Hanwella is a town 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 about 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 m ...

, the commercial capital of the country. Hanwella lies on the

Ratnapura Ratnapura (; ) ("City of Gems" in Sinhala and Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is located o ...

main road, on the banks of the

Kelani River The Kelani River ( si, කැළණි ගඟ) is a river in Sri Lanka. Ranking as the fourth-longest river in the country, it stretches from the Sri Pada Mountain Range to Colombo. It flows through or borders the Sri Lankan districts of Nuwara ...

Geography

This historic city belongs to the Colombo district and

Avissawella Avissawella, ( si, අවිස්සාවේල්ල, ta, அவிசாவளை) is a township in Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council, situated on the A4 route from Colombo to Ratnapura, Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka ...

electorate. Hanwella is one of three major towns in the Seethawake pradeshiya sabha, the other two being Kosgama and

Padukka Padukka ( si, පාදුක්ක, ta, படுகா) is a town in the district of Colombo in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. It has a population of roughly 8,000. Elevation 44feet. Padukka, which is part of the Avissawella electorate ...

. Hanwella lies on both of the Colombo-Ratnapura roads, namely the Highlevel and Lowlevel roads. The

, one of Sri Lanka's major rivers, runs alongside the town. Hanwella borders the

Gampaha Gampaha (Sinhala: ගම්පහ ; Tamil: கம்பஹா ) is an urban city in Gampaha District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is situated to the north-east of the capital Colombo. It is the sixth largest urban area in Western Province ...

district. The nearest towns are

(8 km), Pugoda (8 km), Kosgama(8 km) and Nawagamuwa (8 km). There are some waterfalls, and lush green hills and rubber plantations surround the city. Two main reservoirs, called Labugama and Kalatuwawa, are situated close to Hanwella and supply water.

History

Hanwella was part of the ancient Seethawaka kingdom. Many battles between

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

soldiers and Sinhalese troops took place in Hanwella and the surrounding area. These sites have been preserved and can be seen in the Hanwella restaurant district. Portuguese and other colonial influences are still visible in the town. Prior to the construction of the Colombo-Kandy highway by the British, the main access road to Kandy and the interior of the country was via Hanwella.

Urbanisation

Hanwella is rapidly becoming urbanised. Several factories have been built in and around the city. The local version of the Disneyland, "Leisure World", is an attraction for kids a few kilometres away from the town. Currently, the part of the town situated on the Highlevel Road is gradually developing into a separate town called Pahatgama.

Facilities

Among government institutions, the Divisional secretariat office is located in Pahatgama on Highlevel Road. The main schools are Rajasinghe Central College, Roman Catholic, and Mayadunna Vidyalaya. MOH office, Hanwella is located about away from the town at Kosgama.

References

Populated places in Western Province, Sri Lanka {{WesternLK-geo-stub