Moratuwa

Moratuwa මොරටුව மொறட்டுவை
—  City  —
Motto: පුරෝගාමීත්වයේ නගරය
Moratuwa Location of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka
Coordinates: 6°47′56.66″N 79°52′36.04″E / 6.7990722°N 79.8766778°E / 6.7990722; 79.8766778Coordinates: 6°47′56.66″N 79°52′36.04″E / 6.7990722°N 79.8766778°E / 6.7990722; 79.8766778
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Western Province
District	Colombo District
Established
Elevation	28 m (92 ft)
Population (2001)
– Total	177,190
Time zone	SLT (UTC+5:30)
Postal Code	10400

Moratuwa is a city on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, near Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia. It is situated on the Galle–Colombo (Galle road) main highway, 18 km south of the capital, Colombo. Moratuwa is surrounded on three sides by water, except in the north of the city, by the Indian Ocean on the west and the Bolgoda lake on the east. According to the 2001 census, the city had a population of 177,190.^[1]

History

Moratuwa is derived from "Mura Atuwa" meaning "Sentry Turret" in Sinhalese.^[2] Queen Leelawathie (1208-1210 AD) appointed a military commander Lak Vijaya Singukith Senevi, and placed him in charge of 100,000 soldiers at Moratuwa. He was called 'Lakshadipaty' (meaning "governor of one lakh") and the area he was based is known as 'Lakshapathiya' to this day.^[3]

Moratuwa is also the proud birthplace of Veera Puran Appu a hero who rose against oppression by the British in Kandy.

Municipal structure

Moratuwa consists of 21 main areas: Angulana, Borupana, Dahampura, Egoda Uyana, Idama, Indibedda, Kadalana, Kaduwamulla, Kaldemulla, Katubedda, Katukurunda, Koralawella, Lakshapathiya, Molpe, Moratumulla, Rawathawatta, Soysapura, Thelawala, Uswatta, Uyana and Willorawatta.^[4]

Industries

Industries in Moratuwa include the manufacture of furniture, rubber products, batteries, transformers, and wood handicrafts. The city is also a fishing and trading center. Out of these Moratuwa is most well known for its furniture.

Education

The University of Moratuwa, a leading technological university in South Asia is situated in Moratuwa. Popular high schools in the area include St. Sebastian's' College,Our Lady of Victories ConventPrince of Wales' College, Princess of Wales College, , Moratuwa Maha Vidyalaya and Sunnada Upannada Vidyalaya.

Cricket

Cricket is the most popular sport in Moratuwa. Moratuwa is famous for its cricket stars such as Duleep Mendis,Susil Fernando ,Roger Wejesuriya, Hemal Mendis,Romesh Kaluwitharana Sriyan Samararatna, Prasanna Jayawardene, Dinusha Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne and Ajantha Mendis. An international cricket stadium, De Soysa Stadium (Tyronne Fernando Stadium) is situated in Moratuwa.

Music

Moratuwa is famous for its music and is home to some well-known musicians such as W. D. Amaradeva,C.T Fernando M. S. Fernando, Nihal Nelson (Golden Chimes Band) Los Flamingos,, Christopher Paul, Priya Peiris (La Bambas), Sunil Perera (The Gypsies), Paul Fernando, Saman Silva,Chandra Devadithiya,, Derik De Silva,Danapala Udawaththa, Rajiv Sebastian, Lankika Perera, Lucky Deva,Malkanthi Nandhasiri, and Merril Fernando. The town also has a famous "theme song", "Punsada paaya Moratuwa dillenna"[1] (meaning "Moratuwa in the splendour of the full moon"), which is a staple at most musical events held in Moratuwa.^[2]

Tourism

Tourism is nominal but more visitors have come recently due to the increasing popularity of the Bolgoda Lake in Moratuwa. Many hotels and guesthouses have opened by the waterfront. The once famous Moratuwa Beach is no longer present due to sea erosion. The coastal areas of Moratuwa received some damages during the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

Demographics

Ethnicity	Population	% Of Total
Sinhalese	168,324	95.00
Sri Lankan Tamils	4,433	2.50
Indian Tamils	375	0.21
Sri Lankan Moors	2,452	1.38
Other (including Burgher, Malay)	1,606	0.91
Total	177,190	100

Source: http://www.statistics.gov.lk/census2001/population/district/t002c.htm

References

1. ^ "Sri Lanka: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=1208411424&men=gcis&lng=en&des=wg&geo=-127&srt=npan&col=adhoq&msz=1500&pt=c&va=&srt=pnan. Retrieved 2010-10-09. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Western, Southern & Eastern Coasts of Sri Lanka". http://www.mysrilankaholidays.com/coastal-belt.html#Moratuwa. Retrieved 2008-07-14. 
3. ^ "Kaurava Princes and Princesses of the Past". http://www.defonseka.com/k17.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-14. 
4. ^ "Administrative Map - District Division: Moratuwa". http://ochaonline.un.org/OchaLinkClick.aspx?link=ocha&docid=1005530. Retrieved 2008-07-14. 

Maps

• Detailed map of Moratuwa vicinity and Sri Lanka

External links

• Puran Appu
• Moratuwa City Details