Thursday, October 22, 2009

Kurunegala


Kurunegala is the capital of the Wayamba Province, Sri Lanka and the Kurunegala District. A transport hub, it has a railway station, and several main roads linking important parts of the country. It is situated about 94 km from Colombo, and 42 km from Kandy. Kurunegala has a population of 28,571. Ethagala a rock reaching 316 meters, towers over the town, which is located at an altitude of 116 meters above sea level. Ethagala, (Elephant Rock) is a magnificent creation of nature. The shape of Ethagala resembles an Elephant. The climate is tropical monsoon, with about 1800 millimeters of rain per year.



Etymology

Kurunegala has been named after the Elephant rock. "Kurune" means Tusker or an Elephant with protruding teeth and Gala in Sinhala means rock. Kurunai means Tusker or an Elephant and Gal in Tamil means rock or hill. Kurunegala's old name was Hasthishailya-pura, which can be translated as The city of the Elephant rock in Sanskrit. In some ancient literature the word Athugal-pura is also employed to describe the city of Kurunegala.

Nearby are three archeological cities - Parakramapura (Panduvasnuwara) (north - west) with remains of a moated palace and monasteries from the 12th century, Dambadeniya (south - west, mid-13th century), and Yapavuwa (north).

It enjoys a pleasant location overlooked by huge rocky outcrops some of which have been given names of the animals they resemble: Elephant rock, Tortoise rock etc. According to folklore legend, long time back the city had experienced a severe drought. To exacerbate matters for humans, the animals had threatened the city's storage capabilities by consuming huge amounts of water. Fortunately for the humans, a witch had volunteered to alleviate the problem, transforming some of the animals magically into stone figures.

Geography

Topographically Kurunegala town is based on a plain area with the exception of the surrounding rock out crops. The northern part of the town is slightly higher than the south. The Kurunegala Lake adorns the town. The Kurunegala area is located well above the sea level comapared to Sri Lankan coastal areas. However the area is not as high as the central hill country of the island. The nearest beaches to Kurunegala are to the western coastal areas and include Negombo and Chilaw.


Climate

Kurunegala's climate is fairly temperate and tropical all throughout the year. However during the month of April the temperature can rise up to about 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). The only major change in the Kurunegala weather occurs during the monsoons from May to August and October to January, this is the time of year where heavy rains can be expected. In general, temperatures experience during late November to mid February period are lower than the rest of the year.




History

Kurunegala had a citadel in the thirteenth century. It was the capital for half a century, starting with the reign of King Buvanekabahu II (1293–1302) who was followed by King Parakramabahu IV (1302–1326). Few remains of the Palace of the Tooth relic that housed the tooth of the Buddha are to seen, including few stone steps and part of a doorway. The present Palace of the Tooth relic is situated in Senkadagala/Mahanuwara.




Education

Education is delivered free of charge to all students of national schools, according to the government policy. These schools operate under the Provincial Council. There are also privately owned schools in Kurunegala.


National Schools


Private/International Schools

  • Royal International School
  • Wayamba International School
  • Unique International College
  • Lexicon International School
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