A Forgotten Piece of History: The Story of the First Municipal Council of Colombo, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The website of the Municipal Council of Colombo asserts that it was founded in 1865 (Colombo Municipal Council, 2015). This is also the story that is recounted in scholarly histories of Colombo, in modern websites and in popular accounts of the history of the city. The objective of this article is to demonstrate that Colombo had a municipal council as early as the sixteenth century and to illuminate the story of its existence for over 70 years - until well into the seventeenth century. It also explores the functions of the council, its relationship with Portuguese officials who ruled the areas they controlled in Sri Lanka and question of whose interests were represented by this council. The article also contends that this first Municipal Council had a role in Portuguese administration that occasionally extended to policy-making on matters beyond the city.