Kotte
Sri Jayewardenapura-Kotte, (ශ්ර" ජයවර්ධනප"ර කෝට්ටේ in
Sinhala, ஸ்ரீ ஜயவர்த்தனபுரம் கோட்டே in
Tamil) also known as
Kotte, is the
capital of
Sri Lanka. It is located beyond the eastern suburbs of the business capital
Colombo. The
Parliament of Sri Lanka has been based here since the formal inauguration of its new building on
29 April 1982. Kotte has a population of 115,826 (
2001 census) and is part of the Colombo Metropolitan Region.
Kotte (meaning 'Fortress') was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kotte from the 14th to the 16th centuries. Situated in a marshland, it was founded on the banks of the
Diyawanna Oya river as a fortress against invasions from the
Jaffna Kingdom of
Arya Chakaravarthi in the
13th century by a Tamil chief named Alagakkonara. Alagakkonara is mentioned by
Ibn Batuta as ruling in
Kurunegala, but other sources indicate that he was the Bandara (Guardian) of Raigama Korale (county) in the modern
Kalutara District. Arya Chakravarthy's army was held by Alagakkonara in front of Kotte, while he defeated the enemy's invasion fleet at Panadura to the south-west.
Kotte was a
jala durgha (water fortress), in the shape of a triangle, with the Diyawanna Oya marshes forming two long sides; along the shorter third (land) side a large
moat (the 'inner moat') was dug. It was fortified with
ramparts of
kabook or
laterite rock all round. The area outside the inner moat was called
Pitakotte (outer fort), the area inside being
Ethul Kotte (inner fort).
Later the city became the capital of the island, and was renamed Sri Jaya Vardhana Pura Kotte, meaning "the blessed fortress city of growing victory." The
Portuguese arrived on the island in 1505 and had control of the city by
1565. Failing to withstand repeated assaults by the forces of the neighbouring kingdom of Sitawaka (Avissawella), the city was abandoned by the Portuguese, who made Colombo their new capital.
The
urbanisation of Kotte restarted in the 19th century. The archaeological remains were torn up and used as building materials (a process that continues) - some of it ending up in the Victoria Bridge, across the Kelani River.
Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is the least preserved of Sri Lanka's ancient capitals. Even the first capital of
Anuradhapura, going back to pre-Christian times, exhibits a better state of preservation. The explanation given usually for this state of affairs is that Kotte's proximity to the commercial capital spelled its final doom.
After being chosen as the new capital by the new government of 1977, a massive lake was formed by
dredging the marshlands around the Diyawanna Oya. The new parliamentary buildings were built on Duwa, a 50,000 square metre (12 acre) island in the centre of the lake. The island (off Baddegana Road, Pita Kotte) had been used as a recreation and brawling spot for Portuguese soldiers in the last days of the Kotte era, alcohol being banned from the Royal City. It had belonged to E.W. Perera and had housed a chicken farm prior to being vested in the state. On 29 April 1982, the new parliamentary complex was declared open by President
J.R. Jayawardene.
The process of relocating government institutions from the former capital of Colombo is still in progress.
Sri Lanka remained in an instable situation during the 14th & the 15th centauries. King Parakramabahu vi (1415-1467), the last Sinhalese King managed to reestablish rule over the island. His power base was in Kotte.
In the later stages of his rule, Gampola was challenged and he appointed a prince of Gampola royal house as its administrator.
After the death of Parakramabahu, the island again plunged in to divisive struggle. Jaffna declared itself an independent Tamil kingdom under Pararajasekaram. (1497-1579)
The
Dutch came to Sri Lanka in 1505, during the times of King Parakramabahu IX. The King made a pact with the Dutch as they were a powerful army than of the King's. The King grant permission to Dutch to build a small fortress in Colombo. The Dutch began it's missionary service in Sri Lanka and many some of the citizens were converted in to Catholicism.
The Kotte Urban Development Council was created in the 1930s, with a modern building at Welikada. It was succeeded by the Kotte Urban Council, which had a large section of its area removed and tagged onto the Colombo Municipal Council ward of Borella. The Kotte Urban Council became the Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte Municipal Council in 1997, with Chandra Silva of as the first Mayor.
There are 20 Members of the Municipal Council (MMCs), elected on proportional representation. There are 10 wards, but these are now merely polling divisions, without individual representation.
Kotte is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city. The population of Kotte is a mix of Sinhalese, Moors and Tamils. There are small communities of people with Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Malay and Indian origins living here. According to the census of 2001 the demographics by ethnicity and religion is as follows.
align=bottom|Sourcealign=top|Religious Identification in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
| 2001 | |
|---|
| Sinhalese | 101,331 |
| Sri Lankan Tamil | 6,583 |
| Indian Tamil | 786 |
| Sri Lankan Moor | 4,031 |
| Burgher | 1,367 |
| Malay | 919 |
| Sri Lankan Chetty | 65 |
| Baratha | 57 |
| Other | 687 |
| Total¦¦115,826 |
|---|
| Buddhist | 93,364 |
| Hindu | 4,550 |
| Islam | 5,465 |
| Roman Catholic | 8,659 |
| Other Christian | 3,618 |
| Other | 170 |
The only major railway station is at
Nugegoda, on the Kelani Valley Line. Also at Nugegoda is the city's main bus terminus. There are subsidiary bus stands at Pita Kotte and Welikada. The city is well served by buses and there is a major
CTB bus depot at Udahamulla.
A Passenger boat service is being finalised and would commence adjacent to Parliament Junction at Bataramulla and end at the Wellawatte canal near Marine drive. Each journey would take around 30 minutes. It would have stations at the Kotte Marsh, Nawala, Open University, Apollo Hospital, Wellawatte, Duplication road and at St. Peter's College.
*
WikiSatellite view of kotte at WikiMapia *
Government of Sri Lanka Official Web Portal*
The Parliament of Sri Lanka*
Ministry of Defence : Sri Lanka*
Univerity of Sri Jayawardenepura
