“As you proceed from the lobby, you will come to the second chamber where a huge world map is hung on the wall, giving the 17th century sea routes to Ceylon and East Indies. A model of a Dutch sailing ship is also kept, along with a picture of a Dutch fleet leaving Ceylon to the home country, done by an unknown painter.”____________________________
by Pankaja Gunasekera
(April 30, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Prince Street in Pettah, is not a likely place to find a quiet old house with a spacious courtyard. Yet surprisingly, in this less than one square mile area, where several thousands flock everyday and the country’s highest number of business transactions takes place, lies a three hundred year old Dutch house spread over a half an acre, presently known as The Dutch Period Museum.
Housed in this ancient two storied mansion at no 95, Prince Street, the Dutch Period Museum that stands amidst a row of buildings constructed a few centuries later, does attract the attention of hundreds of people who pass it every day, but who are too busy in their business matters. Occasionally, a curious passer by steps in to see what lies inside.
A local visitor is charged six rupees for a ticket.
As you step in the huge setup fabricated inside the lobby, showing a Dutch envoy awaiting the king’s audience, will give you the impression that you have entered the royal palace of the Kandyan king, where the Dutch first made their presence in the 17th century.
The Dutch period in Sri Lanka starts from 1656, when the Portuguese surrendered to Admiral Hulft’s forces of Dutch East India Company in Colombo, and ends in 1795, when the British forces of The English East India Company took over.
The descriptions hung on the walls starts by explaining that, the Dutch rule in the country, was not a government by a Dutch nation, but by a trading company called Dutch East India Company (Known as Verenigde Ostindische Compagnie - VOC), purely with economic objectives, which was to maintain their trade monopoly in the East. Pictures of Admiral Spilbergen, the first Dutch envoy to the Kandyan court of king Wimaladharmasurya 1, and Admiral Hulft, who was instrumental in capturing Colombo fort from the Portuguese, are prominently displayed.
As you proceed from the lobby, you will come to the second chamber where a huge world map is hung on the wall, giving the 17th century sea routes to Ceylon and East Indies. A model of a Dutch sailing ship is also kept, along with a picture of a Dutch fleet leaving Ceylon to the home country, done by an unknown painter.
Then comes the gallery, comprising details of the 17th century Kandyan kingdom. A main attraction is the diagram showing the organisation of the Sinhala army. One can observe that in the 17th century, the king’s army consisted not only the traditional warfare such as elephants, archers and cavalry, but musketeers and heavy artillery as well, which the Sinhalese must have come to know a little more than a hundred years before, from the European invaders. A collection of weapons includes swords, firearms used by Sinhalese, gunpowder flasks & knuckledusters. There is a brief explanation how and why the king chose the hill country as his capital, which was surrounded by mountains and thick jungles that provided an impregnable natural fortification. It says that the outer frontiers, which had been kept forested intentionally, had proven its ability to withstand an invasion, even from a force with a superior fire-power.
Information about how the economy was structured is also shown, giving details how the king distributed land among his subjects, the crafts people used to pursue in their daily life and how they were taxed by the king, according to their occupation and income. It is noted that the Tombos system, a register maintained in each village, which had given an accurate description of the land and its revenue, had been of immense value to the Dutch when deciding their tax systems.
The second gallery describes about the lifestyle of the Dutch community who arrived and settled down in the country in 17th century. Their class distinctions, employment in military and the commercial sector, intermarriages with locals and the birth of the Burgher community in the island, is described in detail. Dutch furniture and porcelain ware are also displayed.
Upstairs consist of two chambers. The one exhibiting the archives of Dutch period includes, copies of maps of Dutch forts in the island, minutes of their council meetings, the treaty of alliance between King Rajasinghe 11 and Admiral Adam van Wesherwoldt which gave the authority to the Dutch to oust the Portuguese, the first book published in Ceylon and a copy of the 35th clause of the Charter of State General of Netherlands, from which VOC derived its power to spread the Dutch territory in the East.
The attractive Dutch furniture in the second chamber includes, massive chests, couches, tables, chairs, almairahs and various other furniture made mainly out of Satinwood, Ebony and Calamander.
The spacious courtyard at the back of the museum, which is a rare sight for a building in Pettah, surprises many. A well also has been dug, however, is not in use presently.
One can find a row of tombstones, recovered from the old Dutch cemetery at the previous Pettah Police station premises in front of the World Trade Centre. The skull & crossed bones, the symbol of death carved on top of each stone, must have been a practice in that period. One notable factor is that almost all the people, whose tombstones are placed there, have died at the early age. Only two have reached the age of sixty.
A description of the history of the premises is also given. It says that, earlier this building had been used as the Governor’s residence, a military hospital, an armoury, a Police training centre and a post office, before being named as an archaeological reserved site in 1980. Although the exact date of construction is not known, the age of the building is guessed as more than three hundred years.
It doesn’t take more than two hours to explore the whole museum in detail. For someone who has a little interest in history, it is an ideal place to pay a visit, if you happened to come to Pettah, or to drop in during the office lunch break for a quick look.
When leaving the museum, before throwing the ticket bought for six bucks, if you happen to glance at what is printed in the back, a noteworthy message can be seen.
It says, "Your paramount duty is to safeguard The National Heritage"
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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