The Cenotaph Memorial
The Cenotaph War memorial located at the west end of the Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo, was erected during the British colonial period in the early 1920s. Built to honor the military personnel of Ceylon and Britain who lost their lives in the two World Wars, it comprises a towering Cenotaph and Memorial Walls.
Formerly known as the ‘Victory Tower’, this monument was originally established at the Galle Face Green by Brigadier General Sir William Henry Manning, Governor of Ceylon at the time. He laid the foundation stone for erecting the memorial structure in December 1921, and the Tower was unveiled by him in October 1923.
Later, during World War II the Tower was dismantled from the Galle Face Green and re-erected at the Victoria Park (now known as ‘Viharamahadevi Park’) as it was feared that the Japanese could use it as a marker for firing their artillery.
While the names of those killed in World War I (or the Great War) are displayed on the Cenotaph itself, names of those wh...
Formerly known as the ‘Victory Tower’, this monument was originally established at the Galle Face Green by Brigadier General Sir William Henry Manning, Governor of Ceylon at the time. He laid the foundation stone for erecting the memorial structure in December 1921, and the Tower was unveiled by him in October 1923.
Later, during World War II the Tower was dismantled from the Galle Face Green and re-erected at the Victoria Park (now known as ‘Viharamahadevi Park’) as it was feared that the Japanese could use it as a marker for firing their artillery.
While the names of those killed in World War I (or the Great War) are displayed on the Cenotaph itself, names of those wh...
