North Western Province ( si, වයඹ පළාත ''Wayamba Paḷāta'', ta, வட மேல் மாகாணம் ''Vada Mael Mākāṇam'') is a
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
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 ...
. The province consists of the districts of
Kurunegala
Kurunegala ( si, කුරුණෑගල, ta, குருணாகல்) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of the North Western Province and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital for 50 years, fr ...
and
Puttalam
Puttalam ( si, පුත්තලම, translit=Puttalama; ta, புத்தளம், translit=Puttaḷam) is the largest town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Puttalam is the administrative capital of the Puttalam Di ...
. Its capital is
Kurunegala
Kurunegala ( si, කුරුණෑගල, ta, குருணாகல்) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of the North Western Province and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital for 50 years, fr ...
, which has a population of 28,571. The province is known mainly for its numerous
coconut plantations. Other main towns in this province are Chilaw (24,712) and Puttalam (45,661), which are both small fishing towns. The majority of the population of Wayamba province is 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. There is also a substantial
Sri Lankan Moor
Sri Lankan Moors ( ta, இலங்கைச் சோனகர், translit=Ilaṅkaic Cōṉakar; si, ලංකා යෝනක, translit=Lanka Yonaka; formerly Ceylon Moors; colloquially referred to as Sri Lankan Muslims) are an ethnic minorit ...
minority around
Puttalam
Puttalam ( si, පුත්තලම, translit=Puttalama; ta, புத்தளம், translit=Puttaḷam) is the largest town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Puttalam is the administrative capital of the Puttalam Di ...
and
Sri Lankan Tamils in
Udappu
Udappu or Udappuwa ( ta, உடப்பு) is a traditional Tamil fishing and shrimp farming village. situated north of Colombo the capital of Sri Lanka in the North Western Province. (English) It is situated few miles north of Chilaw city and ...
and
Munneswaram.
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
,
prawn farming
A freshwater prawn farm is an aquaculture business designed to raise and produce freshwater prawns or shrimp for human consumption. Freshwater prawn farming shares many characteristics with, and many of the same problems as, marine shrimp farming ...
and
rubber tree
''Hevea brasiliensis'', the Pará rubber tree, ''sharinga'' tree, seringueira, or most commonly, rubber tree or rubber plant, is a flowering plant belonging to the spurge family Euphorbiaceae originally native to the Amazon basin, but is now pa ...
plantations are other prominent industries of the region. The province has an area of 7,888 km
2, and a population of 2,370,075 (2011 census).
Geography
Climate
The climate of Wayamba is tropical, with a marked dry season, and temperatures averaging between 20 °C in January to 25 °C in March. The south of the province is wetter, with almost 2000 mm of rainfall per year, but the north of the province is one of the driest regions in Sri Lanka, averaging under 1100 mm of rain in parts.
Districts
Wayamba is divided into 2 districts:
*
Kurunegala District
Kurunegala is a district in North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Consists of and consists 30 Divisional Secretariats, 1610 Grama Niladari Divisions and 4476 total Villages. It consists of 14 Electorate Divisions, 02 Municipal Council, 19 Urban ...
*
Puttalam District
Cities
*
Kurunegala
Kurunegala ( si, කුරුණෑගල, ta, குருணாகல்) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of the North Western Province and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital for 50 years, fr ...
(Municipal Council)
Large towns
*
Puttalam
Puttalam ( si, පුත්තලම, translit=Puttalama; ta, புத்தளம், translit=Puttaḷam) is the largest town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Puttalam is the administrative capital of the Puttalam Di ...
(Urban Council)
*
Kuliyapitiya
Kuliyapitiya is the second largest town in Kurunegala District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is located north-east of Colombo and from Kurunegala. Kuliyapitiya is home to the Wayamba University of Sri La ...
(Urban Council)
*
Chilaw
Chilaw ( si, හලාවත, translit=Halāvata, ta, சிலாபம், translit=Cilāpam) is a large town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is governed by an urban council. The town is located 80 kilometres away f ...
(Urban Council)
Other towns
*
Alawwa
Alawwa is a town and divisional secretariat of the Kurunegala District in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka. The town is considered part of the Coconut Triangle, where most of the country's coconut exports come from. The population was ...
*
Anamaduwa
Anamaduwa (Sinhala: ආණමඩුව) is a town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is located about away from Puttalam.
Etymology
There are few stories around the name of Anamaduwa. According to one such story, afte ...
*
Bingiriya
*
Bolawatta
Bolawatta is a populated place located in Sri Lanka. The location is situated 130 kilometers west (284°) of the approximate center of Sri Lanka and 40 kilometers north (2°) of the capital Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=K ...
*
Dankotuwa
Dankotuwa is a small town situated in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka.
It is located away from Negombo. Dankotuwa is a junction town, connecting Colombo - Negombo - Kuliyapitiya main road and Negombo - Kurunegala
Kurune ...
*
Galgamuwa
*
Giriulla
*
Hettipola
*
Hiripitiya
*
Kalpitiya
Kalpitiya (, ) is a coastal town located in western region of, Puttalam District. The Kalpitiya peninsula consists of a total fourteen islands. It is developing as a tourist destination.
Etymology
Scholars identify the Sinhalese name "Kalapi ...
*
Kumarakattuwa
*
Madampe
Madampe is a town situated in the Puttalam District, of North Western Province, Sri Lanka.
Madampe is a town with historical importance which was ruled by king Thaniwallbha according to the history. There are two areas: Old town and New town w ...
*
Maho
*
Marawila
*
Narammala
Narammala(නාරම්මල) is a town in Kurunegala district, northwestern province, Sri Lanka. It is connected to Sri Lankan transport network by Kurunegala-Colombo 5 road and Kurunegala-Negombo 34 road. Narammala is 74 km (45.98 Mil ...
*
Nattandiya
*
Nikaweratiya
*
Pannala
Pannala is a town in Kurunegala District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka.
it is located on Kurunegala-Negombo main road, (away from Negombo 25 km and away from Kurunegala 45 km), and away from Kuliyapitiya17 km. The newly construc ...
*
Polpithigama
*
Madurankuli
*
Wariyapola
Wariyapola () is a town in the Kurunegala District, North Western province, Sri Lanka. Wariyapola is above the sea level. Wariyapola is mostly known by sri Lankans because of the Wariyapola Sri Sumangala Tero, who take down the Union Jack and re ...
*
Wennappuwa
Wennappuwa is a town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is north of Negombo.
The village of Wennappuwa is mentioned in the Culavamsa as a small farming hamlet.
History
A church made of wattle and daub, consecrated ...
*
Pallama
*
Polgahawela
Polgahawela is a town located in north western Sri Lanka. It is most notable for being a major railway junction.
Polgahawela is situated in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka, and is located approximately north-east from the capital city ...
*
Udappu
Udappu or Udappuwa ( ta, உடப்பு) is a traditional Tamil fishing and shrimp farming village. situated north of Colombo the capital of Sri Lanka in the North Western Province. (English) It is situated few miles north of Chilaw city and ...
Villages
North Western Province contains six villages with the same name,
Galagedara.
Education
Universities
#
Open University of Sri Lanka
"The Open University of Sri Lanka" (OUSL; si, ශ්රී ලංකා විවෘත විශ්වවිද්යාලය, ta, இலங்கை திறந்த பல்கலைக்கழகம்) is a national universit ...
, regional centre of
Kurunegala
Kurunegala ( si, කුරුණෑගල, ta, குருணாகல்) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of the North Western Province and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital for 50 years, fr ...
#
Wayamba University of Sri Lanka
Wayamba University of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා වයඹ විශ්වවිද්යාලය, ta, இலங்கை வயம்ப பல்கலைக்கழகம்) is the thirteenth national university in ...
,
Kuliyapitiya
Kuliyapitiya is the second largest town in Kurunegala District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is located north-east of Colombo and from Kurunegala. Kuliyapitiya is home to the Wayamba University of Sri La ...
#
Wayamba National College of Education,
Bingiriya
Provincial Education
Provincial Department of Education - North Western
# Zonal Education - Kurunegala
# Zonal Education - Puttalam
# Zonal Education - Kuliyapitiya
# Zonal Education - Chilaw
# Zonal Education - Ibbagamuwa
# Zonal Education - Maho
# Zonal Education - Nikaweratiya
# Zonal Education - Giriulla
Schools
# St. Joseph Vaz College - Wennappuwa
# Presidential Science College - Puttalam
# Holy Family Convent
# Saranath College - Kuliyapitiya
# Central College - Kuliyapitiya
# Maliyadewa College - Kurunegala
# St. Annes College - Kurunegala
# Ananda College - Chilaw
# Dammissara College - Nattandiya
# Wayamba Royal College - Kurunegala
# Senanayake Central College - Madampe
# Mayurapada College - Narammala
# Sri Sumangala College - Wariyapola
# S.W.R.D. Bandaranayaka Central College - Panduwasnuwara
# Zahira National College - Puttalam
Transportation
Roads
The region is served by an extensive rail and road transport system providing linkages to the major cities and ports in Sri Lanka. Some major roads include,
* A3: ''Puttalam – Chilaw – Negombo - Colombo'' (162 km)
* A6: ''Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Dambulla – Trincomalee'' (192 km)
* A10: ''Katugastota – Kurunegala – Puttalam'' (125 km)
* A12: ''Puttalam - Anuradhapura - Trincomalee (179 km)
Railway lines
* Colombo, Ragama Junction, Polgahawela Junction, Kurunegala, Maho Junction, Anuradhapura. Served by the ''Rajarata Rajini'' (Queen of North Central Region).
* Colombo, Ragama Junction, Negombo, Chilaw, Puttalam (1926). Served by the ''Muthu Kumari'' (Pearl Princess). A route of along the North-Western coast.
Industrial land
Wayamba is the location for Mawathagama and Polghawela Export Processing Zones and boasts several other industrial estates such as
Dambadeniya
Dambadeniya ''(DMBD)'' is a ruined ancient city situated in the North Western Province (Wayamba), Sri Lanka on the Kurunegala–Negombo main road. It served as the capital of Sri Lanka in the mid 13th century. Much of Dambadeniya still lies burie ...
, Makandura West, Makadura East, Pannala, Lunuwila, Heraliyawela, Dangaspitiya, Dankotuwa and Noorani.
Mineral resources
Wayamba Province is also rich with several types of mineral deposits. These include,
* Silica Sand - The best known silica sand deposits are found in the Marawila, Madampe and Nattandiya areas of the province.
* Miocene Limestone - The largest deposits of Miocene limestone are found in the north western coastal belt near Puttalam. The limestones are used for cement manufacturing.
* Graphite (Bogala, Kahatagaha and Dodamgaslanda Graphite mines)
* Mica
* Beach mineral sands including ilmenite
* Clay
Major agricultural crops
Wayamba has a highly developed agricultural economy, growing a variety of fruits and vegetables, flowering plants, spices, oil-seeds in addition to the traditional plantation crops such as
Coconut,
Rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
and
Rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
. Rich soils and varied climate give Wayamba a potential for growing of virtually any crop.
Paddy is the main agricultural crop in the province. Wayamba is the third largest paddy-producing area in Sri Lanka. There are two main cultivation seasons. The Maha Season (October–January) or the period with excessive rainfall and the Yala Season (April–August) the drier season. In Yala season, the farmers have to depend on
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...
. More recent times, the paddy farmers during the dry season have opted to cultivate export crops and subsidiary food crops that bring bigger profits.
* Coconut – The largest industry in the Wayamba Province. The extent of land under coconut is 48% of the island's area.
* Paddy
* Cereals – Kurakkan, maize, green gram, cowpea
* Root Crops – sweet potatoes, red onions
* Fruits –
Pineapples
The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centurie ...
,
Mangoes
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South ...
,
Papaya,
Banana,
Avocado
The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for ...
* Vegetables –
Gherkin
A pickled cucumber (commonly known as a pickle in the United States and Canada and a gherkin in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand) is a usually small or miniature cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or ...
,
Asparagus
Asparagus, or garden asparagus, folk name sparrow grass, scientific name ''Asparagus officinalis'', is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus '' Asparagus''. Its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable.
It was once classified in ...
, and many local vegetables
* Cashew Nut is also cultivated on a large scale in the Wayamba province. Wayamba is a major Cashew exporting region in Sri Lanka. The northernmost dry region is ideally suited for Cashew cultivation.
* Fisheries Industry/ Prawn Farming - The western coast of the North Western region is endowed with rich fisheries and other aquatic resources. The major varieties found in abundance are tuna, prawns, lobsters and cuttlefish. The country's export-oriented commercial prawn farming industry is concentrated in the coastal areas of the Puttalam district.
Banking and financial services
The Wayamba province is well served by all major commercial banking and financial institutions of Sri Lanka. These include,
Bank of Ceylon
Bank of Ceylon (BOC; Sinhala: ලංකා බැංකුව ''Lanka Bænkuwa'', Tamil: இலங்கை வங்கி ''Ilangai Vangi'') is a state-owned, major commercial bank in Sri Lanka. Its head office is located in an iconic cy ...
,
Commercial Bank of Sri Lanka,
Sampath Bank
Sampath Bank PLC ( si, සම්පත් බැංකුව, sampat bæṁkuva) is a licensed commercial bank incorporated in Sri Lanka in 1987 with 229 branches and 373 ATMs island-wide. It has won the "Bank of the Year" award by "The Banker" ...
,
National Savings Bank,
Hatton National Bank
Hatton National Bank PLC (commonly abbreviated as HNB) is a private bank in Sri Lanka with 255 branches and 794 ATMs. The bank traces its origin to 1888 when Hatton Bank commenced its operations in Hatton, Sri Lanka.
See also
* List of banks in ...
, People's Bank, Seylan Bank and the Union Bank. All of these banks have an extensive coverage of their branches in the province. Three other development banks of Sri Lanka, namely The DFCC Bank, National Development Bank, Wayamba Development Bank, Ideal motors & Ideal finance also provide services to the province.
Attractions
Archaeological sites
The Wayamba province is a treasure house of archaeology having been seat of four medieval kingdoms of Sri Lanka between the mid 12th and mid 14th centuries. Having forced to move capitals due to foreign invasions, Sri Lankan kings nevertheless built magnificent citadels are
Yapahuwa
Yapahuwa (Sinhalese language : යාපහුව) was one of the ephemeral capitals of medieval Sri Lanka. The citadel of Yapahuwa lying midway between Kurunagala and Anuradhapura was built around a huge granite rock rising abruptly almost a ...
, Panduwasnuwara,
Dambadeniya
Dambadeniya ''(DMBD)'' is a ruined ancient city situated in the North Western Province (Wayamba), Sri Lanka on the Kurunegala–Negombo main road. It served as the capital of Sri Lanka in the mid 13th century. Much of Dambadeniya still lies burie ...
and Kurunegala. Impressive remains of those citadels, palaces, Buddhist temples and monasteries provide exciting sight seeing to the visitors.
Rock temples
Wayamba and Kurunegala are also the home for other ancient Buddhist rock temples, mostly with 1st century B.C roots, with wall and ceiling frescos, colossal Buddha images, stone inscriptions and sculptures dating from early medieval to 18th century period.
Beaches
The sparkling blue surf of the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
and scenic
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
lagoons which edge the western shores of the Wayamba province are glided with 240 kilometres of wide, sun drenched beaches. These beaches stretch from Waikkal at its southern end to Dutch Bay in the Puttalam district.
Some of Wayamba's best resort beaches are at Marawila, Talwila, Kalpitiya and Waikkal. These beaches are often with the bonus of a lagoon or a river front and make excellent bases for stay-put beach holidays. Some of the beach resorts also offer viewing of underwater
Coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...
wonderlands off Kandakuliya and Karaitivu. Many fishing villages dot the coastal areas.
European colonial monuments
The well preserved
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
Fort in Kalpitiya (Puttalam district) dating back to 1670 is an evidence of the Wayamba's European colonial period. The fort is complete with barracks, store houses and living quarters, Dutch colonial pillars and ancient tombstones. Kurunegala has many 19th century relics of the British colonial period including the government Agent's residence and the Rajapihilla rest house.
Festivals
The people of Wayamba celebrate many traditional festivals centred on sacred shrines of diverse faith.
* All Buddhist temples celebrate the
Vesak
Vesak (Pali: ''Vesākha''; sa, Vaiśākha), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia as well as Tibet and Mongolia. The festival commemora ...
, Poson and Esela festivals commemorating the events of great importance to the Buddhists. These festivals feature colourful decorations, lanterns, illuminations and pageants where traditional dancing, drumming, costumed dignitaries and elephants are paraded. Two noteworthy colourful Buddhist processions are organised by the Wilbawa Raja Maha Viharaya (Major temple) and Athanda Raja Maha Viharaya and are paraded in the Kurunegala city.
* The St Anne's Roman Catholic church is located on a magnificent beach stretch in Talawila in the Puttalam district. The
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
draws thousands of pilgrims for its main festivals in March and July.
* The
Munneswaram and
Udappu
Udappu or Udappuwa ( ta, உடப்பு) is a traditional Tamil fishing and shrimp farming village. situated north of Colombo the capital of Sri Lanka in the North Western Province. (English) It is situated few miles north of Chilaw city and ...
Hindu temples are pilgrim centres of many devotees. People gather to worship deities and seek favours. The main temple of God Shiva at Munneswaram, comprises the shrines and has been built according to traditional Hindu style. Munneswaram celebrates its major festival in August where fire-walking is practiced. Udappuwa, a sea side shrine complex of three shrines, also has a colourful festival held in the month of August.
* The Ramazan, Haj and Milad-un-Nabi festivals are also celebrated by the minority Muslims of Wayamba especially at historic and famed
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
s in Puttalam, Kurunegala and Chilaw. These celebrations are mainly of religious character, recitations of Koran and distribution of cooked food and sweets.
All three shrines are easily accessible from Kurunegala, - Munneswaram approximately 70 km, Udappuwa 95 km and St. Anne's about 110 km respectively.
Research institutes
* Coconut Research Institute, Lunuwila
* Rice Research and Development Institute, Batalagoda
Sport
*
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 ...
-
Wayamba
See also
*
List of settlements in North Western Province (Sri Lanka)
*
Provinces of Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, provinces ( si, පළාත, translit=Paḷāta; ta, மாகாணம், translit=Mākāṇam) are the first level administrative division. They were first established by the British rulers of Ceylon in 1833. Over the next ...
*
Districts of Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, districts ( si, දිස්ත්රික්ක, ''Distrikka'', ta, மாவட்டம், ''Māvaṭṭam'') are the second-level administrative divisions, and are included in a province. There are 25 districts o ...
References
External links
*
North Western Province Postal Codes omplete list of post codes for all towns Sports
and villages of wayamba palathaNorth-Western Provincial Councilat the official website of the government of Sri-Lanka
{{Authority control
Provinces of Sri Lanka