Hikkaduwa is a small town on the south coast of
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 ...
located in the
Southern Province, about north-west of
Galle and south of
Colombo.
Etymology
The name Hikkaduwa is thought to have been derived from the two words ''Sip Kaduwa'', with ''Sip (සිප්)'' being the shorter version of ''Shilpaya'' which refers to knowledge in
Sinhalese and ''Kaduwa(කඩුව)'' which means sword. It is believed therefore that the name Hikkaduwa means ''sword of knowledge''. Alternatively it means coral or seashell jungle.
Transport
Hikkaduwa is located on the
Coastal or Southern Rail Line (connecting
Colombo through to
Matara).
It is also located on the
A2 highway, connecting
Colombo to
Wellawaya, which runs mostly parallel to the shore, through the town.
Economy
Hikkaduwa's economy was traditionally based on fishing and coconut cultivation. This was replaced by tourism when its golden sandy beaches were discovered. It is a well-known international destination for board-surfing. The town was featured in an episode of Anthony Bourdain's television show ''
No Reservations''.
Hikkaduwa was affected 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 ...
along with nearby villages Telwatta, Paraliya (site of the
Queen of the Sea rail disaster
The 2004 Sri Lanka tsunami train wreck is the largest single rail disaster in world history by death toll, with 1,700 fatalities or more. It occurred when a crowded passenger train was destroyed on a coastal railway in Sri Lanka by a tsunami wh ...
),
Dodanduwa
Dodanduwa is a small coastal town situated in Galle District, Southern Province of Sri Lanka.
The town is located approximately north of Galle and south of Colombo.
Prior to the Second World War, Dodanduwa was known as the commercial centre f ...
, Kahawa and
Rathgama
Rathgama is a small coastal town situated in Galle District, Southern Province of Sri Lanka.
Etymology
The village is also known 'Rajgama', which means kings village. The village was gifted by Parākramabāhu II to Minister Devapathiraja fo ...
. In the aftermath of the tsunami, many of the families who had lost everything were given
sewing machine
A sewing machine is a machine used to sew fabric and materials together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. Since the inv ...
s as part of the relief operations. As a result, the town has a multitude of tailors who will custom make shirts, trousers, and shorts.
Attractions
* Hikkaduwa beach - reputed as the second best surfing spot in Sri Lanka.
* Hikkaduwa Coral Sanctuary - located a few hundred metres offshore. The sanctuary has approximately seventy varieties of multi-coloured
corals.
Notable people
*
Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera
See also
*
Hikkaduwa National Park
Hikkaduwa National Park is one of the three marine national parks in Sri Lanka. The national park contains a fringing coral reef of high degree of biodiversity. The area was declared a wildlife sanctuary on May 18, 1979, and then on August 14, ...
*
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
Populated places in Galle District
Populated places in Southern Province, Sri Lanka
Seaside resorts in Sri Lanka
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