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Facelift for Giragama Walauwa and old Kandy buildings
After years of haggling over heritage sites in Kandy, the Central Cultural Fund, together with the Kandy Municipal Council and the Urban Development Authority, is to restore Kandy’s old buildings, starting from Giragama Walauwa, which dates back to the Kandyan kingdom.The authorities have allocated Rs. 7.2 million to rehabilitate the building at Yatinuwara Veediya, formerly Brownrigg Street. The historic building is in a dilapidated condition, although four shops operate in it.
The dilapidated Girigama Walauwa will be restored to its old glory
The Sunday Times learns that the delay in starting renovation work was largely due to shortage of funds, though the topic of rehabilitating this walauwa and four other historic buildings in Kandy, a UNESCO-declared heritage city, has been under consideration for several years. However, the problem of funds was solved when the Kandy Municipal Council, the Urban Development Authority and the Central Cultural Fund reached an agreement on rehabilitating the five buildings.
A salient feature of the Giragama Walauwa is its wooden construction with a tower in the centre. Archaeologists say this could be a ‘watch tower’ or a ‘security tower ‘where the head of the family spent his nights. After much cajoling, the present occupants of the building have agreed to shift their businesses to temporary locations until rehabilitation work is completed. They have been assured that they will be allowed to return to their shops.
An official said the occupants could come back but they would not be allowed even to drive a nail into the walls without the permission of the Heritage City committee which is headed by the Kandy Mayor. The other four buildings earmarked for rehabilitation are: The Salvation Army building on Sir Bennett Soyza Mawatha, the building opposite to it, the building adjacent to it and a building used by a law firm.