The good old days of ‘Rickshaw travel ’

This rickshaw which has a historic importance had been found in the Gampaha main post office and is presently kept at the entrance of the main post office for exhibition to school children and the general public after painting. This rickshaw is one of the historically memorable items owned by the Postal Department.   

The rickshaw travel was an ancient mode of transport used during the colonial period, before the introduction of motor vehicles to Sri Lanka by the British rulers. It has been used for travel of elite people, transport of goods, as well as transporting mail bags to various destinations in the past.   

The rickshaw that had been used for the transport of mail bags since colonial times up to the year 1972, between the Gampaha railway station and the Gampaha post office which was situated close to the Gampaha ‘Gal palliya’ (rock church) in those days, is kept for public exhibition at the Gampaha main post office.   

It has been used for public service as well as for the transport of goods until recently from the time Sri Lanka gained independence and also during the colonial times.   
It was the rickshaw puller who rendered the service of drawing the rickshaw with the travellers and their goods in those days. At that time, he was paid a mere pittance for that service. Specially, the elite people who lived in the city of Colombo used this vehicle for travelling. That was the pristine glory of rickshaw travelling.