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It all happened in Colombo – a generation ago – By Upali Salgado The changing face of Colombo, and the lifestyles of her people exposed to Western culture are always fascinating.  Two writers, Herbert Hulugalle, a former Editor of the Ceylon Daily News, and Dr. R.L. Brohier, OBE, have in print recorded many facets of the History of Colombo, which was once a Moor trading centre and later a Portuguese and Dutch cittadel. During British times, it was known as the ‘Garden City’. This story is to rekindle the interest of readers about what life in Colombo once was.  The prominent landmarks that beautify the landscape of Colombo are Slave Island with the picturesque Beira Lake encircling the human settlement, and the Galle Face walk (‘Green’ as it is known today). Moors and Malays have lived in Slave Island for over 800 years, and also ‘Kaffir’ soldiers, brought from Mozambique and the ...

Feb 23, 2024 Posted by In Articles Tagged , , , , , , ,
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History of Colombo Pettah ! -By Sukumar Shan Source : Sri Lankan Planters (SLP) Official FB page  ‘Pitakotuwa’ in Sinhala  an Pura kottai in Tamil means ‘outside the fort’. That is obviously how the Sinhala term for Pettah was coined to distinguish the area outside Fort. Pettah is an Anglo-Indian word from the Tamil ‘pettai’ introduced by the British to the area, which was identified by the Dutch as the ‘oude stad’ or old town. During the Portuguese period, the roads in Pettah had been narrow and crooked. The Dutch had replaced these with straighter and broader thoroughfares. Main Street had been in existence even during the time of the Portuguese who had called it ‘Straight’. It had linked Fort with Pettah as it does today. The Dutch named it ‘King’s Street’. Pettah market was always a popular place where traders did business, even at the time of the Dutch. Here ...

Jan 28, 2024 Posted by In Articles Tagged , ,
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History of Colombo Source:Visitcolombo Overview Colombo isn’t only a city of the future or even the present. Many areas still belong to the past, with streets and building that take many a Sri Lankan down memory lane. If you speak to a Sri Lankan about his life in Colombo, you would most probably get a detailed comparison of the then and now of the city. Most of the building and street names are from the time when Sri Lanka was a colony of the Portuguese, Dutch and British. Slowly, the names of buildings and roads are being replaced by more Sri Lankan names, but the people of Colombo will continue to use the more familiar names of governors, famous people and buildings that are now going to ruin. Sri Lanka has a long history and so does Colombo. Traders from China, Greece and Arab are believed to have visited the city ...

Feb 25, 2022 Posted by In Articles Tagged
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