Independence Memorial Hall (also known as ''Independence Commemoration Hall'') is a

national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

built for commemoration of the independence of Sri Lanka from the British rule with the restoration of full governing responsibility to a Ceylonese-elected legislature on 4 February 1948. It is located in Independence Square (formerly ''Torrington Square'') in the

Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo Cinnamon Gardens ( ''Kurundu Vaththa'', ) is an affluent neighbourhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka located 3 kilometers south-east of Colombo's centre. Cinnamon Gardens is named for the former cinnamon plantation in this area. In the year 1789, there w ...

. It also houses the Independence Memorial Museum. The monument was built at the location where the formal ceremony marking the start of self-rule, with the opening of the first parliament by

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (Henry William Frederick Albert; 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974) was a member of the British royal family. He was the third son of King George V and Mary of Teck, Queen Mary, and was a younger brother of kings E ...

occurred at a special podium on 4 February 1948. Located at the head of the monument is the statue of the first prime minister of the country Rt. Hon. Don Stephen Senanayake "The Father of the Nation". Most of the annual National Independence Day celebrations have been held here. Apart from a monument it served as the ceremonial assembly hall for the

Senate of Ceylon The Senate was the upper chamber of the Parliament of Ceylon, parliament of Dominion of Ceylon, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1947 by the Soulbury Commission. The Senate was appointed and indirectly elected rather than directly elected. It ...

and the

House of Representatives of Ceylon The House of Representatives was the lower chamber of the parliament of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1947 by the Soulbury Constitution. The House was housed in the old State Council building in Galle Face Green, Colombo and met for the ...

until the parliament was moved to the new parliament complex. Currently it is the venue for religious events and annual national day celebrations.

Design

The building was designed by a group of eight notable architects led by Tom Neville Wynne-Jones CBE, and included F. H. Billimoria, Shirley de Alwis, Oliver Weerasinghe, Homi Billimoria, Justin Samarasekera and M. B. Morina. The design of the building is based on the ''Magul Maduwa'' (Celebration Hall), the Royal audience hall of the

Kingdom of Kandy The Kingdom of Kandy was a monarchy on the Sri Lanka, island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Initially a client kingdom ...

the last native kingdom of the island, where on 5 March 1815 the

Kandyan Convention In the history of Sri Lanka, the Kandyan Convention () was a treaty signed on 2 March 1815 between the British governor of Ceylon, Sir Robert Brownrigg, and the chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom, British Ceylon, whereas, according to the Sinhala ...

was signed between the British and the Kandyian Chieftains ( Radalas) ending the

In popular culture

The Memorial Hall was featured as a pit stop on the 4th season of '' The Amazing Race Asia'', the 1st season of '' The Amazing Race Australia'', and the second season of the Israeli edition of ''The Amazing Race''.

Events

* Independence Celebrations * Oaths ceremony of President

Maithripala Sirisena Maithripala Yapa Sirisena (; ; born 3 September 1951) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the seventh president of Sri Lanka from 9 January 2015 to 18 November 2019. Sirisena is Sri Lanka's first president from the North Central Province, S ...

* Funeral of President

Ranasinghe Premadasa Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa ( ''Raṇasiṃha Premadāsa''; ''Raṇaciṅka Pirēmatācā''; 23 June 1924 – 1 May 1993) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the third President of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 unt ...

* Funeral of

Gamini Dissanayake Dissanayake Mudiyanse Ralahamilage Lionel Gamini Dissanayake, PC (known as Gamini Dissanayake; ,; 20 March 1942 – 24 October 1994) was a prominent Sri Lankan politician, a powerful minister of the United National Party, and Leader of the Op ...

* Funeral of Lakshman Kadirgamar * Funeral of

W. D. Amaradeva Sri Lankabhimanya Wannakuwattawaduge Don Albert Perera (; ; 5 December 1927 – 3 November 2016), better known by his adopted name Amaradeva, was a prominent Sri Lankan Sinhalese vocalist, violinist and composer. Primarily using traditional in ...

* Funeral of

Vijaya Kumaratunga Kovilage Anton Vijaya Kumaranatunga (; ; 9 October 1945 – 16 February 1988), popularly known as Vijaya Kumaratunga'','' was a Sri Lankan film actor, playback singer and politician regarded as one of the most popular icons in Sri Lankan cinem ...

* Funeral of

Lester James Peries Sri Lankabhimanya Lester James Peries (Sinhala language, Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකාභිමාන්‍ය ලෙස්ටර් ජේම්ස් පීරිස්; 5 April 1919 – 29 April 2018) was a Sri Lankan film director, ...

* Funeral of Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thero * Funeral of Malini Fonseka

References

External links

{{Commons category
Independence Hall, Lonely Planet
Legislative buildings in Sri Lanka Buildings and structures in Colombo Monuments and memorials in Sri Lanka Kingdom of Kandy Government buildings in Colombo Parks in Colombo Tourist attractions in Colombo 1953 establishments in Ceylon Buildings and structures completed in 1953

Design

In popular culture

Events

See also

References

External links