Bogambara Prison was a maximum security prison and the second largest prison in the country after Welikada Prison in Colombo, Sri Lanka. After operating for 138 years, the prison was closed on 1 January 2014, and the inmates were transferred to the new Dumbara prison complex in Pallekele. In 2019, the government declared the prison site would become a cultural tourism centre, the Bogambara Cultural Park.[1]
The grounds of the prison were created by filling in the Bogambara Wewa (an artificial lake) and the buildings were designed by F. Vine of the Public Works Department of Ceylon. The design of the main gate and walls are said to be inspired by the Bastille. The prison occupied a 5.3 ha (13 acres) area, with a three-storey 8,500 m2 (91,000 sq ft) main building containing 382 cells, in which would be held 408 prisoners, and a 840 m2 (9,000 sq ft) prison hospital building to its west.[2] The prison was opened in 1876, and it was used to house serious offenders and death row prisoners.
The complex has gallows and was one of Sri Lanka's only two prisons where the death penalty was implemented. The gallows were shifted from Hangman's Hill to the prison in 1876. In all, 524 prisoners were executed at Bogambara. The convicted murderers W. A. Richard and T. M. Jayawardena were the last people hanged there on 21 and 22 November 1975, respectively.[3] One of the most notorious criminals to be executed at the prison was D. J. Siripala (aka Maru Sira) who was executed on 7 August 1975. The prison was administered by the Department of Prisons.
In an effort to expand the prison network in the country and improve prison conditions, the Sri Lankan government decided to permanently close the complex in 2013. The remaining inmates were transferred to a new prison complex in Pallekele. A few months earlier, the Department of Prisons also closed the Bogambara remand prison in order to help preserve the historic buildings of the Kandyan Kingdom.[4] Bogambara Prison was closed on 1 January 2014, at which time the property and all related assets were transferred to the government of Sri Lanka.
Cultural Park
In December 2016 the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs created a project master plan for the redevelopment of the site.[1]
On 24 August 2019, Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe formally announced the opening and inauguration of Phase I of the redevelopment of the prison as a cultural tourism centre, renaming the site the Bogambara Cultural Park.[6][7] The redevelopment plans for the historic site feature the prison's transformation into a multi-use building, with the cells and rooms proposed to be converted into shops, shared workspaces and budget accommodations, and two five-star hotels will be built on site.[8][9] The first phase of the redevelopment project was the enhancement of the prison's external surrounds at a cost of approximately Rs. 125 million. The second phase, the redevelopment of the internal buildings is estimated to cost Rs. 750 million.[10] The completed project is estimated to have cost Rs. 18.5 billion.
