Hanwella

Hanwella is a Small town in Sri Lanka.Hanwella is situated about 30 km away from the commercial capital, Colombo of the country, along the Colombo-Ratnapura main road on the bank of the Kelani River.

Importance

This historical city belongs to the Colombo district and Avissawella electorate. Hanwella is one of the three major towns in the Seethawake pradeshiya sabha, the other two being Kosgama and Padukka. The uniqueness of Hanwella is that it is a city which is situated on both Colombo- Ratnapura roads, namely "Highlevel" and "Lowlevel" roads. Currently, the part of the town situated on the Highlevel road is gradually developing into a separate town called Pahatgama. Sri Lanka's one of the major rivers "Kelani" river runs by the side of the town. Hanwella shares borders with the Gampaha district. The nearest town to Hanwella are Padukka (8km), Pugoda (8km), Kosgama(8km) and Nawagamuwa (8km)

History

Hanwella was an essential part of the ancient Seethawaka kingdom. Many ruthless wars have taken place in Hanwella and surrounding areas between marauding Portuguese soldiers and Sinhalese troops. These sites have been preserved and can be seen in the Hanwella restaurant area. Portuguese and other colonial influences are still visible in the town. A significant proportion of its inhabitants follow Roman Catholicism which they have inherited from the Portuguese colonialists. Several Christian churches scattered in and around Hanwella are testimony to these influences. Just prior to the construction of the Colombo-Kandy highway by the Britishers, the main access road to Kandy and interior of the country was via Hanwella.

Urbanization

Today, Hanwella is rapidly getting urbanized. Several factories have been built in and around the city. The local version of the Disneyland "Leisure World" is a main attraction for kids just a few kilometers away from the town. There are some waterfalls, though not of the propoprtion of falls in the hill capital, in the close proximity. Some lush green hills and rubber plantations surround the city. Two main reservoirs supplying water to metropolis, namely Labugama and Kalatuwawa are situated closer to Hanwella.

Government Institutions in Hanwella

Among government institutions, Divisional secretariat office is located in Pahatgama town on Highlevel road. Main schools are Rajasinghe Central College, Roman Catholic and Mayadunna vidyalaya. MOH office, Hanwella is located about 8 km away from the town at Kosgama.

Links

* http://www.srisailanka.org/HospicePage.htm