Panama ( ta, பாணமை, si, පාණම) is a coastal village in the
Eastern Province 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 south of
Batticaloa
Batticaloa ( ta, மட்டக்களப்பு, ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu''; si, මඩකලපුව, ''Maḍakalapuwa'') is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the B ...
and south of
Arugam Bay
Arugam Bay ( ta, அறுகம் குடா), known locally as "Arugam Kudah", is situated on the Indian Ocean in the dry zone of Sri Lanka's southeast coast, and a historic settlement of the ancient Batticaloa Territory (Mattakallappu Des ...
. It is the last populated settlement in the southernmost part of the province, within the
Ampara District
Ampara District ( ta, அம்பாறை மாவட்டம், translit=Ampāṟai Māvaṭṭam; si, අම්පාර දිස්ත්රික්කය, translit=Ampāra Distrikkaya) is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the s ...
.
Kumana Bird Sanctuary and Heritage park starts southwards from Panama.
Panama was the capital of the Colonial Panamapattuwa of
Mattakkalappu Desam. This ancient village can be seen in the historical maps of Portuguese and Dutch as Panao, Panova, and Paneme. Panama's inhabitants are mixed people of Sinhalese and Tamils. Panama is known for its
Pattini Cult.
The village's name has been a cause for mix-up by
Sri Lanka Post
The Department of Posts, functioning under the brand name Sri Lanka Post ( Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා තැපැල් ''Shri Lanka Tæpæl''), is a government operated postal system in Sri Lanka. The postal headquarters is the Gene ...
resulting in local mail being wrongly redirected to the Central American nation of
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
and vice versa for international mail.
See also
*
Okanda
Okanda ( ta, உகந்தை) is a small hamlet in the eastern coast of Sri Lanka within the Ampara District. It is known for its shrine dedicated to Hindu deity Murugan known as Ukanthamalai Murugan Kovil and for surfing. Pilgrims from the East ...
{{Authority control
Villages in Ampara District
Lahugala DS Division