Ahungalla is a small coastal town, located in
Galle District,
Southern Province, Sri Lanka
The Southern Province ( si, දකුණු පළාත ''Dakuṇu Paḷāta'', ta, தென் மாகாணம் ''Theṉ Mākāṇam'') of Sri Lanka is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of t ...
, governed by an
Urban Council. It is approximately south of
Colombo and is situated at an elevation of above the sea level.
History
Ahungalla is known primarily for its sandy beach, accompanied by a wide palm belt, considered to be one of the best on the island.
The village is located about south of
Bentota, north of the provincial capital
Galle at Cape Point Ahungalla. The neighboring villages are
Kosgoda to the north and
Balapitiya in the south. Southeast of the town is the
mangrove area of
Madu Ganga
Madu Ganga is a minor watercourse which originates near Uragasmanhandiya in the Galle District of Sri Lanka, before widening into the Madu Ganga Lake at Balapitiya. The river then flows for a further a before draining into the Indian Ocean. It i ...
.
The largest and most well-known building in the town is the luxury hotel, Heritance Ahungalla (formerly Hotel Triton), designed by notable Sri Lankan
architect,
Geoffrey Bawa, and constructed from 1979 to 1981.
As with the entire region Ahungalla was devastated by the
tsunami 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 ...
.
Transport
Ahungalla is located on the
Coastal or Southern Rail Line (connecting Colombo through to
Matara), and the
A2 highway, connecting Colombo to
Wellawaya.
Facilities
*
Ahungalla railway station
Ahungalla is a small coastal town, located in Galle District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is approximately south of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of above the sea level.
History
Ahungalla is known p ...
- few trains however stop at this station
*
Rajapaksha College
Rajapaksha College, Ahungalla, is one of the oldest secondary schools in southern Sri Lanka. Founded in 1879, it is also the 2nd oldest Buddhist school in Sri Lanka. It currently has a student population of 1,400, along with 62 faculty led by ...
Attractions
* Ahungalla beach
See also
*
List of beaches in Sri Lanka
The following is a list of beaches in Sri Lanka, an island nation south of India in the Indian Ocean.
See also
*Sri Lanka
*List of beaches
References
{{Geography of Sri Lanka
*
Sri Lanka
Beaches
Beaches
A beach is a landfo ...
References
Populated places in Galle District
Populated places in Southern Province, Sri Lanka
Seaside resorts in Sri Lanka
{{SouthernLK-geo-stub