The opening of the National Engineering Technological Heritage Gallery at the natural history building of the National Museum on 26th June 2013 was the culmination of a long and tedious process undertaken by the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL). It fulfilled a long felt need to highlight the engineering and technological principles behind the many ancient engineering marvels in the country ranging from the construction of edifices like Stupas and Sigiriya Rock Fortress to the ingenuity in the ancient Wind Powered Iron Smelting Furnaces discovered in the Samanalawewa areas and ‘Bisokotuwa’ Sluice Gates of Irrigation tanks.

Eng. Ranjith Gunawardana, Past President of the IESL and Chairman of its Museum Committee speaks of the intricacies involved in the final realization of this dream.