Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in
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 ...
, situated on the southwestern tip, from
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of
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 ...
and is the capital of
Galle District.
Galle was known as ''Gimhathiththa'' before the arrival of the
Portuguese in the 16th century, when it was the main port on the island.
Ibn Batuta, a
Moroccan Berber Muslim traveller in the 14th century, referred to it as ''Qali''. Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, during the
Dutch colonial period. Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by the
Portuguese in South and Southeast
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
, showing the interaction between
Portuguese architectural
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...
styles and native traditions. The city was extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards. The
Galle fort is a world heritage site and is the largest remaining
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
in Asia built by European occupiers.
Other prominent
landmark
A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
s in Galle include the
city's natural harbour, the
National Maritime Museum,
St. Mary's Cathedral founded by
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
s, one of the main
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
temples on the island, and
Amangalla, the historic luxury hotel. On 26 December 2004, the city was devastated by the massive 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 ...
, which occurred off the coast of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
a thousand miles away. Thousands were killed in the city alone. Galle is home to the
Galle International Stadium, which is considered to be one of the most picturesque
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
grounds in the world. The ground, which was severely damaged by the tsunami, was rebuilt and
test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
matches resumed there on 18 December 2007.
Important natural geographical features in Galle include Rumassala in
Unawatuna
Unawatuna is a coastal town in Galle district of Sri Lanka. Unawatuna is a major tourist attraction in Sri Lanka and known for its beach and corals. It is a suburb of Galle, about southeast to the city center and approximately south of Colomb ...
, a large mound-like hill that forms the eastern protective barrier to
Galle Harbour
Galle Harbour is a natural harbour, located in Galle, on the south-western coast of Sri Lanka. Currently Galle port serves as one of the most active regional ports in the country. It is also the only Sri Lankan port that provides facilities for p ...
. Local tradition associates this hill with some events of
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
, one of the great Hindu epics. The major river in the area is the
Gin Ganga
The Gin Ganga ( si, ගිං ගඟ, ''Gin River''), is a long river situated in Galle District of Sri Lanka.
The river's headwaters are located in the Gongala Mountain range, near Deniyaya, bordering the Sinharaja Forest Reserve. The rive ...
, which begins from Gongala Kanda, passes villages such as Neluwa, Nagoda,
Baddegama,
Thelikada and Wakwella, and reaches the sea at
Gintota
Gintota is a village situated in Galle District, in the southern part of Sri Lanka.
It is located south of Colombo and north-west of Galle and is situated on the left bank of the Gin Ganga, at the river's mouth.
The traditional industry in the ...
. The river is bridged at Wakwella by the
Wakwella Bridge
Wakwella Bridge is a bridge situated in Galle District near Thelikada, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly ...
.
Etymology
Galle was known as ''Gimhathitha'' in ancient times. The term is believed to be derived from the classical
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinha ...
term meaning "port near the River Gin". It is believed that the town got its name as ''Gaalla'' in the native tongue as a result of the large number of bullock carts that took shelter in the area, following the long slow journeys from remote areas of the island. ''Gaala'' in Sinhala means the place where cattle are herded together; hence the Sinhalese name for Galle, ගාල්ල, is a development from ''Gaala''. Another theory is that the word ''Galle'' is derived from the Latin word ''gallus'', which means '
rooster'. The Dutch used the rooster as a symbol of Galle, though probably the word comes from the Portuguese ''galo'' (rooster).
History
![Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie spiegelretourschip Amsterdam replica](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Vereenigde_Oostindische_Compagnie_spiegelretourschip_Amsterdam_replica.jpg)
According to
James Emerson Tennent
Sir James Emerson Tennent, 1st Baronet, FRS (born James Emerson; 7 April 1804 – 6 March 1869) was a British politician and traveller born in Ireland. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 5 June 1862.
Life
The third son of William ...
, Galle was the ancient seaport of
Tarshish, from which
King Solomon
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
drew
ivory,
peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...
s and other valuables.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...
was exported from Sri Lanka as early as 1400 BC, and as the root of the word itself is
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
, Galle may have been a main
entrepôt for the spice.
![Pointe de Galle sud de Ceylan en 1754](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Pointe_de_Galle_sud_de_Ceylan_en_1754.jpeg)
Ancient Greek and Roman geographers may have known about Galle, which they might have called the Cape of Birds. Ptolemy might also have known about the port which he referred to as Odoka. Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta visited Galle (or Qali as he called it) in 1342. During the 12th and 13th centuries, Sinhalese refugees fleeing Tamil armies from the north began to settle in Galle and other nearby areas.
Galle had been a prominent seaport long before western rule in the country:
Persians
The Persians are an Iranian ethnic group who comprise over half of the population of Iran. They share a common cultural system and are native speakers of the Persian language as well as of the languages that are closely related to Persian.
...
,
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
,
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
,
Romans,
Malays
Malays may refer to:
* Malay race, a racial category encompassing peoples of Southeast Asia and sometimes the Pacific Islands
** Overseas Malays, people of Malay race ancestry living outside Malay archipelago home areas
** Cape Malays, a communit ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
ns, and
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
were doing business through Galle's port. In 1411, the
Galle Trilingual Inscription, a stone tablet inscription in three languages,
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
and
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
, was erected in Galle to commemorate
the second visit to Ceylon by the Chinese admiral
Zheng He
Zheng He (; 1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname Zheng conferred ...
. In 1502, a small fleet of
Portuguese ships, under the command of
Lourenço de Almeida
Lourenço de Almeida (c.1480 - March 1508) was a Portuguese explorer and military commander.
He was born in Martim, Kingdom of Portugal, the son of Francisco de Almeida, first viceroy of Portuguese India. Acting under his father, Lourenço dist ...
on their way to the
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
, were blown off course by a storm. Realising that the
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
resided in
Kotte close to
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
, Lourenço proceeded there after a brief stop in Galle.
In 1640, the
Portuguese were forced to surrender to the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
. The Dutch built the present
fort in 1663. They built a fortified solid granite wall and three bastions, known as "Sun", "Moon" and "Star".
After the
British took over the country from the Dutch in 1796, they preserved the fort unchanged and used it as the administrative centre of the district.
Climate
Galle features a
tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...
. The city has no true
dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...
, though it is noticeably drier in the months of January and February. As is commonplace with many cities with this type of climate, temperatures show little variation throughout the course of the year, with average temperatures hovering at around throughout.
Cityscape
Wards
Galle has twenty wards:
*
Gintota
Gintota is a village situated in Galle District, in the southern part of Sri Lanka.
It is located south of Colombo and north-west of Galle and is situated on the left bank of the Gin Ganga, at the river's mouth.
The traditional industry in the ...
*
Dadalla
* Bope
* Kumbalwella
* Madawalamulla
* Deddugoda
* Maitipe
* Dangedara
* Bataganvila
* Sangamiththapura
* Galwadugoda
* Kandewaththa
* Kaluwella
* Galle Town
* Weliwaththa
* Thalapitiya
* Makuluwa
* Milidduwa
* Magalle
* Katugoda
*
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 ...
Governance
The
Galle Municipal Council
The Galle Municipal Council is the local council for Galle, the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka, the third level administrative division of the country. The council was established under the Municipalities Ordinance of 1865 as the ...
governs the City of Galle, established under the Municipalities Ordinance of 1865. It was at the time, only the third municipal council in the country. The first mayor of the city,
Wijeyananda Dahanayake
Wijeyananda Dahanayake ( si, විජයානන්ද දහනායක ta, விஜயானந்த தகநாயக்கா; 22 October 1902 – 4 May 1997) was a Sri Lankan politician. He was the Prime Minister of Ceylon from Septe ...
, was appointed in 1939; he later became the fifth
Prime Minister of Ceylon
The Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head and most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's executive branch behind the president, wh ...
.
The last appointed mayor was Methsiri De Silva, who served from 2009 to 2016. The mayoral system has been dissolved the Galle administration, with the city presently administered by a commissioner. The main vision of the city is "Building of moderate city through the supply of relatively increased utility services to the citizens who pay taxes to the Galle Municipal Council". The other vision is to brand Galle as "Green City-Green Galle" to create and promote Galle as one of Sri Lanka's cool and healthy coastal cities with a clean green canopy.
Demographics
Galle is a sizeable city, by Sri Lankan standards, and has a population of 101,749 the majority of whom are of
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinha ...
ethnicity, with a large population of
Sri Lankan Moor (Muslims), particularly in the fort area, who descend from
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
merchants that settled in the ancient port of Galle and married
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinha ...
and
Sri Lankan Tamil
Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern Pr ...
women. Galle is also notable for its foreign population, both residents and owners of holiday homes
Government Statistics.lk
Education
Schools
Galle is home to some of the oldest leading schools in Sri Lanka, with twenty-nine government schools and five international schools constituting the city's educational system. Some of the schools located in Galle city are listed below.
Universities
![Engfac Galle1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Engfac_Galle1.jpg)
Three main faculties of the
University of Ruhuna
The University of Ruhuna ( si, රුහුණ විශ්වවිද්යාලය, රෝහණ සරසවිය (Ruhuṇa Viśvavidyālaya, Rohana sarasaviya),; ta, ருகுண பல்கலைக் கழகம்) is a publ ...
are located in Galle. The
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty may refer to:
* Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage)
* Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States)
* Faculty (instrument), an instrument or warra ...
is located at Hapugala, about 6 km from the city center. The Faculty of Medicine is located at Karapitiya near the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital. The Faculty of Allied Health Sciences of the University of Ruhuna is located in Uluwitike, in the city limits. A study centre of the
Open University of Sri Lanka is also located in Galle, at Labuduwa junction.
* Faculty of Engineering,
University of Ruhuna
The University of Ruhuna ( si, රුහුණ විශ්වවිද්යාලය, රෝහණ සරසවිය (Ruhuṇa Viśvavidyālaya, Rohana sarasaviya),; ta, ருகுண பல்கலைக் கழகம்) is a publ ...
* Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna
* Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna
* Study Centre, Open University of Sri Lanka
Higher education institutes
![NIBM GALLE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/NIBM_GALLE.JPG)
The Advanced Technological Institute in
Labuduwa, Galle was started in 2000, and it planned to offer Higher National Diploma in Information Technology and Higher National Diploma in Agriculture Technology – HNDT (Agri). Since then, Labuduwa ATI has been a pioneer in technological education in Sri Lanka. The
National Institute of Business Management in Galle was established in 2010 to provide higher education opportunities in the fields of information technology and business management. The Ruhunu National College of Education, operated under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, trains teachers training for government schools in Kurunduwatta, Galle. Additionally, the Amarasuriya Teachers' Training College for government school teachers is in Unawatuna, Galle.
* Advanced Technological Institute (ATI)
* National Institute of Business Management (NIBM)
* Ruhunu National College of Education
* Amarasuriya Teachers' Training College
* Merchantile Seaman Training Institute (MSTI)
Transport
![GALLE RAILWAY STATION SRI LANKA JAN 2013 (8553460957)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/GALLE_RAILWAY_STATION_SRI_LANKA_JAN_2013_%288553460957%29.jpg)
Galle is served by
Sri Lanka Railways
The Sri Lanka Railway Department (more commonly known as Sri Lanka Railways (SLR)) ( Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා දුම්රිය සේවය ''Śrī Laṃkā Dumriya Sēvaya''; Tamil: இலங்கை புகையிரத ...
'
Coastal Line and is connected by rail to Colombo and
Matara.
Galle Railway Station is a major station on the line and serves as the meeting point of the west- and south-coast segments of the line. The
A2 highway, which is commonly known as the Galle Road, runs through the city and connects Galle to Colombo by the west-coast portion, and to
Hambanthota
Hambantota ( si, හම්බන්තොට, ta, அம்பாந்தோட்டை) is the main town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri LankaThe prominent Malays (මැලේ) most part of the population is to be partly de ...
by the south-coast portion.
The
Southern Expressway, Sri Lanka's first E Class highway, links the Sri Lankan capital Colombo with Galle and currently reduces the time spent for travel to one hour from the three hours taken by the regular A2 highway.
Twin towns – sister cities
Galle is twinned with:
*
Velsen, Netherlands
Notable people
Archaeology
*
Senarath Paranavithana
Senarath Paranavitana ( Sinhala:සෙනරත් පරණවිතාන) (26 December 1896 – 4 October 1972) was a pioneering archeologist and epigraphist of Sri Lanka. His works dominated Sri Lankan archaeology and history in the middl ...
Businessmen
*
Dilith Jayaweera
Education
*
C. W. W. Kannangara
Dr. Cristopher William Wijekoon Kannangara ( Sinhala ආචාර්ය ක්රිස්ටෝෆර් විලියම් විජේකෝන් කන්නන්ගර; 18 October 1894 – 23 September 1969) was a Sri Lankan Lawye ...
*
Martin Wickramasinghe
*
Ediriweera Sarachchandra
Dr. Veditantirige Eustace Reginold de Silva (later became Veditantirige Ediriweera Ranjitha Sarachchandra) (3 June 1914 – 16 August 1996; Sinhala: මහාචාර්ය එදිරිවීර සරච්චන්ද්ර), popularly ...
*
Cyril Ponnamperuma
Dr. Cyril Andrew Ponnamperuma ( Sinhala: ආචාර්ය සිරිල් ඇන්ඩෘ පොන්නම්පෙරුම) (16 October 1923 – 20 December 1994) was a Sri Lankan scientist in the fields of chemical evolution and ...
*
Seneka Bibile
Senaka Bibile ( Sinhala:සේනක බිබිලේ) (13 February 1920 – 29 September 1977) was a Sri Lankan pharmacologist. He was the founder of Sri Lanka's drug policy, which was used as a model for development of policies based on r ...
Engineering
*
D. J. Wimalasurendra
Sports
*
Athula Samarasekara
Maitipage Athula Rohitha Samarasekera (born August 5, 1961) is a Sri Lankan Australian cricket coach and former cricketer who is currently working as a cricket coach in Australia. He was a hard hitting opening batsman and a medium fast bowler, ...
*
Chamapaka Ramanayake
*
Jayananda Warnaweera
*
Lasith Malinga
*
Upul Chandana
Deshabandu Umagiliya Durage Upul Chandana (born 7 May 1972), popularly known as Upul Chandana, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played both Tests and ODIs. He was more specifically a leg spin bowler and was also an outstanding fielder. Unfo ...
See also
*
Galle Fort
*
Galle International Stadium
*
Hikkaduwa
*
Pilana Raja Maha Vihara
The Pilana Raja Maha Vihara or Pilana Temple is a Buddhist temple in Galle, Sri Lanka. The Chief Incumbent (Chief Priest) is Meepe Wagira Thera. The temple is well known in the southern part of the island for its historical Perahera festival.
Loc ...
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Unawatuna
Unawatuna is a coastal town in Galle district of Sri Lanka. Unawatuna is a major tourist attraction in Sri Lanka and known for its beach and corals. It is a suburb of Galle, about southeast to the city center and approximately south of Colomb ...
References
External links
Galle Municipal Council
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Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications, UNESCO World HeritageOfficial website of the Sri Lanka Tourism Board
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Provincial capitals in Sri Lanka
Populated coastal places in Sri Lanka