The small bus was crowded to avoid seen even our own shoes. It moved forward just a little bit faster than a bullock. As a security step we asked the conductor to remind us when we reached our destination. How ever in the middle of the journey, it was confused a bit whether we had passed the correct junction to get off. Because with that high load of passengers, it was possible to get forget the conductor what we requested at the beginning. But impressing that we were not unlucky, the conductor remind us to get off at the correct place.

From Palatota junction onwards, we had to walk at about 1.5km to reach the Richmond Park Estate. Our destination was the Richmond Castle, a fine country house in a 42-acre fruit garden estate built in 1896. It was said to be one of the biggest mansions in Sri Lanka.

Memories of colonial era…	Main entrance
Information (Click Image to Enlarge)

History of the Castle with an outside source of information:

At Palataota, in a little inland, is Richmond Castle, a fine country house in a 42-acre fruit garden estate. Built in 1896, it originally belonged to landowner turned philanthropist NDA Silva Wijayasinghe, the local Padikara Mudaliyar (village leader) & was used during the British period as a circuit bungalow for officials. It is said that ‘Governor George Anderson was requested by the royal family of England to appoint a battalion of 40 soldiers to guard the castle and its occupants.

This magnificent hybrid of Indian & British architecture was originally a spice plantation mansion, built for the Padikara Mudaliyar, a wealthy regional governor, who copied the plans of an Indian Maharaja’s palace designed by a London architect.

Note the audience hall, with intricately carved pillars & beams (two shiploads of teak were brought from Burma for its construction) & a spiral staircase leading to a gallery of some fascinating photographs from the time.

Today, Richmond Castle is a popular tourist attraction, and serves as an educational centre for less privileged children of Kalutara and the vicinity. The house & grounds are open to the public. It makes a good canoeing or bike track with riverside picnic.

First statue you meet

Another statue….

Richmond Castle was a two-storied building with 99 doors and 34 windows, decorated with glass panes embossed grape vines. It was said that two shiploads of teak were imported from Burma for the construction of the same.

Front elevation of the castle…( Pls. Forget about the living statue visible in front of the same)

The entire building was decorated with intricate carvings. There was a dancing hall with a stage as an added feature. There were tiny holes at the floor of dancing room, to provide a continuous flow of cool air from the bank of Kulu River.

Side view of the castle	Another statue
More statues	Inside the main entrance
A colorful glazed window frame

It was said that the architecture applied there was greater similarity to an English mansion than to an ancient “walauwwa”.

Since the Mudaliyar was a lover of nature, he had decorated the garden with blooming plants and marble statues. Some of the statues were still stand.

Rear elevation of the castle ( being repaired )	One of the Verandahs
Rear elevation	An article published in a newspaper. (Click Image to Enlarge)

Folklore said the Mudaliyar was childless and not happy in marriage. At the end of his marriage, he devised his dream castle to the Public Trustee for the welfare of the children of the country. And he breathed his last in 1947 lonely, in a room at the Queen’s Hotel- Kandy