Colombo Is Sri Lanka’s ocean city Welcome to Colombo A1though it’s unlikely it will reclaim its 19th-century moniker ‘the garden city of the East’, Colombo has nevertheless emerged as a must-see stop in Sri Lanka. No longer just the sprawling city you have to endure on your way to the beaches, it has become a worthy destination in its own right and makes an excellent start – or finish – to your Sri Lanka adventures.

This long open space traditionally faced a narrow beach and the sea. It was originally cleared by the Dutch to give the cannons of Fort a clear line of fire.Today its broad expanses and promenade are a popular rendezvous spot; on most days it’s dotted with kite flyers, bubble blowers, families and canoodling couples, and (especially Sunday evening) food vendors at the southern end along the surf offer up all manner of deep-fried and briny snacks.

The Old Parliament Building, is the building that houses the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka. Situated in the Colombo fort area facing the sea, it is in close proximity to the President’s House, Colombo and adjacent to the General Treasury Building. The building housed the island’s legislature for 53 years until the new parliamentary complex was opened at Sri Jayawardenepura in 1983.

A large 9th-century stone Buddha greets you with an enigmatic smile as you enter Sri Lanka’s premier culture institution, which gets better (in small increments) each year. In galleries dating back as far as 1877, you’ll encounter all manner of art, carvings and statuary from Si Lanka’s ancient past, as well as swords, guns and other paraphernalia from the colonial period. There are 19th-century reproductions of English paintings of Sri Lanka and a collection of antique demon masks.

Colombo’s biggest park was originally called Victoria Park, but was renamed in the 1950s after the mother of king Dutugemunu. It’s notable for its superb flowering trees, which bloom in March, April and early May. Elephants used for ceremonies sometimes spend the night in the park, chomping on palm branches. It has been given a major sprucing up and now boasts comfy benches (often occupied with caressing couples), walkways, landscaping and playgrounds. You’ll even still see the odd snake charmer.

One of Colombo’s most photographed sights is on an island on the east side of the south Beira Lake. This small but captivating meditation centre was designed by Geoffrey Bawa in 1985 and is run by Gangaramaya Temple. The pavilions – one filled with Thai bronze Buddhas, another centred on a bodhi tree and four Brahmanist images – are especially striking when illuminated at night. New additions appear less sympathetic to the poetic original.

Run by one of Sri Lanka’s more politically adept monks, Galboda Gnanissara Thera, this bustling temple complex has a library, a museum and an extraordinarily eclectic array of bejewelled and gilded gifts presented by devotees and well-wishers over the years (plus one lonely and chained temple elephant named Ganga). Gangaramaya is the focus of the Navam Perahera on the February poya (full moon) day each year. This is the centre for the most extravagant Vesak celebrations in Colombo.

Centrepiece of the vibrant Fort, this colonial-era complex dates back to the early 1600s. Lavishly restored, it is home to shop, cafes and restaurants run by some of Colombo’s best operators. Enjoy a pause for a cold drink amid the incredibly thick columns of its arcades. There’s an annex in a 19th-century British building on the backside that faces Chatham St.

In the heart of Pettah, the decorative 1909 Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque is a show-stopper with its candy-striped red-and-white brickwork. Guards will usually let you in for a look, except during peak prayer times on Friday (women may be denied entrance at other times as well). Afterwards have a coffee at one of the Halal cafes across the way.

One of the city’s most interesting shrines is St Anthony’s Church. Outside it looks like a typical Portuguese Catholic Church, but inside the atmosphere is distinctly subcontinental. There are heaving queues of devotees offering puja (offerings or prayers) to a dozen ornate statues; a likeness of St Anthony said to be endowed with miraculous qualities is the centre of devotions from people of many faiths.

Casting a Shadow over Slave island, the 350m Lotus Tower is set open by sometime in 2018. With a bulbous top meant to resemble the namesake blossom, this soaring erection (24m taller than the Eiffel Tower) will have telecommunications equipment and an array of tourist attractions, including an observation deck at the top and a restaurant at the base. Like most other recent mega-projects in Sri Lanka, it is being financed by China.

Really a large memorial building to Sri Lanka's 1948 independence from Britain, this huge stone edifice is loosely based on Kandy's Audience Hall. It's now at the centre of buzz due to the glitzy new Arcade Independence Square shopping mall just south.

The huge dredges you see working offshore of Fort and Galle Face Green are building the initial stages of this enormous 269-hectare addition to the city. At an untold cost of billions to the Chinese investors, this glossy new neighbourhood is envisaged to be a home of commercial high rises, glossy condos, canals, recreation areas and much more. It's already blocking views of the Indian Ocean and could well make Fort a landlocked precinct.

Sri Lanka Handicraft Board, popularly known as "LAKSALA" has been promoting the sale of local handicrafts through their showrooms spread island—wide and providing the essential market linkage to traditional craftsmen to market their products since the inception in 1964. Laksala is a "State owned Gift & Souvenir Boutique"