Kurunegala

[koor-oo-neg-uh-luh, -ney-guh-]

Kurunegala, town (1995 est. pop. 29,500), W central Sri Lanka. It is a road junction and the administrative and commercial center of a coconut, rice, and rubber plantation district. Overlooking the town is Elephant Hill, a stronghold in the 14th cent., when Kurunegala was the capital of a Sinhalese kingdom.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

Kurunegala

Kurunegala (කුරුණෑගල) is the capital of the Wayamba Province, Sri Lanka and the Kurunegala District. A transport hub, it has a railway station, and several main roads linking important parts of the country. It is situated about 94km from Colombo, and 42km from Kandy. Kurunegala has a population of 28,571. Ethagala a rock reaching 316 meters, towers over the town, which is located at an altitude of 116 meters above sea level. Ethagala, (Elephant Rock) is a magnificent creation of nature. The shape of Ethagala resembles an Elephant. The climate is tropical monsoon, with about 1800 millimeters of rain per year. Maliyadeva College and St. Anne's College are situated in Kurunegala.

Origins of the Name

Kurunegala has been named after the Elephant rock. "Kurune" means Tusker or an Elephant with protruding teeth and Gala in Sinhala means rock. Kurunegala's old name was Hasthishailya-pura, which can be translated as The city of the Elephant rock. In some ancient literature the word Athugal-pura is also employed to describe the city of Kurunegala.

Nearby are three archeological cities - Parakramapura (Panduvasnuwara) (north - west) with remains of a moated palace and monasteries from the 12th century, Dambadeniya (south - west, mid-13th century), and Yapavuwa (north).

It enjoys a pleasant location overlooked by huge rocky outcrops some of which have been given names of the animals they resemble: Elephant rock, Tortoise rock etc. According to folklore legend, long time back the city had experienced a severe drought. To exacerbate matters for humans, the animals had threatened the city's storage capabilities by consuming huge amounts of water. Fortunately for the humans, a witch had volunteered to alleviate the problem, transforming some of the animals magically into stone figures. But now kurunegala is goning down becous the new government

Geography and climate

Geography

Topographically Kurunegala town is based on a plain area with the exception of the surrounding rock out crops. The northern part of the town is slightly higher than the south. The Kurunegala Lake adorns the town. The Kurunegala area is located well above the sea level comapared to Sri Lankan coastal areas. However the area is not as high as the central hill country of the island. The nearest beaches to Kurunegala are to the western coastal areas and include Meegamuwa(Negambo) and Halawatha(Chilaw).

Climate

Kurunegala's climate is fairly temperate and tropical all throughout the year. However during the month of April the temperature can rise up to about 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). The only major change in the Kurunegala weather occurs during the monsoons from May to August and October to January, this is the time of year where heavy rains can be expected. In general, temperatures experience during late November to mid February period are lower than the rest of the year.

History

Kurunegala had a citadel in the thirteenth century. Kurunegala was the capital for half a century, starting with the reign of King Buvanekabahu II (1293-1302) who was followed by King Parakramabahu IV (1302-1326). Few remains of the Palace of the Tooth relic that housed the tooth of the Buddha are to seen, including few stone steps and part of a doorway. The present Palace of the Tooth relic is situated in Senkadagala/Mahanuwara.

Administration

The Kurunegala Municipality Council is responsible for overall administration, sanitary, welfare, and other general activities of the city. The Municipality Council headed by a mayor with 12 other elected members. The 12 elected members represent the following wards.

Gangoda
Wewa
Central
Illuppugedara
Madamegama
Wehera
Udawalpola
Bazzar
Gettuwana
Polattapitya
Teliyagonna (Upper)
Teliyagonna (Lower)

Education

Education is delivered free of charge to all students of national schools, according to the government policy. These schools operate under the Provincial Council. There are also privately owned schools

National Schools

Maliyadeva College - Kurunegala
Maliyadeva Model School - Kurunegala
Central College - Kuliyapitiya
Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya - Kurunegala
St. Anne's College - Kurunegala
Mawathagama National School - Mawathagama
Holy Family Balika Maha Vidyalaya - Kurunegala
Mawathagama National college - Mawathagama
Sir John Kothalawala Maha Vidyalaya - Kurunegala
Wayamba Royal College - Kurunegala
Lakdas Maha Viddyalaya - Kurunegala
Zahira Viddyalaya
Hindu Tamil Maha Vidyalayam - Kurunegala
Dammissara National College - Nattandiya
Ibbagamuwa Central College - Ibbagamuwa
Saranath College - Kuliyapitiya
Wikramasheela National School - Giriulla
Pannala National Collage - Pannala
S.B. Herath National School - Ganewaththa

Private/International Schools

Royal International School
Wayamba International School
Unique International College
Lexicon International School

Pride of Kurunegala

Printers

Asliya Printers
Anura Printers
T & A Type Setting & Printers
Laxman Printers
Dambulu Printers
Sinca International Printers

Paper Adds

Sampath Advertising (0094 37 22 22 133)

Textile

Sirisara Vilasitha www.sirisaravilasitha.com
Kandy stores

Construction

Sathuta Builders www.sathuta.net
Sathuta Ready-mix
ASB construction

Hotels

Bright Bravo
Situmedura
Blue Sky

Exporters

Greensac www.greensac.com

Transportation

Kurunegala is a central city in Sri Lanka and is directly connected to a large number of major cities and towns of the island. By road, it is connected to Colombo, Mahanuwara (Kandy), Puttalam, Trincomalee, Negombo, Anuradhapura and Kegalle. Kurunegala can also be reach by the railway on the Northern Railway line. The newly built centralized Bus Stand is Sri Lanka's most efficient and modern Bus Stand with space to park about 200 buses at a time.

Attractions

The Seven Rocks

Kurunegala is surrounded by several rock outcrops, a distinctive geological feature of Wayamba.

Etha-gala (Elephant Rock)
Ibba-gala (Tortoise Rock)
Ada-gala (Eel Rock)
Elu-gala (Goat Rock)
Yakdessa-gala
Kuruminiya-gala (Beetle Rock)
Wandura-gala (Monkey Rock)

Kurunegala vewa

A large man-made water reservoir constructed by ancient kings.

Kurunegala Clock Tower

This was built in 1922 as a tribute to the officers, who went from the Wayamba province and sacrificed their lives in the World War I. But after 1945 the tower was also dedicated to the officers who sacrificed their lives in the Second World War. Today the Kurunegala clock tower serves as a landmark of the city.

The tower is located at the city centre, that links the Ambepussa - Trincomalee(A6) and Puththalama - Katugasthota (A10) roads. Vicinity of the tower include the Kurunegala Court of law, market and the central bus stand.

"This Clock Tower was erected in memory of those who went from the North Western province at the call of duty and gave their lives for the empire in the World War in 1914-1918"

Maligawa Ancient Ruins

Archaeological remains of this site are few, but give a glimpse of its past glory and comprise the handsome stone entrance, steps, rock pillars and ruined walls of the royal palace. Maligawa site also contains some majestic old trees.

Sports

There are many popular sports in Wayamba. The most popular are cricket, volleyball, and basketball. Dammissara National School got the all-island Volleyball championship in 1980-2006.