Most travelers visit Independence Square to admire Independence Memorial Hall and its statue of D.S. Senanayake, Sri Lanka’s first prime minister, ringed by four stone lions, a symbol of the island. Visitors can stroll around the open-sided hall—designed to echo the royal court of Sri Lanka’s Kandyan kings—to view its carvings and ornamental pillars. Other attractions here include the Arcade, a shopping mall converted from the colonial-era Auditor General’s building, and Independence Memorial Hall’s basement museum.
Virtually all Colombo tours stop at Independence Square. Aside from conventional city tours, travelers can check out the square aboard a vintage Jeep or tuk-tuk or cycle around the floodlit hall and gardens on an evening bike tour.