Kaduwela, Western Province
Kaduwela කඩුවෙල கடுவெலை | |
|---|---|
  Kaduwela | |
| Coordinates: 6°56′8″N 79°59′2″E / 6.93556°N 79.98389°E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Western Province |
| District | Colombo District |
| Area | |
• Total | 87.71 km2 (33.87 sq mi) |
| Population (2009) | |
• Total | 244,679 |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time) |
| Postal code | 10640 |
| Website | www.kaduwela.mc.gov.lk |
Kaduwela (Sinhala: කඩුවෙල, Tamil: கடுவெலை) is the largest city in Sri Lanka by land area, covering 87.71 km2 (33.87 sq mi).[1] The city is composed of three divisions called Kaduwela, Battaramulla and Athurugiriya and is located in the Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka.[2] Kaduwela Town (located in Kaduwela Division) is located about 16 km (9.9 mi) from the Colombo city centre on the Colombo - Avissawella Old Road (Low Level Road) and about 18 km (11 mi) from Kollupitiya on the New Kandy Road from Ethulkotte to Kandy.
Etymology
Kaduwela was originally Kadudevola, a compound of Kadu (sword) and Devola (shrine). It was the location of a shrine of the goddess Pattini, linked to a golden sword used in the 'water cutting' ritual. The shrine is called the Purana Rankadu Pattini Maha Devale (ancient great shrine of the golden-sword Pattini).
In another possibility Kaduwela simply means the jungle paddy field. Kadu means jungle (Sorata Thera's Sinhala–Sinhala dictionary) and wela means paddy field. There is also another Kaduwela in the Ukuwela division of Matale district
According to Robert Percival of the 19th Regiment of Foot, during the Revolt of 1797 against the Dutch, the Sinhalese threw up earthworks and established a fort here.
After the British defeat in the 1st Kandyan War, Kaduwela was occupied by a small force of British sepoys and lascoreens. They were later reinforced by a mixed force of European troops and sepoys under Captain Charles Wilkinson Mercer of the 51st Regiment, prior to the Battle of Hanwella.
Kaduwela Municipal Council
Demographics
Kaduwela Municipality area is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious urban centre. According to the census of 2012 the demographics by ethnicity and religion is as follows:.
| 2012 | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Buddhist | 227,954 | 90.44% |
| Roman Catholic | 12,520 | 4.97% |
| Other Christian | 3,879 | 1.54% |
| Islam | 3,735 | 1.48% |
| Hindu | 3,524 | 1.40% |
| Other | 445 | 0.18% |
| Total | 252,057 | 100.00% |
| Sinhalese | 241,104 | 95.65% |
| Sri Lankan Tamil | 4,605 | 1.83% |
| Sri Lankan Moor | 2,011 | 0.80% |
| Burgher | 1,194 | 0.47% |
| Other | 1,164 | 0.46% |
| Malay | 1,106 | 0.44% |
| Indian Tamil | 740 | 0.29% |
| Sri Lankan Chetty | 82 | 0.03% |
| Baratha | 51 | 0.02% |
| Total | 252,057 | 100.00% |
See also
References
- ^ "About Kaduwela".
- ^ "Urban Landuse Changes in Sri Lanka with Special Reference to Kaduwela Town from 1975 to 2016 - Scientific Figure on ResearchGate".
- ^ "Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka - Population by ethnicity and district according to Divisional Secretary's Division, 2012".
- ^ "Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka - Population by divisional secretariat division, religion and sex- 2012" (PDF).
External links
Places adjacent to Kaduwela, Western Province | ||||||||||||||||
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Note: * also a Provincial capital, # also a Municipal council | ||