At Sir marcus Fernando Mawatha (also Known as Albert Crescent) next to the Viharamahadevi Park, the National Museum was Sri lanka's first and was founded in 1877. Its collection spans several centuries and a range of cultures, from the Sinhala kingdoms through to the British era. Highlights include the royal trappings of the last Kings of kandy. There is also some superb stone sculpture,as well as Hindu bronzes and wooden carvings, Srilankan and European furniture and cermics, and (to Western eyes) a fine array of grotesque masks representing Buddhist demons and deities. The museum's huge Library of more than 500,000 books is primarily of interest to scholars, but some of its collection of 4000 palm leaf manuscripts -created by etchings the lettering into the fibrous surfac of the leaf-are on display. A small Gallery of mid- 19th-century paintings and etchings shows Sri Lanka through the eyes of British artists.

Within the National Museum, on the first floor, is tghe Puppetry and Children's Museum. Puppetry is a living part of Srilanka's Cultural heritage, and the museum displays traditional Sri Lankan's figures and marionettes from all over the world, with regular weekend performances.It is open Saturday - Thursday, 09.00 - 17.00.