The Folk Museum Complex
was a lifelong dream for Sri Lankan writer Martin Wickramasinghe, and even
though the novelist did not live to see it fulfilled, it is today a reality
that will perpetuate his legacy for future generations. The Museum itself is
divided into five main sections, namely the house where he was born, the Hall
of Life, the Samadhi, the Museum of Folk Culture and the restored environment.
The house has been
renovated in such a way that it preserves much of the original architecture,
some of which is believed to be about a couple of hundred years old. The
original furniture and many of Wickramasinghe personal belongings are still in
place recreating life as it was when the author was amongst the living. The
Hall of Life is an extension of the house which celebrates the life and times
of Martin Wickramasinghe through the display of photographs, paintings,
sketches, souvenirs, awards and assorted memorabilia. Samadhi is where his his
ashes are interred.
The fact that his mortal
remains are below this ground is a metaphor that symbolizes his great love of
Sri Lankan traditional and cultural roots.
The fact that his mortal
remains are below this ground is a metaphor that symbolizes his great love of
Sri Lankan traditional and cultural roots. The Folk Museum houses more than a
thousand pieces related to Sri Lankan rural life, to which Wickramasinghe was
so fondly attached. Such items include Buddhist religious artifacts, folk
religious practices, the evolution of the Sinhala alphabet, writing utensils,
village agricultural, fishing, pottery, and metallurgical technologies, folk dance
and puppetry, a collection of masks, musical instruments and drums, folk games,
and more. Finally, the restored environment, the seven acres that surround the
writer's birthplace. They have been made into a rural refuge perfect for
meditation and relaxation under the trees' shadow. The Museum is administered
by The Martin Wickramasinghe Trust, and opens daily from 9 to 5.
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