands atop Launch Pad 39B for months of testing before it will launch the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft on mission Artemis 1 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Thom Baur/File Photo

    NASA’s Boeing moon rocket cuts short ‘once-in-a-generation’ ground test

    India begins first phase of vaccination to cover 30 million people

    India begins first phase of vaccination to cover 30 million people

    Without Right Messaging, Masks Could Lead To More COVID-19 Spread. Image credits - Eurasia Review

    Without Right Messaging, Masks Could Lead To More COVID-19 Spread

    A chef prepares a sandwich with a marijuana leaf at Abhaibhubejhr hospital canteen which adds cannabis infused dishes to its menu after cannabis leaves, stems, stalks and roots were officially removed from Thailand's narcotics list, allowing basically any part of the plant except for the buds to be used for consumption in Prachin Buri province, outside Bangkok, Thailand January 15, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

    Thailand serves up cannabis cuisine to happy customers

    What’s in a name?

    What’s in a name?

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    “De-Fi”, Finance redefined

    “De-Fi”, Finance redefined

    FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    Google says it will shut search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

    Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor are seen in an undated handout still from the Netflix series "Bridgerton". Netflix/Handout via REUTERS

    Netflix forecasts an end to borrowing binge, shares surge

    Turkish messaging app booms in Bangladesh

    Turkish messaging app booms in Bangladesh

    James Howells mined bitcoin for four years. BBC News

    Man who threw hard drive with 7,500 bitcoin offers $70 million to dig it from the city dump

    FILE PHOTO: The Whatsapp logo and binary cyber codes are seen in this illustration taken November 26, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    WhatsApp to delay launch of update business features after privacy backlash

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Relevance of the English language in Sri Lanka

    Relevance of the English language in Sri Lanka

    Treading a fine line in big power rivalries

    Treading a fine line in big power rivalries

    Sri Lanka approves emergency use of Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine. Image credits - Newswire

    Sri Lanka approves emergency use of Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine

    Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

    Kamala Harris’ village in Tamil Nadu celebrates  inauguration

    Kamala Harris’ village in Tamil Nadu celebrates inauguration

    India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

    India to donate COVID-19 vaccines for Sri Lanka front line workers

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    A smoke rises from fire at Serum Institute of India in Pune, India January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

    Fire at India’s Serum Institute kills 5, AstraZeneca vaccine output unaffected

    A healthcare worker reacts as she receives a dose of AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination campaign at a medical centre in Mumbai, India, January 19, 2021. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

    South Africa to pay $5.25 a dose for AstraZeneca vaccine from India’s SII

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
    Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

    Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

    Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

    FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    Google says it will shut search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

    A medical staff member receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the CHIREC Delta Hospital in Brussels, Belgium January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman

    European Union to tighten travel curbs for virus hot spots as COVID-19 third wave fears mount

    FILE PHOTO: People gather in the viewpoint in Leblon Beach, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 31, 2020. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo

    Brazil recorded a record number of divorces during the second half of 2020

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    BAGHDAD, IRAQ - JANUARY 21: Security forces stand guard at the explosion site after a suicide bombing attack in Baghdad, Iraq on January 21, 2021. (Photo by Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

    Rare twin suicide attack kills at least 28 in Baghdad

    Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer on Epiphany, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the Vatican, January 6, 2021. Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

    Pope, due to visit Iraq in March, condemns Baghdad attack

    Full text  of  President Joe Biden’s inaugural address

    Full text of President Joe Biden’s inaugural address

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    © Bang Showbiz Priyanka Chopra Jonas

    Priyanka Chopra Jonas hints at shock role in The Matrix 4

    © Bang Showbiz Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas

    Priyanka Chopra wants Hollywood to embrace Asian stories

    Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) enjoy their own show on Disney Plus. Image credits - Marvel Studios

    WandaVision first reactions are in: A ‘tantalizing experiment’ for Marvel

    Photo Feature: Galle Face promenade comes to life at dusk

    Photo Feature: Galle Face promenade comes to life at dusk

    ‘The ability to sell an unfashionably uncynical heroine in an age of moral torpor’: Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Photograph: Clay Enos/AP

    Wonder Woman 1984 review – the superheroine 2020 needs

    Image: InnerSloth

    Nearly half a billion users played Among Us in November

    Image: CD Projekt Red

    Cyberpunk 2077 has sold more than 13 million copies, despite launch disaster and refunds

    © Sujit Jaiswal Bollywood actress Shriya Saran (C) and dancers perform for a music video in Mumbai in February. Pandemic restrictions have forbidden producers from shooting the elaborate musical sequences that are a hallmark of Hindi movies

    After a catastrophic year, Bollywood hopes for a 2021 comeback

    PHIs urge immediate border restriction for all 9 provinces in Sri Lanka

    PHIs urge immediate border restriction for all 9 provinces in Sri Lanka

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

    FILE PHOTO: People gather in the viewpoint in Leblon Beach, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 31, 2020. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo

    Brazil recorded a record number of divorces during the second half of 2020

    Sri Lanka airports officially open for tourists. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Airports in Sri Lanka officially open for tourists

    FILE PHOTO: An IndiGo Airlines Airbus A320 aircraft takes off in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo

    IndiGo tightens grip in India and targets growth abroad

    India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

    India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

    FILE PHOTO: NASA's Space Launch System mobile launcher stands atop Launch Pad 39B for months of testing before it will launch the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft on mission Artemis 1 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Thom Baur/File Photo

    NASA’s Boeing moon rocket cuts short ‘once-in-a-generation’ ground test

    India begins first phase of vaccination to cover 30 million people

    India begins first phase of vaccination to cover 30 million people

    Without Right Messaging, Masks Could Lead To More COVID-19 Spread. Image credits - Eurasia Review

    Without Right Messaging, Masks Could Lead To More COVID-19 Spread

    A chef prepares a sandwich with a marijuana leaf at Abhaibhubejhr hospital canteen which adds cannabis infused dishes to its menu after cannabis leaves, stems, stalks and roots were officially removed from Thailand's narcotics list, allowing basically any part of the plant except for the buds to be used for consumption in Prachin Buri province, outside Bangkok, Thailand January 15, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

    Thailand serves up cannabis cuisine to happy customers

    What’s in a name?

    What’s in a name?

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    “De-Fi”, Finance redefined

    “De-Fi”, Finance redefined

    FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    Google says it will shut search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

    Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor are seen in an undated handout still from the Netflix series "Bridgerton". Netflix/Handout via REUTERS

    Netflix forecasts an end to borrowing binge, shares surge

    Turkish messaging app booms in Bangladesh

    Turkish messaging app booms in Bangladesh

    James Howells mined bitcoin for four years. BBC News

    Man who threw hard drive with 7,500 bitcoin offers $70 million to dig it from the city dump

    FILE PHOTO: The Whatsapp logo and binary cyber codes are seen in this illustration taken November 26, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    WhatsApp to delay launch of update business features after privacy backlash

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
No Result
View All Result
Home Lifestyle Health

The Bright and the dark side of Independence Square

Editor by Editor
January 12, 2021
in Health, History, Lifestyle, Offbeat, Recommend, Sri Lanka
Reading Time: 5min read
10 0
The Bright and the dark side of Independence Square
Share on WhatsApp

Colombo, January 12: The Independence Square in Colombo is one of the most attractive recreational centers in Sri Lanka’s capital. Early morning and evening, the young and the elderly jog or walk on tree-lined tracks overlooking manicured lawns. While health freaks are busy making good use of the exercise equipment provided free by the government, trained instructors teach kids the martial arts.

During much of the day, however, the scene is very different. It becomes a quiet retreat for couples. And as the day progresses, bus-loads of foreign tourists pour into the square to look at the ornate Sinhalese-style pavilion built to mark the place where Sri Lanka (or Ceylon as it was then called) was formally declared independent from Britain on February 4, 1948. A majestic statue of Don Stephen Senanayake, the “Father of the Nation” who led the peaceful and constitutional independence movement, fittingly dominates the landscape.

Photo: Tang Lu

Formerly known as Torrington Square, Independence Square, has more to it than being a monument to the nation’s independence. The square is historical place, having witnessed glorious as well as somber and dark events.

The most outstanding event was of course, the declaration of   independence and the inauguration of the first session of the Ceylonese parliament by Prince Henry, the Duke of Gloucester, on February 4, 1948. The next year, the government decided to build a fitting monument to independence and its “father” in the form of a pavilion reflecting the history and culture of Sri Lanka. The pavilion in stone was designed by a group of eight notable architects led by the British architect Tom Neville Wynne-Jones CBE. The team included Sri Lankans F.H. Billimoria, Shirley de Alwis, Oliver Weerasinghe, Homi Billimoria, Justin Samarasekera and M. B. Morina. The design was  based on the Magul Maduwa (Celebration Hall), the Royal audience hall of the Kingdom of Kandy.But there is a somber side to this. It was at the Magul Maduwa in Kandy that the Kandyan Convention was signed on March 2, 1815. By that convention, the Kandyan Chiefs, who had rebelled against the then King Sri Wickremarajasinghe, handed over the island to the British on a platter as it were.

Construction of the modern Magul Maduwa started on February 4, 1949 the country’ second independence day, and was completed in 1953. The pavilion was built to seat 224 persons. 25,000 persons could sit in in the open area outside the hall. And the grounds further apart  could accommodate 100,000.

Photo:. Tang Lu

Currently, the pavilion and the surrounding space are used for national and religious events. It is also the preferred place to cremate national leaders and iconic Sri Lankan figures. Maithripala Sirisena took his oaths as President of Sri Lanka in the pavilion in 2015 to usher in a “Yahapalanaya” or Good Governance regime. The funerals of President Ranasinghe Premadasa, political leader Gamini Dissanayake,  former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar; Indian Origin Tamil leader S.Thondaman, composer and singer W. D. Amaradeva; political leader and singing star Vijaya Kumaratunga; film maker Lester James Peries; and Buddhist leader Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thero were held in the grounds of the Independence Square.

The area around the square is also steeped history. The present  Independence Square Arcade, a swank commercial and entertainment hub since 2014, was a mental asylum. In 1875, Governor Sir William Gregory decided to build the asylum on the advice of the then Principal Civil Medical Officer, Dr. W R Kynsey. Dr.Kynsey was concerned about the high incidence of mental illness among the people of Ceylon which he attributed to the stresses brought about by the repeated invasions and colonization Ceylon had to face.

Construction started in 1879 when Sir James Longdon was Governor. The building was completed in 1889 at a cost of Rs. 450,000 which was a very large sum those days. The Colonial Office in London saw the enterprise as extravagant and wasteful. But Longdon defended the construction saying: “The asylum is a series of one-story buildings of the plainest type. The walls are brick plastered. Because of the climate plastering is found requisite for the preservation of buildings. There is no expensive ornamentation, or indeed any ornament at all, unless a short ungraceful and inexpensive tower over the entrance designed for the clock can be called an ornament. The enclosing walls are of ordinary kabook, such as is universally used for garden walls in Colombo.”

Photo: Tang Lu/ Xinhua

And the asylum was undoubtedly serving a purpose. It had more than 500 inmates at any given point of time. The present Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) was part of it as the layout of the SLBC’s corridors suggests. The hospital’s mortuary was located where the SLBC studios. The mortuary is now locked, but even so those in the late evening or night shift swear they hear strange noises from the room.  

The mortality rate at the asylum was high, above 50 each year. Almost all deaths were due to TB and some were due to malaria. The bush land  around the asylum, known as Kumbi Kele or ant forest, was used as cemetery to bury unclaimed bodies.

 In 1917 a new larger asylum was constructed at Angoda, and all patients were transferred to it by 1926. After a period of non-use, Radio Ceylon moved into a part of the former asylum. During World War II, the Radio Ceylon building was taken over by the Royal Air Force forcing the broadcaster to move to a bungalow in Borella. In subsequent years, the Independence Arcade was used by various departments. Among them were the Public Administration Department, the Auditor General’s Department and the Government Analyst’s Department. But only a part of the original structure was used, the rest was allowed to decay.

Photo: Tang Lu/Xinhua

But In 2012, the Urban Development Authority under Defense and Urban Development Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, decided to renovate and put the buildings to commercial use. The idea was to create “one space” where entertainment, shopping, leisure and dining are offered to please the entire family.

The portfolio of brands that are present at the Arcade has become a crowd puller. The combo of restaurants, theatres and the entertainment opportunities laid out have created a wonderful hang-out for the people. The entire project cost Rs. 550 million. Arcade Independence Square was opened to the public on July 13, 2014 by the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Photos by Tang Lu/Xinhua/Text by newsin.asia

Tags: ColomboHealthHistoryIndependence SquareMonument
SendShare8Tweet3Share1Share
Editor

Editor

Recommended Articles

  • All
  • Recommend
Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

January 23, 2021
Full text  of  President Joe Biden’s inaugural address

Full text of President Joe Biden’s inaugural address

January 21, 2021
Geo-political dimensions of Pakistan PM’s visit to Sri Lanka

Geo-political dimensions of Pakistan PM’s visit to Sri Lanka

January 20, 2021
India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

January 19, 2021
Adani and Ambani caught in the Indian farmers’ storm

Adani and Ambani caught in the Indian farmers’ storm

January 19, 2021
Clashing demands from Sri Lanka pose a serious challenge to UNHRC

Clashing demands from Sri Lanka pose a serious challenge to UNHRC

January 19, 2021

Advertorial

  • All
  • Advertorial
Visual and Textual Analysis for Images with Reverse Search Tools

Visual and Textual Analysis for Images with Reverse Search Tools

January 3, 2021

Popular Now

  • Kamala and Rohini:  The Indo-Lankan combo in the US Vice President’s Office

    Kamala and Rohini: The Indo-Lankan combo in the US Vice President’s Office

    136 shares
    Share 88 Tweet 20
  • Covid-19: PHIs in Sri Lanka warn of critical time in coming weeks

    21 shares
    Share 9 Tweet 5
  • Indonesia’s Islamic body deems Sinovac vaccine ‘holy and halal’

    19 shares
    Share 8 Tweet 5
  • HSBC to close 82 branches this year

    13 shares
    Share 6 Tweet 3
  • COVID-19: Ice cream tests positive for coronavirus in China

    15 shares
    Share 9 Tweet 3
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2020 NewsIn.Asia - Lovingly maintained by DigitalArc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
  • Around The World
  • Breaking News
  • Business
    • Exchange
  • Climate Change
  • Governance
    • Crime
    • Diplomacy
    • Defense
    • Human Rights
    • Politics
    • Strategic Affairs
  • Lifestyle
    • Books
    • Entertainment
      • Arts
      • Cinema
      • Gaming
      • Music
      • Movie
      • Series
      • TV
    • Health
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
  • Culture
    • Ethnicity
    • Gender
  • Development news
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Coronavirus
  • History
  • National
  • Offbeat
    • Media
    • Music and arts across South Asia
  • Recommended
    • Headlines
    • Highlights
    • Top Picture
    • Top Story
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Cricket
      • LPL
      • IPL
    • Tennis
    • Formula 1
    • NBA
  • Tech
    • Instagram
  • United Nations
  • Weather
  • World
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States

© 2020 NewsIn.Asia - Lovingly maintained by DigitalArc.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In