The lotus tower, also known as the Nelum Kuluna, is located in Sri Lanka’s capital city of Colombo, facing Beira Lake. This tower has designed in the shape of a lotus flower. The lotus flower represents purity in Sri Lankan culture. The construction of this lotus-shaped tower is primarily for communication purposes and to advance Sri Lankan tourism.
The structure stands 350 meters (1,150 feet) tall and covers an area of 10.5 acres. The Lotus Tower is considered the tallest self-supporting structure in South Asia, the second-tallest skyscraper in South Asia, the eleventh-tallest tower in Asia, and the nineteenth-tallest tower in the world. Steel makes up the flower’s petal frame of the Lotus Tower, and glass has used for the petals. The petals are pink to light yellow.
Lotus Tower Structure
The base of the lotus tower
The Lotus Tower has three floors in its basement.
- The first floor includes the lobby, VIP lounges, dining areas, a retail area, gift shops, and commercial banks.
- The second floor consists of exhibition halls and visitor areas.
- The third floor has meeting rooms and the tower’s administrative office.
Tower podium
The tower’s podium, which has eight floors, is what gave it its lotus-like shape.
- The first and second levels consist of the control rooms and transmitter facilities for TV and radio.
- Two banquet halls are there on the third and fourth floors, and the fourth-floor banquet hall can accommodate up to 1,000 guests.
- The fifth floor has a rotating restaurant.
- The VIP rooms are on the sixth floor, and an observation deck is on the seventh floor.
What’s fascinating about the Lotus Tower?
- Adventure sports like sky diving and bungee jumping are available to visitors.
- An opportunity to get a panoramic view of Colombo within a 10-kilometer radius is available at the observation deck on the top floor.
- The rotating restaurant is on the fifth floor of the tower podium. Within 90 minutes, this restaurant completes one complete spin. This restaurant is Sri Lanka’s first experience with a rotating restaurant.
- The tower will be open round-the-clock.
How do you travel?
The Lotus Tower is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka, facing Beira Lake. If a traveler is coming straight from the Katunayake Bandaranaike international airport, there are numerous ways they can visit the Lotus Tower.
By cab:- The distance to travel from the airport to the Lotus Tower is 33 kilometers. The journey will take about 37 minutes to reach the destination via the Colombo-Katunayake highway.
By Bus:- If travelers like to take public transportation, they have to walk from the airport to the Katunayake Bus Stop. Then can get a bus to the Colombo Fort Bus Stop (Bus Route number 187). From Colombo fort, it is easy to take a tuk-tuk (it will cost approximately LKR 300) to reach Lotus Tower. This entire journey will take approximately two hours and thirty minutes.
Entrance ticket prices:- The entrance ticket costs USD 20 for foreign travelers.
