Pettah ( (''Piṭakoṭuwa''), (''Puṟakkōṭṭai'')) is a neighbourhood in

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, located east of the city centre

Fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

, and behind the Colombo Port. The Pettah neighborhood is famous for the

Pettah Market The Pettah Market also called Manning Market is an open market in the suburb of Pettah, Sri Lanka, Pettah in the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The entrance to the Pettah Market is marked formally by a tall monument in the centre of a roundabout, kn ...

, a series of open air night pasars and markets. It is one of

's busiest commercial areas, where a huge number of wholesale and retail shops, buildings, commercial institutions and other organisations are located. The main market segment is designed like a gigantic crossword puzzle, where one may traverse through the entire markets from dawn till dusk, but not completely cover every part of it. Pettah is derived from , an Anglo-Indian word used to indicate a suburb outside a fort. Today, the Sinhala phrase, (outside the fort) conveniently describes the same place.

Demographics

Pettah is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic area.

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

, Bohras and Memons are the predominant ethnic group found within Pettah, however an average amount of Sinhalese and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

populations also exist. There are also various other minorities, such as Burghers, Malays and others. Religions include

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

and various other religions and beliefs to a lesser extent.

Buildings and landmarks

Notable landmarks in the neighborhood include: *

Wolvendaal Church Wolvendaal Church (''Wolvendaalse Kerk'') is located in Pettah, Sri Lanka, Pettah, a neighbourhood of Colombo. It is one of the most important Dutch colonial-era buildings in Sri Lanka and is one of the oldest Protestant churches still in use i ...

Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque (, , (known colloquially as the ''Samman Kottu Palli'', ''Rathu Palliya'', ''Red Masjid'' or the ''Red Mosque'') is a historic mosque in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is located on Second Cross Street in Pettah. The mosque is one ...

Kayman's Gate Kayman's Gate (, ''Kaiman Dorakada'') was an entrance to the former Colombo Fort located at the foot of the Wolvendaal Hill in the Pettah, Sri Lanka, Pettah district of Colombo, Sri Lanka. A historic free-standing bell tower still stands at the sit ...

* Former Colombo Town Hall *

Colombo Dutch Museum The Colombo Dutch Museum is a museum that covers the history of the Netherlands, Dutch colonial rule in Sri Lanka. The building The two storey colonnaded building on Prince Street, Pettah, Sri Lanka, Pettah (Colombo 11) which houses this museum w ...

* Sammangodu Sri Kathirvelayutha Swami Kovil * Old Town Hall Market * Federation of Self Employees Market * Manning Market *

Pettah Floating Market The Pettah Floating Markets are located on Bastian Mawatha in Pettah, a neighborhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and consist of 92 trade stalls, with a number of the stalls established on boats on Beira Lake. The floating market serves as a touri ...

*Cross Street Bazaars *Central Bus Station *

Khan Clock Tower The Khan Clock Tower was built in Colombo, Sri Lanka by the Khan Family of Bombay. The Clock Tower is a popular landmark and marks the entrance to Pettah Market. The Clock Tower was built in the early 20th century by the family of Framjee Bhikhaj ...

File:Sri Lanka - 012 - Market street around Fort Stn & Harbour (1630266755).jpg, One of the streets that make up the

. File:Colombo le marché aux légumes (15).jpg, One of the streets that make up the

File:Colombo le marché aux légumes (12).jpg, One of the streets that make up the

References

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