Old Welekade Market
The Old Welekade Market () is a historic colonial building in Badulla, Sri Lanka. The site belonged to the Badulla Divisional Secretariat division and is located near the Badulla Hospital, on the Badulla-Bandarawela road. The history about the construction of Welekade market building is unclear, with many people believing that it was erected by the Dutch as a kind of castle or fortress. According to more reliable sources the building was constructed by the British in 1889, as the first public building in the Uva province. Due to its historical importance, the Welekade building has been formally recognised by the government as an archaeological protected monument. The designation was declared on 6 June 2008 under the government Gazette number 1553. History On 1 February 1886 the British government proclaimed Uva as a separate province of Ceylon and A. A. King was appointed as the new government agent for the province. As a benefit of closer relationship with the central government, King arranged for a new market building to be constructed in Badulla in 1889, three years after the proclamation of the province. It is said that the cost for the construction of the building was 5000 rupees. The further advantages