Colombo Introduction Walking Tour II (Self Guided), Colombo

The Galle Face is a promenade which stretches for half kilometre along the coast in the heart of financial and business district of Colombo. The promenade was initially laid out in 1859 by the British Governor of Ceylon, Sir Henry Ward, and was also used for horse racing and as a golf course. It was known as the Colpitty Race Course.

The Galle Face Green is currently a 5 hectare ribbon strip of land between Galle Road and Indian Ocean which is now the largest open space in Colombo. This is a popular destination for children, vendors, teenagers, lovers, kite flyers, merrymakers and all those who want to indulge in their favorite pastimes next to the sea under the open sky. On Saturday and Sunday evenings, the land is busy with day trippers, picnickers and food vendors.

The Old Parliament is one of the most impressive buildings in the city, located just a few meters from the Indian Ocean. Visitors will be amazed by its resemblance to the Greek Temple of Goddess Athena, both of them designed in the Ionic style. Its history began with Sir Henry McCallum, who proposed to build a single building for the Legislative Council. The idea was accepted by the Government and on January 29, 1930, the Parliament was opened. Now it hosts the Presidential Secretariat and the Finance Ministry.

In the period of Portuguese occupation, the site where now stands Saint Peter's Church, was occupied by a Dominican monastery and a charity hall. The Dutch converted the structure into a government house where councils meetings took place. In 1804, the British Governor, Frederick North, decided to turn the house into Garrison Church, which was visited and blessed, in 1816, by the Bishop of the Anglo Indian church. Even if its exterior does not look like a church, the interior is decorated with a beautiful altar, tablets on the walls and a wide aisle.

The Khan Clock Tower was built in Colombo, Sri Lanka by the Khan Family of Bombay. The Clock Tower is a popular landmark and marks the entrance to Pettah Market. It was built in the early 20th century by the family of Framjee Bhikhajee Khan. This Parsi family hailed from Bombay, India and also owned the famous Colombo Oil Mills as well as other business interests in Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was then called.

The clock tower also provided a working water fountain, but this no longer functions. The plate on the clock tower carries the inscription: "This clock tower and fountain was erected to the memory of the late Framjee Bhikhajee Khan by his sons Bhikhajee and Munchershaw Framjee Khan as a token of affectionate gratitude and dedicated through the Municipal Council to the citizens of Colombo on the fourth day of January 1923, the 45th anniversary of his death." The Tower is roughly four storeys high and is situated on a landscaped roundabout that marks the entrance to the famous market.

Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque is one of the most impressive buildings of its kind, decorated in red and white brick. The mosque was built in 1909, designed by architect H.L. Saibo Lebbe, and for many years was considered a landmark of the city by sailors who were approaching the shores of Colombo. Still, Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque is one of the most visited spots in the city.

The Colombo Dutch Museum is a museum that covers the history of the Dutch colonial rule in Sri Lanka. The old Dutch House on Prince Street, Pettah which houses this museum was built in the latter part of the 17th century and was initially the residence of Count August Carl Van Ranzow along with five other houses of the elite. Today, the sides of the street are choc-a-block with boutiques and stores of Moor traders. The restoration of this building commenced in 1977 and was completed in 1981. This museum was opened to the public in 1982. This building embodies the unique architectural features of a colonial Dutch town house. The museum while displaying the Dutch legacy with the artefacts viz. furniture, ceramics, coins, arms etc. portrays facets of contemporary life and culture.

Grand Mosque is one of the most important edifices in the religious life of the country's Muslim community, which was eager to approve the majority of decisions made by the mosque's committee. The first mention of the Mosque dates back to 1505, when the Portuguese anchored on Colombo's shore. It is believed that the beginning of Grand Mosque's history can be linked to Arab traders, who were carrying trade objects between Europe and the Orient, between the first and sixteenth centuries.

Wolfendhal Church, whose name comes from a place called Wolvendaal, was built in the eighteenth century, and is the oldest Protestant church in the country and a vestige of Dutch architecture, representing a symbol of unity between Dutch and Sri Lankan cultures. It was established in 1749 as a replacement for the old Roman-Catholic church, on a hill that offers amazing views of the city. The church is designed in a Doric style, with its base constructed in the form of a cross and the roof resembling a dome.

The New Kathiresan Kovils is a Hindu temple, situated in the Pettah district and dedicated to the God of war and victory, Scanda or Murugan. Every year the Kathiresan Temple is the starting point for one of the most important festivals for Hindu worshippers; it takes place in July - August and is called Hindu Vel festival.