Ahangama is a suburb of
Galle
Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Souther ...
. It is located within the
Principality of Ruhuna
The Principality of Ruhuna, also referred to as the Kingdom of Ruhuna, is a region of present-day Southern and Eastern Sri Lanka. It was the center of a flourishing civilisation and the cultural and economic centres of ancient Sri Lanka. Magama, Ti ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
,
Southern Province. It is located approximately away from the
Galle
Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Souther ...
within
Galle District
Galle ( si, ගාල්ල දිස්ත්රික්කය ''gālla distrikkaya''; ta, காலி மாவட்டம் ''Kāli māvattam'') is a district in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. It is one of 25 districts of Sri Lanka, th ...
of the
Southern Province. It is situated on the boundary of
Galle District
Galle ( si, ගාල්ල දිස්ත්රික්කය ''gālla distrikkaya''; ta, காலி மாவட்டம் ''Kāli māvattam'') is a district in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. It is one of 25 districts of Sri Lanka, th ...
and
Matara District
Matara ( si, මාතර දිස්ත්රික්කය ''Mātara distrikkaya''; ta, மாத்தறை மாவட்டம் ''Māttaṛai māvaṭṭam'') is a district in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. It is one of 25 districts ...
. It is a major centre which connects
Matara District
Matara ( si, මාතර දිස්ත්රික්කය ''Mātara distrikkaya''; ta, மாத்தறை மாவட்டம் ''Māttaṛai māvaṭṭam'') is a district in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. It is one of 25 districts ...
with
Galle District
Galle ( si, ගාල්ල දිස්ත්රික්කය ''gālla distrikkaya''; ta, காலி மாவட்டம் ''Kāli māvattam'') is a district in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. It is one of 25 districts of Sri Lanka, th ...
. It is a major suburb on the
A02 highway, after Galle. It is a major centre on the road for the vehicles and long distance buses run on the route. Ahangama is surrounded by towns such as
Habaraduwa,
Koggala
Koggala ( si, කොග්ගල, translit=Koggala; ta, கொக்கலை, translit=Kokkalai) is a small coastal town, situated at the edge of a lagoon on the south coast of Sri Lanka, located in Galle District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, ...
,
Weligama
Weligama ( si, වැලිගම, ta, வெலிகாமம்) is a town on the south coast of Sri Lanka, located in Matara District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. The name ''Weligama'', literally means "sandy v ...
and
Imaduwa
Imaduwa is a suburb of Galle. It is located approximately away from the Galle within Galle District of the Southern Province. It is situated on the boundary of Galle district and Matara District. It is a major centre which connects Matara Distric ...
.
History
Ahangama was significantly affected by the
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...
caused by the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...
, where the waters measured high.
Approximately west of Ahangama is the birthplace of noted Sri Lankan author
Martin Wickramasinghe
Lama Hewage Don Martin Wickramasinghe, (commonly known as Martin Wickramasinghe) ( si, මාර්ටින් වික්රමසිංහ) (29 May 1890 – 23 July 1976) was a Sri Lankan journalist and author. His books have been tran ...
and there is a museum, Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Art Museum, dedicated to his arts and popular traditions in the town.
Approximately east of Ahangama is the Kataluva Purvarama Maha Viharaya temple, which was originally built in the 13th century and has some late 19th century additions. The temple is renowned for its Kandyan-style paintings in the main shrine, dating from the late 19th century. The paintings of musicians, dancers and European figures illustrates an interesting piece of social history.
Some of the Jatake tales (episodes from the Buddha's series of 550 previous lives) are painted here, and purportedly are 200 years old. There are also some
cameo-style paintings of
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
and the Queen Mother, done in gratitude of Queen Victoria's role in ensuring the free practice of Buddhism outlined in the Kandyan capitulation of Lanka in 1815.
Ahangama is also the home to the Giniwella Kathaluwa and the ancient Temples. The Kathaluwa Buddhist temple is known for its murals and for the preserved first printing press, brought by the Dutch to Sri Lanka.
Tourism
Ahangama is a very calm and peaceful beach town with majestic palm trees all around. There is no sound apart from the waves hitting the shore and swaying of the trees making it ideal for a relaxing vacation.
A small town in Southern Province, Ahangama is a secret treasure in Sri Lanka. Known for its pristine beaches, sparkling waters and picturesque landscapes, this town is indeed one of the most beautiful ones in the country. Although it is not fully developed, it is easily accessible via Galle, a major city that lies only 20 minutes from Ahangama. This town, being at the epitome of serenity, is one of the ideal getaways in the country.
Ahangama overlooks the aesthetic Weligama Bay, which is a happening place in the town. The famous tuk-tuk takes passengers from the main city to the Bay. Weligama is the central surfing spot, surfing being one of the main attractions of Ahangama. Apart from surfing, Wellingama offers beachside shops, restaurants, shacks and bars.
The landscapes of Ahangama, along with its fame for surfing, make it what it is today. A pious hideout, Ahangama is heaven on earth.
This town is an attraction of tourism. Ahangama has beautiful beaches such as Kathaluwa beach, Kabalana beach, Ahangama beach, Goviyapana beach and Midigama beach. There are a lot of surfing areas in Ahangama.
Special Activities
The major activity in this area is tourism. There are a lot of hotels and restaurants that are attracted tourists.
There are residential facilities to the foreigners and also to the locals with affordable amount.
The area is famous for its distinct
stilt fishermen, who erect a single pole in the chest-deep water on the beach, just few meters off-shore, where they perch on a cross bar and using bamboo fishing rods cast their lines out beyond the surf break to catch small fish.
This area is also popular for the coir industry.
The Ahangama area is home to the most consistent, and possibly the best, surf in Sri Lanka. Development is ongoing in parts, but for now it remains a relatively low-key region with a mix of surfer-friendly accommodation and the odd villa. The shoreline consists of slim sandy bays and rocky outcrops, though the highway often runs very close to the shore.
See also
*
List of towns in Southern Province, Sri Lanka
Southern Province is a province of Sri Lanka, containing the Galle District, Hambantota District, and Matara District. The following is a list of settlements in the province.
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A
Abakolawewa, Abesekaragama, Abeyesekaragama, Achariga ...
References
External links
*
Populated places in Southern Province, Sri Lanka
Seaside resorts in Sri Lanka
* Tourism
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/the-south/ahangama-and-midigama#must-see
https://www.holidify.com/places/ahangama
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