Avissawella, ( si, අවිස්සාවේල්ල, ta, அவிசாவளை) is a township 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 ...

, governed by an

Urban Council The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Services ...

, situated on the A4 route 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 ...

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 ...

Colombo District Colombo District ( si, කොළඹ දිස්ත්‍රික්කය ''kol̠am̆ba distrikkaya''; ta, கொழும்பு மாவட்டம் ''Koḻumpu Māvaṭṭam'') is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level ...

Western Province Western Province or West Province may refer to: *Western Province, Cameroon *Western Province, Rwanda *Western Province (Kenya) *Western Province (Papua New Guinea) *Western Province (Solomon Islands) *Western Province, Sri Lanka *Western Provinc ...

, approximately 40 km air distance and 48.1 km road distance from east of capital

. It is also known as

Seethawakapura 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, ap ...

Overview

It is on the periphery of the

on its border with the

Sabaragamuwa Province The Sabaragamuwa Province ( si, සබරගමුව පළාත ''Sabaragamuwa Paḷāta'', ta, சபரகமுவ மாகாணம் ''Sabaragamuwa Mākāṇam'') is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrati ...

. This town has a rich and proud history in the annals of its military exploits against the

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 ...

invaders as it was the capital of Sitawaka Kingdom from 1521 to 1593. Seethawaka was ruled by King Mayadunne and later his son Rajasinghe the First during this period. There is a lore that Rajasinghe was a parricide but some historians discount this as a story spread by jealousy. Avissawella is the junction from where the oldest land route to the Hill Country via

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and the road down South via

diverge. The Kelani Valley Railway line was originally built from Colombo to Yatiyanthota via Avissawella during 1900–1902. It was branched off at Avissawella and extended up to Opanayaka via Ratnapura (completed in 1912). Originally it was built as a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow-gauge line to serve the rubber plantations in the area. The railway line between Avissawella and Yatiyanthota was removed in 1942, and the line from Homagama to Opanayaka abandoned in 1973. The railway services were restarted up to Avissawella in 1978 and is now a broad gauge line. Avissawella has few tourist attractions. Kumari waterfall (Kumari ella) is very famous since it is only few kilometers from the capital city. The town is governed by the Seethawakapura (formerly Avissawella) Urban Council. During the past, this area was known as Seethawaka and this name is used to identify a section of this town to this day. There are folklore which relate this name to "Seetha Devi" of Ramayanaya fame. Seethawaka legend has become richer because of these stories. Seethawaka river, a tributary of the Kelani river, flows in the outskirts of the city. The city is rapidly transforming into an industrial city with the establishment of the Seethawaka Export Promotion Zone (industrial zone) during late 1990s. After this Zone was established, the population of Avissawella increased rapidly due to migrant workers and resultant increase in residents.

References

Populated places in Western Province, Sri Lanka Grama Niladhari divisions of Sri Lanka {{WesternLK-geo-stub

Overview

See also

References