Glossy performance venue inspired by a 12th-century lotus pond
- 110, Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 07
- Depends on the event/performance
- +94 11 2 669 024
- Website
Chinese-financed splendour
With a seating capacity of 1,269, the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre is a Chinese-built 3-billion-rupee performance arts centre built to be the best of its kind in South Asia. The imposing structure has what it takes to house even the most ambitious of theatrical productions, and has become the city’s major performing arts venue, including an open-air theatre.
Lotus pond design
The unique design was inspired by the famed 12th-century Nelum Pokuna (lotus pond) in Polonnaruwa shaped as an eight-petalled lotus flower. Reminiscent of the days under King Parakramabahu the Great, when art in Sri Lanka was thriving.