Galle

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Galle
View of the city from the sea side
Flag
Galle
Coordinates: 6°3′0″N 80°13′0″E / 6.05°N 80.216667°E / 6.05; 80.216667
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Southern Province
Government
- Mayor
Area
- Total	1,652 km2 (637.8 sq mi)
- Land	1,617 km2 (624.3 sq mi)
- Water	35 km2 (13.5 sq mi)
Population (2001)
- Total	99,500
- Density	613/km2 (1,587.7/sq mi)
Time zone	Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30)

Galle (ගාල්ල in Sinhala; காலி in Tamil) (pronounced as one syllable in English, /ˈɡɔːl/ "Gaul", and as two in Sinhalese, IPA: [ɡaːlːə]) is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle was known as Gimhathiththa (although Ibn Batuta in the 14th century refers to it as Qali) before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century, when it was the main port on the island. Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, during the Dutch colonial period. The major river is Gin River (Gin Ganga) which starts from Gongala Kanda and passing villages such as Neluwa, Nagoda, Baddegama, Thelikada, Wakwella and kisses the sea at Ginthota. In Wakwella over the river there is Wakwella Bridge which is the longest bridge in Sri Lanka.

Galle lies in Galle District.

On 26 December 2004 the city was devastated by the massive Boxing Day Tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that occurred a thousand miles away, off the coast of Indonesia. Thousands were killed in the city alone.

Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by Europeans in south and southeast Asia, showing the interaction between European architectural styles and south Asian traditions. The Galle fort is a world heritage site and the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. Other prominent landmarks in Galle include St. Mary's Cathedral founded by Jesuit priests, one of the main Shiva temples on the island, and The Amangalla, a historic luxury hotel.

Galle is the main town in the most southerly part of the island, with a population of around 100,000, and is connected by rail to Colombo and Matara. It is home to a cricket ground, the Galle International Stadium, rebuilt after the 2004 tsunami. Test matches resumed there on December 18, 2007.

Rumassala Kanda is a large mound-like hill, which forms the eastern protective barrier to the Galle harbour. Local tradition associates this hill with some events of the Ramayana.

Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Sri Lanka
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iv
Reference	451
Region**	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	1988  (10th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

History

Mosque

The beauty of Galle countryside, Wakwella with Sri Lanka's longest bridge on the river Gin

According to James Emerson Tennent, Galle was the ancient seaport of Tarshish, from which King Solomon drew ivory, peacocks and other valuables. Certainly, cinnamon was exported from Sri Lanka as early as 1400 BC and the root of the word itself is Hebrew, so Galle may have been a main entrepot for the spice.^{[citation needed]}

Galle had been a prominent seaport long before western rule in the country. Persians, Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Malays, Indians, and Chinese were doing business through Galle port. In 1411, the Galle Trilingual Inscription, a stone tablet inscription in three languages, Chinese, Tamil and Persian, was erected in Galle to commemorate the second visit to Sri Lanka by the Chinese admiral Zheng He.

The "modern" history of Galle starts in 1505, when the first Portuguese ship, under Lourenço de Almeida was driven there by a storm. However, the people of the city refused to let the Portuguese enter it, so the Portuguese took it by force.

In 1640, the Portuguese had to surrender to the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch built the present Fort in the year 1663. They built a fortified wall, using solid granite, and built three bastions, known as "Sun", "Moon" and "Star".

After the British took over the country from the Dutch in the year 1796, they preserved the Fort unchanged, and used it as the administrative centre of Galle.

New Galle Mayor is Mr. Methsiri de Silva, appointed 2008.12.04.

Demographics

Galle is a sizeable town, by Sri Lankan standards, and has a population of 91,000, the majority of whom are of Sinhalese ethnicity. There is also a large Sri Lankan Moor minority, particularly in the fort area, who descend from Arab merchants that settled in the ancient port of Galle.

Source: 2001 Census

Galle is also notable for its foreign population, both residents and owners of holiday homes.

Culture

The most notable regular cultural even in Galle is the annual Galle Literary Festival, and English language festival that attracts world famous authors.

Universities

Faculty of engineering, Galle

Two main faculties of University of Ruhuna are located in Galle. Faculty of Engineering is located at Hapugala about 5 km from the city center. The faculty of Medicine is located at Karapitiya near the Karapitiya Hospital.

• Faculty Of Engineering visit
• Faculty of Medicine visit

Higher Education Institutes

Labuduwa Advanced Technological Institute was Started in year 2000 and it was planned to offer Higher national Diploma in Information Technology(HNDIT), Higher National Diploma in Technology (Agriculture) HNDT(Agri),and Higher National Diploma in Engineeering (HNDE).Since then Labuduwa ATI has been the pioneer in technological education in SriLanka

• HNDIT -Labuduwa ATI [visit:http://www.hndit.lk]
• HNDT(Agri)-Labuduwa ATI

Schools

• Richmond College (established in 1876) Richmond College Website
• Mahinda College (established in 1892) Mahinda College Website
• St. Aloysius' College (established in 1895)
• Southlands College (established in 1885)
• Sangamitta Girls'College
• Sacred Heart Convent
• Vidayaloka College
• Rippon Girls' College
• All Saints College (established in 1867)
• Christ Church Boys College
• Christ Church Girls College(established in 1888)
• Siri Dhamma College (established in 1995)
• Nagoda Jathika Pasala.
• Olcot Mix College
• G/Battemulla Maha Vidyalaya,Imaduwa
• Malharus Sulhiya National School
• Muslim Ladies College
• Kathaluwa Central College
• Sariputhra Maha Vidyalaya, Ahangama
• Thelikada Maha Vidyalaya
• Thomas Gall International School
• St/Anthony,s(Navodaya)college Baddegama

Twin cities

Galle Cricket Ground

The City of Galle is twinned with:

Although not an official twin city, Melbourne, Australia 'adopted' Galle after the 2004 tsunami disaster, funding the reconstruction of its cricket ground and providing financial and other support, including a mobile library.

See also

• Railway stations in Sri Lanka

External links

• GalleLink ,The Way of Galle - More information about Galle
• Discover Sri Lanka - More information & images on Galle and Galle Fort
• Discover Sri Lanka - More information & images on Physical and historical Position of Galle

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Galle

• Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications, UNESCO World Heritage
• Official website of the Sri Lanka Tourism Board
• Maritime Archaeology & History of Sri Lanka
• Audio interview with Galle resident about life in Galle (English)
• The Walled City - Galle
• CPAmedia Historic Galle
• A Historic tour through the city of Galle
• The old world's romantic city: Galle!
• Galle - A Port City in History

• FallingRain Map - elevation = 3m (Red dots are railways)

v • d • e Sri Lankan Municipalities and Urban Councils Municipalities Anuradhapura · Badulla · Batticaloa · Colombo · Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia · Galle · Gampaha · Jaffna · Kalmunai · Kandy · Kurunegala · Matale · Matara · Moratuwa · Negombo · Nuwara Eliya · Ratnapura · Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Urban Councils Ambalangoda · Ampara · Balangoda · Bandarawela · Beruwala · Boralesgamuwa · Chavakacheri · Chilaw · Embilipitiya · Gampola · Hambantota · Haputale · Hatton-Dickoya · Hikkaduwa · Horana · Ja-Ela · Kadugannawa · Kalutara · Kattankudy · Katunayake-Seeduwa · Kegalle · Kesbewa · Kinniya · Kolonnawa · Kuliyapitiya · Maharagama · Minuwangoda · Nawalapitiya · Panadura · Peliyagoda · Point Pedro · Puttalam · Seethawakapura · Talawakele-Lindula · Tangalle · Trincomalee · Valvettithurai · Vavuniya · Wattala-Mabola · Wattegama · Weligama

v • d • e Sri Lankan cities Capitals Colombo (commercial) · Sri Jayawardenapura (national) Other cities Anuradhapura · Trincomalee · Jaffna · Kandy · Polonnaruwa · Galle · Batticaloa · Boralesgamuwa · Nuwara Eliya · Negombo · Kurunegala · Badulla · Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia · Moratuwa · Matara · Maharagama · Ratnapura

v • d • e Provincial capitals of Sri Lanka Colombo · Kandy · Galle · Jaffna · Trincomalee · Gampaha · Kurunegala · Anuradhapura · Badulla · Ratnapura

v • d • e World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka Anuradhapura · Galle and its Fortifications · Golden Temple of Dambulla · Kandy · Polonnaruwa · Sigiriya · Sinharaja Forest Reserve

Coordinates: 6°02′02.97″N 80°12′58.77″E / 6.0341583°N 80.216325°E / 6.0341583; 80.216325