Opened in 1988, the National Museum at Ratnapura is housed in “Ehelepola Walauwa”, a building that once belonged to a courtier of the Kingdom of Kandy. The museum features exhibits on Sri Lanka’s natural heritage, geological, anthropological and zoological artefacts related to the Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as exhibits on prehistoric inventions in the region. In addition, the museum has weaponry such as a First World War machine gun and late mediaeval Sinhala swords on display, as well as cooking utensils of the region.