The Cenotaph War Memorial at the Public Library near the Vihara Maha Devi Park in Colombo is considered the main World War Memorial in Sri Lanka. It consists of a cenotaph and a memorial wall around it. The original memorial was commissioned by the War Memorial Committee after the conclusion of World War I in 1920.
Two engraved plaques carved in the stone at the Cenotaph state that the Governor, Brigadier General Sir William Henry Manning laid the foundation stone to construct the Cenotaph on 7th December 1921 and declared it open by himself on 27th October 1923.
British architect Sir Edwin L Lutyens was entrusted with planning this 119 feet 6 inch-high monument. The Cenotaph was built using stones weighing 1-4 tons brought from Sholingar close to Madras (Chennai) in India by ships. Skilled Stone Masons were brought from India to assist in the construction. Engraving on the Cenotaph was done by Sinhalese masons from Galle. Braid & Company was the contractor. Mr. P.T. Adams Architect was appointed by the committee to supervise the work of the monument.
Originally this monument which was known as “Victory Tower” was erected on the Galle Face esplanade. However, when World War II broke out, this 120-foot-high Cenotaph was thought to be an ideal marker for Japanese gunners to fire at Colombo Fort or its surroundings from the sea. Therefore the Victory Tower was dismantled and stored away in 1939.
After the conclusion of the Second World War, the monument was re-erected on Vihara Maha Devi Park, which was then known as Victoria Park.
Below the Royal Crown carved on the Cenotaph letters RGI are engraved. Letter G is larger than the other letters. REX GEORGE IMPERATOR (KING GEORGE EMPEROR). During World War I, King George V the grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II was the Emperor of Britain. King George V and the Kings of Britain used RI against their signatures as a mark of distinction. “Daily News” published on 23rd October 1923 also stated that letters RI marked in the Cenotaph are Royal Initials (Perera, 2023).
The Cenotaph contains the names of those killed in the First World War, while the Memorial Wall behind it maintains the names of those killed in the Second World War. A single woman, Miss L. Midwood is listed among the dead of the Great War.
References
- Perera, K.N. (2023) ‘ War Memorials In Sri Lanka – Boer War (1899 -1902), First World War (1914 – 1918) And Second World War (1939 – 1945)’. Colombo: Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Association.
Also See
- Attractions of Sri Lanka
- Heritage of Sri Lanka
- Waterfalls of Sri Lanka
- Nature and Wildlife of Sri Lanka
- Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity
Map of Cenotaph War Memorial in Colombo
The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites
Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.
Travel Directions to Cenotaph War Memorial in Colombo
Driving Directions from Fort to Cenotaph War Memorial in Colombo |
Via: Distance: 4 kilometers Travel Time: 15 minutes Driving Directions: see on Google map |
0-09 m (87) 10-19 m (77) 20-29 m (46) 30-39 m (50) 40-49 m (24) 50-99 m (49) Ambalama (164) Ancient Anicuts (33) Articles (0) Asanaghara (8) Ashtapala Bodhi (5) Attraction Articles (3) Attractions (227) Beaches (9) Biosphere Reserves (3) Botanical Gardens (5) Bridges (34) Cave Art (6) Caving (7) Churches (17) Cities (9) Destinations (16) Dethis Pala Bodhi (16) Devalaya (42) Events (2) Flora and Fauna (76) Forts (50) Heritage (1657) Heritage Articles (30) Historic Events (5) History (7) Hot Springs (9) Hydro Heritage (93) Irrigation Articles (4) Islands (15) Kovils (25) Kuludage (11) Lighthouses (27) Memorials (53) Mile Posts (6) Mosques (3) Museums (8) National Parks (22) over 100 m (20) Pabbatha Vihara (11) Personalities (7) Pillar/Slab Inscriptions (41) Pre Historic Burial Sites (20) Prehistory (38) Prehistory Articles (2) RAMSAR sites (6) Ravana (12) Reservoirs (63) Rock Inscriptions (11) Ruins in Wilpattu (5) Ruins in Yala (25) Santuaries (7) Sluice Gates (14) Stone Bridges (18) Strict Nature Reserves (3) Sumaithangi (3) Survey Towers (15) Tampita Vihara (240) Tourist Attractions (201) Travel (3) View Points (18) Walawwa (13) War Memorials (26) Waterfalls (375) Wildlife Articles (24) Yathuru Pokuna (4)
Abhayagiri Monastery (20) Ampara District (192) Anuradhapura District (217) Badulla District (119) Batticaloa District (22) Colombo District (80) Galle District (64) Gampaha District (62) Hambantota District (122) India (1) Jaffna District (73) Kalutara District (51) Kandy District (205) Kegalle District (158) Kilinochchi District (13) Kingdom of Anuradhapura (85) Kingdom of Kandy (15) Kingdom of Kotte (9) Kingdom of Polonnaruwa (55) King Kavan Tissa (1) King Mahasen (1) King Walagamba (3) Kurunegala District (174) Maha Vihara (16) Mannar District (47) Mannar Island (10) Matale District (87) Matara District (47) Mihintale (22) Monaragala District (102) Mullaitivu District (26) Negombo (5) Nuwara Eliya District (117) Polonnaruwa District (121) Puttalam District (37) Ratnapura District (164) Trincomalee District (52) Vavuniya District (32) waterfalls in Sinharaja (3) z Delft 1 (5) z Jaffna 1 (20) z Jaffna 2 (24) z Jaffna 3 (13)