Kalutara

For other uses, see Kalutara (disambiguation).
Kalutara
කළුතර
களுத்துறை
Town
Kalutara
Coordinates: 6°35′13″N 79°57′37″E / 6.58694°N 79.96028°E / 6.58694; 79.96028Coordinates: 6°35′13″N 79°57′37″E / 6.58694°N 79.96028°E / 6.58694; 79.96028
Province Western Province
Government
 • Type Urban Council
Population
 • Total 39,700
Time zone Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30)
 • Summer (DST) Summer time (UTC+6)

Kalutara (Sinhalese: කළුතර, Tamil: களுத்துறை) or Kalutota is a large town in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is also the administrative capital of Kalutara District. It is located approximately 40 km (25 mi) south of the capital Colombo.

Etymology

Caltura Fort (1799), by James Welsh.

Once an important spice-trading center, the town's name is derived from the Kalu Ganga River ('Black River' in native Sinhala). In the 11th Century, the town was temporarily made a capital on the orders of a South Indian Prince. The region was later planted with coconut trees, whose by-products are used for both internal and external trade. The location also boast fortifications (Kalutara fort) dating back from the times when Portuguese, Dutch and British vied for control of the area.

The 38 m (125 ft) long Kalutara Bridge was built at the mouth of the Kalu Ganga River and serves as a major link between the country's western and southern border.

Administration

Kalutara is governed by an Urban Council with a chairman. The council has 11 members, elected by the local government election. The local board of Kalutara was established in 1878. Then in 1923, the local board was succeeded by the Urban District Council.

Attractions

Kalutara Beach is one of country's finest beaches. It is only one hour drive from Colombo

Education

Kalutara has three national schools, eleven provincial schools, two semi-government schools and three international schools. It also has a branch of Open University of Sri Lanka and the JMC International College. A number of the schools and colleges are listed below:

Kalutara Public library is one of the largest libraries of Sri Lanka and is located near the High Court.

Infrastructure

Rail

Kalutara has two railway stations, Kalutara North and Kalutara South. Kalutara South, however, is the one closest to the heart of the Kalutara town. Kalutara south railway station is a major railway hub on the Coastal or Southern Rail Line (connecting Colombo through to Matara).

Road

Kalutara is located on the A2 highway connecting Colombo, via Galle through to Wellawaya via Matara. As a result a large number of bus services pass through the town. It is the main point for bus routes in Kalutara district.

Bus routes terminating at Kalutara:

Bus routes heading to/from Colombo travelling via Kalutara:

See also

References

    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/16/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.