President's Pavilion is an

official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...

of the

President of Sri Lanka The president of Sri Lanka ( ''Śrī Laṅkā Janādhipati''; ''Ilaṇkai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union governm ...

, located in

Kandy Kandy (, ; , ) is a major city located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. This was formerly the Governor's Pavilion until 1972 when Sri Lanka became a republic. It is located close to the sacred

Temple of the Tooth Sri Dalada Maligawa, commonly known in English as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the Royal Palace Complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of ...

in the center of the city of Kandy at the head of the Pavilion Street. Although an official residence, it is used rarely for

official functions An official function is either an event, such as a convention, that has an official purpose for one's employment, vocation or profession-whether run by a person, institution or governmental agency-or an official duty. Attending events with officia ...

, most notably during the Esala Perahera when at its conclusion the perahera sandeshaya is presented.

History

After the British gained control of the

Kandyan Kingdom The Kingdom of Kandy was a monarchy on the island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Initially a client kingdom of the Kin ...

in 1815 by the

Kandyan Convention In the history of Sri Lanka, the Kandyan Convention () was a treaty signed on 2 March 1815 between the British governor of Ceylon, Sir Robert Brownrigg, and the chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom, British Ceylon, whereas, according to the Sinhala ...

it governed the former Kandyan Kingdom as a protectorate. However following the

Uva Rebellion UVA most often refers to: * Ultraviolet A, a wavelength of light * University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States Uva, UVA and UvA may also refer to: Arts and media * Uva, a fictional academy in the ''Pokémon Scarlet'' and '' ...

, three years later in which Kandy was captured by the rebels, the British moved to combined both parts of the island under a central administration. However Kandy remained an important city second only to the capital

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

. Therefore, a European-style palace was constructed in the late 18th century for the use of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Governor of Ceylon {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The governor of Ceylon can refer to historical vice-regal representatives of three colonial powers: Portuguese Ceylon * List of captains of Portuguese Ceylon (1518–1551) * List of captain-majors of Portugue ...

during his visits to the city. This was used for hosting Royal visits to Kandy, most notably that of

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

, in 1875. In 1944, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

South East Asia Command South East Asia Command (SEAC) was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during the Second World War. History Organisation The initial supreme commander of the theatre was General Sir ...

of the allies was moved to Kandy, where it remained till the end of the war.

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Louis Mountbatten Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born Prince Louis of Battenberg; 25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979), commonly known as Lord Mountbatten, was a British statesman, Royal Navy of ...

, Supreme Allied Commander of the South East Asia Command, took up residence at the Governor's Pavilion till the end of the war. Following independence in 1948 the house became the official residence of the

Governor General of Ceylon The governor-general of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch in the Dominion of Ceylon from the country's independence in 1948 until it became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972. History There were four governors-general. Sir ...

in Kandy. It was formally renamed as the President's Pavilion in 1972, after Sri Lanka became a republic.

William Gopallawa William Gopallawa (, ; 17 September 1896 – 31 January 1981) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the last Governor-General of Ceylon from 1962 to 1972 and the first and only non-executive President of Sri Lanka from 1972 to ...

a native of Kandy was the last Governor General and first

to reside at the house.

External links

Dr.Tony Donaldson reflects on the Prince of Wales’ visit to Ceylon in 1875, 7 days in Ceylon
* [http://sundaytimes.lk/070805/KandyTimes/kt23.html I’m happy when I can make others happy’, Well-known and popular personality of Kandy, Dr. Nihal Karunaratne recalls anecdotes of a colourful life to Udumbara Udugama] {{coord, 7, 15, 50, N, 80, 38, 25, E, region:LK_type:landmark, display=title British colonial architecture in Sri Lanka Houses in Kandy Official residences in Sri Lanka Presidential residences