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The bomb went off when the soldier was examining an unattended parcel in the bustling Colombo Fort area close to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the World Trade Centre, said Patrick Edema, chief of the bomb squad.
The soldier suffered slight burns on his fingers, Edema said.
He did not immediately blame the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for the blast.
The presidential residence and the navy's headquarters are 500 metres from the spot.
The Central Bank and World Trade Centre have been the targets of massive suicide bombings in the past.
The LTTE is fighting since 1983 for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east. The unilateral ceasefire, called by LTTE last Christmas eve, expired at midnight Tuesday.
The blast came as Sri Lankan troops launched a massive offensive on rebel positions in northern Jaffna peninsula triggering fierce fighting that left 12 soldiers dead and 40 wounded, defence sources said.
The troops, backed by artillery, tanks and aircraft, launched the offensive at dawn and were engaged in a fierce battle with rebels south of Eluthumadduval, 30 km east of Jaffna, the sources said.
Though the exact casualties among the rebels were not known, the army lost a dozen combatants while 40 were injured, they said.
"The operation is underway and we are moving towards our objective," defence ministry spokesman Sanat Karunaratne said.
The aim of 'Operation Agni Khela' was to regain more areas from rebel control, he said.
Meanwhile, Kumaratunga has described the LTTE as an 'unprincipled terrorist organisation' and vowed to fight them militarily to bring them before the negotiating table.
''With an unprincipled terrorist organisation such as the LTTE, I would not like to comment on peace prospects too prematurely but we are hopeful of achieving something tangible and constructive in the coming months,'' said Kumaratunga, the state media reported.
Asserting that her government will not allow the nation to be divided, as intended by the LTTE, she iterated her willingness to enter into talks with the Tigers.
''The door is still not closed to them (LTTE) to enter into negotiations,'' she told the armed forces gallentry awards presentation ceremony Tuesday.
Saluting the three armed forces, the president, who is also the supreme commander, said, ''Due to the valour and gallantry of our forces and the police, we have been able to fight the north and east war to reach a decisive stage.''
The president said that security forces are receiving top-class training in modern warfare. They are also provided with sophisticated weapons to fight the war.
Despite numerous obstacles, the government had been able to wage war with the LTTE effectively, she said, while praising the dedication of the armed forces.
Agencies
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