
Colombo City
Colombo, hovedstaden i Sri Lanka, er en dynamisk by, der blander tradition og modernitet. Den fremviser kolonial arkitektur, livlige markeder og fredfyldte buddhistiske templer. Med et varieret køkken, en voksende skyline og smukke strande er det et pulserende knudepunkt for forretning, kultur og turisme, der tilbyder en indgang til at udforske Sri Lankas vidundere.
Nelum Pokuna
Sri Lanka has a history of theatrical productions for over 2500 years. Centuries ago, theatrical arts were patronized by those of royal lineage and good artistes were rewarded generously. However, after the fall of the kings, theatrical productions were patronized by the state anymore and the performers suffered. It has been a dream of Sri Lankan artistes to be given the opportunity to perform on a high-end stage before thousands of people who would appreciate their talents and offer them patronage.
Nelum Pokuna Auditorium in Sri Lanka: The Concept of the Lotus Pond
The concept of Nelum Pokuna, which literally translates to ‘Lotus Pond’, was created by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in order to honor Sri Lanka’s history of theater by offering performers state patronage. The idea was to provide an ideal place, in the heart of Colombo, for talented artists to exhibit their abilities and build a rapport with other performers on a local and international scale.
In addition the community was also offered the opportunity to appreciate the arts and culture while providing financial backing to the performers with their patronage. The Nelum Pokuna is intended as the Best Performing Arts Venue in the entirety of South East Asia, on par with some of the best theatres in the world such as Sydney Opera House, Covent Garden, Teatro Real de Madrid, Wiener Staatsoper and etc.
Nelum Pokuna Auditorium in Sri Lanka: Five Things you need to know
- The design of Nelum Pokuna was done by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design but carried out under the guidance of local professional architects.
- The structural design was inspired by the lotus pond in Polonnaruwa.
- Construction was carried out by China as part of an agreement with the Sri Lankan government.
- The agreement was signed in 15th March 2006 and construction began at the address: No 110 Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 07.
- The funding for the construction of Nelum Pokuna, which came to around Sri Lankan Rupees 3 Billion, was covered by a grant from the Chinese government.
Nelum Pokuna Auditorium in Sri Lanka: The Structure of the Lotus Pond
The Nelum Pokuna is for large scale productions and has two main venues; the main auditorium and the amphitheatre. The theatre consists of 7 floors in total; 5 floors above ground and 2 floors below ground level. The total height is 28m, and the total floor area is 15,562 square meters.
Seating Layout
The main auditorium is composed of 3 tiers, the main ground tier and two balconies. The ground tier and the third tier are for common use, while the middle tier is for VIP use.
Total seating capacity: 1288
Stage Lighting
Around 500 lighting units have been installed for performance illumination, in six lighting battens right over the stage and either side. The system is controlled by a HDL 2011 lighting control system.
Sound Systems
Two modern sound mixers (Soundcraft MH4 and MH3) are available with the best specifications. The sound system also includes over 45 JBL brand speakers.
The Amphitheatre
The rooftop of Nelum Pokuna has an open-air theater in proper Greek fashion with a 12m x 15m stage and a stepped seating area for over three hundred people. It is used for smaller productions.
Om Colombo-distriktet
Colombo er Sri Lankas største by og handelshovedstad. Den ligger på øens vestkyst og støder op til Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, Sri Lankas hovedstad. Colombo er en travl og pulserende by med en blanding af moderne liv og koloniale bygninger og ruiner og en bybefolkning på 647.100. Colombo Metropolitan Region, defineret af distrikterne Colombo, Gampaha og Kalutara, har en anslået befolkning på 5.648.000 og dækker et areal på 3.694,20 km². Colombo er en multietnisk, multikulturel by. Det er den mest folkerige by i Sri Lanka med 642.163 mennesker, der bor inden for bygrænsen. Befolkningen i Colombo er en blanding af adskillige etniske grupper, primært singalesere, maurere og tamiler. Der er også små samfund af mennesker med kinesisk, portugisisk, hollandsk, malaysisk og indisk oprindelse, der bor i byen, samt adskillige europæiske udlændinge. Langt de fleste srilankanske virksomheder har deres hovedkontorer i Colombo. Nogle af industrierne omfatter kemikalier, tekstiler, glas, cement, lædervarer, møbler og smykker. I byens centrum ligger Sydasiens næsthøjeste bygning - World Trade Center.
Om Vestprovinsen
Vestprovinsen er den tættest befolkede provins i Sri Lanka. Den er hjemsted for den lovgivende hovedstad Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte samt Colombo, landets administrative og forretningsmæssige centrum. Vestprovinsen er opdelt i 3 hoveddistrikter kaldet Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1.386,6 km²) og Kalutara (1.606 km²). Som Sri Lankas økonomiske centrum er alle de store lokale og internationale virksomheder til stede i byen, ligesom alle de store designer- og detailhandlere, så vær klar til at forkæle dig selv med lidt shoppingterapi i den vestlige provins. Med den højeste befolkning i alle provinser er næsten alle de førende uddannelsesinstitutioner på øen placeret i den vestlige provins. Universiteterne i provinsen omfatter University of Colombo, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University og University of Moratuwa. Den vestlige provins har det største antal skoler i landet, herunder nationale, provinsielle, private og internationale skoler.