Wayamba Province in Sri Lanka

North Western Province, or "Wayamba" as it is known in Sri Lanka is a province of Sri Lanka. The districts of Kurunegala and Puttalam formulate Wayamba. Its capital is Kurunegala, 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 ethnicity. There is also is a Tamil-speaking Muslim minority around Puttalam. Fishing and prawn farming are some other main industries, alongside coconut and rubber plantations. The province has an area of 7,888 km², and a population of 2,184,136 (2005 calculation by [1]). Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: North Western Province, Sri Lanka ... Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: North Western Province, Sri Lanka ... Sri Lanka is divided into eight provinces for the purposes of local governance. ... View of Kurunegala from atop Ethagala. ... Puttalam is a district situated near to the west coast of Sri Lanka. ... Binomial name Cocos nucifera L. The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera), is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Puttalam is a district situated near to the west coast of Sri Lanka. ... A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ...

Name

Geography

Climate

The climate of Wayamba is tropical, with a marked dry season, and temperatures averaging between 25ºC in January to 28ºC 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 1000 mm of rain in parts.

Districts

Districts of North Western province

North Western province is divided into 2 districts: Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1056x816, 14 KB)[edit] Summary Map of the districts of North Western province in Sri Lanka. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1056x816, 14 KB)[edit] Summary Map of the districts of North Western province in Sri Lanka. ...

• Kurunegala District 4,771 km²
• Puttalam District 2,976 km²

Kurunegala is a district of Sri Lanka. ... Puttalam is a district of Sri Lanka. ...

Major Cities and Towns

• Kurunegala
• Puttalam
• Chilaw (Halawatha)
• Mawathagama
• Kuliyapitiya
• Wariyapola
• Marawila
• Dankotuwa
• Narammala
• Mawathagama
• Malsiripura
• Polgahawela
• Ibbagamuwa
• Nikaweratiya
• Maho
• Galgamuwa

View of Kurunegala from atop Ethagala. ... Puttalam is a district situated near to the west coast of Sri Lanka. ...

People and Culture

Education

Transportation

Roads

The region is served by an extensive rail & road transport system providing linkages to the major cities and ports in Sri Lanka. Some major roads include,

• A 6: Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Dambulla – Trincomalee (192 km)
• A 10: Katugastota – Kurunegala – Puttalam (125km)
• A 12: Puttalam-Anuradhapura-Trincomalee (179km)

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, Bangadeniya and Puttalam (1926). Served by the Muthu Kumari (Pearl Princess). A route of 83 miles 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, Makandura West, Makadura East, Pannala, Lunuwila, Heraliyawela, Dangaspitiya, Dankotuwa and Noorani. Situated in the Wayamba province of Sri Lanka, Dambadeniya served as the capital of Sri Lanka in the mid 13th century. ...

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 manufcturing.
• 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 and Rice. Rich soils and varied climate give Wayamba a potential for growing of virtually any crop. Binomial name Cocos nucifera L. The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera), is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family). ... Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky emulsion (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants. ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Rice refers to two species (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima) of grass, native to tropical and subtropical southern & southeastern Asia and to Africa, which together provide more than one fifth of the calories consumed by humans[1]. (The term wild rice can refer to wild...

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. 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 acreage.
• Paddy
• Cereals – Kurakkan, maize, green gram, cowpea
• Root Crops – sweet potatoes, red onions
• Fruits – Pineapples, Mangoes, Papaya, Banana, Avacado
• Vegetables – Gherkin, Asparagus, 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 northern most 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.

Binomial name Ananas comosus The Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a tropical plant and its fruit, native to Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. ... This article is about the fruit. ... Binomial name Carica papaya L. The papaya, also known as mamão, tree melon, fruta bomba, lechoza (Venezuela and the Dominican Republic), or pawpaw is the fruit of the tree Carica papaya, in the genus Carica. ... Species Hybrid origin; see text Banana is the common name used for herbaceous plants in the genus Musa, which because of their size and structure, are often mistaken for trees. ... Binomial name Persea americana Mill. ... Gherkin (French cornichon) is a young cucumber (Cucumis sativus), picked when 1 to 3 inches (3 to 8 cm) in length and pickled in jars or cans with vinegar (often flavoured with herbs, particularly dill; hence, ‘dill pickle’) or brine. ... Binomial name Asparagus officinalis L. Asparagus is a type of vegetable obtained from one species within the genus Asparagus, specifically the young shoots of Asparagus officinalis. ...

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, Commercial Bank of Sri Lanka, Sampath Bank, National Savings Bank, Hatton National Bank 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 developement banks of Sri Lanka, namely The DFCC Bank, National Development Bank, Wayamba Development Bank 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 Panduwasnuwara, Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa and Kurunegala. Impressive remains of those citadels, palaces, Buddhist temples and monasteries provide exciting sight seeing to the visitors. Situated in the Wayamba province of Sri Lanka, Dambadeniya served as the capital of Sri Lanka in the mid 13th century. ... The rock fortress complex of Yapahuwa is situated in the Wayamba province of Sri Lanka. ...

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 and scenic tropical 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. The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ...

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 wonderlands off Kandakuliya and Karaitivu. Many fishing villages dot the coastal areas. Subclasses Alcyonaria Zoantharia See text for orders. ...

European Colonial Monuments

The well preserved Dutch Fort in Kalpitiya (Puttalam district) dating back to 1670 is an evidence of the North Western Province’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. 1670 was a common year beginning on a Saturday in countries using the Julian calendar and a Wednesday in countries using the Gregorian calendar. ...

Festivals

The people of Wayamba celebrate many traditional festivals centred on sacred shrines of diverse faith.

All Buddhist temples celebrate the Vesak, 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. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The St Anne's Roman Catholic church is located on a magnificent beach stretch in Talawila in the Puttalam district. The church draws thousands of pilgrims for its main festivals in March and July. A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ...

The Munneswaram and Udappuwa 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 of 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.

All three shrines are easily accessible from Kurunegala, - Munneswaram approximately 70 km, Udappuwa 95 km and St. Anne’s about 110 km respectively.

The Ramazan, Haj and Milad-un-Nabi festivals are also celebrated by the minority Muslims of Wayamba especially at historic and famed mosques in Puttalam, Kuruenegala and Chilaw. These celebrations are mainly of religious character, recitations of Koran and distribution of cooked food and sweets. The Badshahi Masjid in Lahore, Pakistan with an iwan at center, three domes, and five visible minarets A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ...

Research Institutes

• Coconut Research Institute, Lunuwila
• Rice Research and Development Institute, Batalagoda

References

See also

• Provinces of Sri Lanka
• Districts of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is divided into eight provinces for the purposes of local governance. ... Below the provinces Sri Lanka is divided into 25 administrative districts. ...

External links

• Cities in North Western Province
• Wayamba University of Sri Lanka
• Wayamba Chamber of Commerce & Industry
• Coconut Research Institute of Sri Lanka
• Industrial Services Bureau
• Rice Research & Development Institute, Batalagoda
• Unearthing Sri Lanka's Past Prehistoric and early historic burial sites

Provinces Of Sri Lanka
Central | North Central | North Eastern | North Western | Sabaragamuwa | Southern | Uva | Western

Coordinates: 7°45′N 80°10′E Image File history File links Flag_of_Sri_Lanka. ... The Central Province of Sri Lanka consists primarily of mountainous terrain. ... North Central Province is a province of Sri Lanka. ... North Eastern Province The North Eastern Province of Sri Lanka is the merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka into a single province. ... Sabaragamuwa is a province of Sri Lanka, and contains two main cities: Ratnapura and Kegalle. ... The Southern Province of Sri Lanka is a small geographic area consisting of the districts of Galle, Matara and Hambantota. ... Uva Province, Sri Lanka Uva is Sri Lankas second least populated province, with 1,187,335 people, created in 1896. ... The western province is the most densely populated part of Sri Lanka. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...