Negombo

Negombo මීගමුව நீர்கொழும்பு
—  City  —
Negombo
Coordinates: 7°13′0″N 79°50′0″E / 7.216667°N 79.833333°E / 7.216667; 79.833333
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Western Province
Government
• Type	Present government is United People's Freedom Alliance(2010, 2011)
• Mayor	Mr.Antoni Jayaweera
Population
• Total	65,000
Time zone	Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30)

Negombo (Sinhala: මීගමුව [ˈmiːɡamuʋə]; Tamil: நீர்கொழும்பு [nir koɭumbu]) is a city of about 121,933, approximately 37 km north of Colombo, in Sri Lanka. It is located at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, about 7 km from the Bandaranaike International Airport. Negombo has a moderateport, and its economy is mainly based on tourism and its centuries-old fishing industry, though it also produces cinnamon,^[1] ceramics, and brass ware.

Etymology

The name "Negombo" was first used by the Portuguese, a corruption of the Sinhala name Mīgamuva (මීගමුව).

The city is situated by the shores of a lagoon of the same name, and was a trading port during the periods of Portuguese and Dutch colonization.

History

Negombo first flourished as a center for cinnamon production along the western coast of Sri Lanka. The Moors (Muslims) began trading the spice prior to the 13th century, the quality of which attracted the Portuguese who ousted the Moors in the late 16th century, constructed a fort in Negombo and took over the trade to the West. It was during the Portuguese occupation that the Karawa, or traditional fishing clan of Negombo embraced Catholicism almost without exception.

The decline of Portuguese power in Ceylon began in the 1630s when warfare between the Portuguese and the Kingdom of Kandy reached a stalemate and the King of Kandy turned to the Dutch for help. In 1638 the Dutch agreed to help expel the Portuguese from Sri Lanka, and treaty was signed giving the Dutch a monopoly on the cinnamon trade and allowing them to garrison captured fortresses.^[2]

Initial successes resulted in the capture of Negombo in 1640 by Philip Lucas, the Dutch Director-General of the East Indies, followed by major setbacks in 1644 when the Kandian army was defeated by the Portuguese and Negombo recaptured. In 1646, following a successful Dutch recapture of Negombo an armistice was arranged between Portugal and Holland for ten years from 1640 with the two countries retaining their conquests in Ceylon. During this time period the King of Kandy sought to provoke conflict between by passing through the territories of the one to attack the other. On one occasion he marched through Portuguese territory to capture the fort of Negombo and send the head of the Dutch commander Adrian Vander Stell to his countrymen in Galle.^[3]

After the Dutch regained control of Negombo from the King through diplomacy the cinnamon business would continue to be a key part of the regional economy and so esteemed as to be described in 1663 as "the very best in the universe as well as the most abundant." However the woods in which it grew where exposed to ongoing invasions by the Kandyans for whom the disruption of the cinnamon trade was a favourite method of harassing the Dutch ^[4] and increasing the costs of military protection and decreasing the profits derived from cinnamon production. By the time the British commander Colonel Stuart took over in 1796, the industry was in decline. The Dutch Fort was constructed in 1672 and remains to this day, along with a number of other Dutch buildings and the Dutch canal that runs 100 km from Colombo in the South to Puttalam in the north.

Negombo lagoon

Fishing boats in Negombo

The fishermen who are based at the Negombo lagoon live in abject poverty in shanty thatch palm villages along the water's edge. They rely mainly on their traditional knowledge of the seasons for their livelihood, using outrigger canoes carved out of tree trunks and nylon nets to bring in modest catches from September through till April.

Their boats are made in two distinct forms, oruvas (a type of sailing canoe) and paruvas (a large, man-powered catamaran fitted with kurlon dividers), and are said to have originated in the islands off the Mozambican coast; they were brought to Sri Lanka by Portuguese traders in the 17th century.

For generations the lagoon has provided the fishermen with a plentiful supply of crabs, shrimp and many of the native species of fish, but with the onset of global warming these sources of food have dwindled. The men are regularly forced to head out to the ocean to fish, often losing money in the chartering process. In recent years, the villagers have supplemented the income earned from fishing by collecting toddy, or palm sap, which is used to brew arrack.^[1]

Tourism

Negombo Beach

Negombo is an ideal place for those who want quick access to and from the country's international airport. The 100 km long canal network running through the town is still used, and outrigger canoes and modern water-craft ply this route daily, for trade and tourist purposes. Remains of colonization include the Dutch fort built in 1672, as well as centuries-old Portuguese and Dutch houses, administrative buildings, and churches. Negombo is also home to the country's second-largest fish market, the Llelama, at the north end of the town's lagoon. There are daily fish auctions, which give tourists a chance to meet the area's fishermen and even organise fishing trips into the lagoon and the ocean beyond. Other nearby attractions open to visitors include Muthurajawela, which is part of a 6,000-hectare (14,826-acre) protected marshland, home to over 190 species of wildlife.

Negombo offers some of the better beaches on the west coast of Sri Lanka, and draws tourists who stop over for a day on their way to or from the airport. Some quiet stretches of the beach are maintained by the tourist hotels, while others are always busy with fishermen and their equipment. Water-sports and diving are also popular among visitors, with a few well-preserved coral reefs and a 50-year-old shipwreck (Kudapaduwa) that serves as an artificial reef for many varieties of fish.

There are also local handicraft sales on the beaches and the shops near the town.

Religion

St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo

Since the beginning of European Colonization, the township of Negombo has a majority of Roman Catholics along with Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. Negombo has been given the name "Little Rome" due to the highly ornate Portuguese-era Roman Catholic churches such as St Marys church found within the township. The Katuwapitiya Church and the Grand Street Church are two biggest parishes in Negombo. "Agurukaramulla Pansala" is a famous Buddhist temple bringing Buddhists from all over Sri Lanka to Negombo every year.And also Abhayasekararamaya temple (Podipansala)is famous Buddhist temple now.

There is a branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Negombo. The church building is located just west of the intersection of Ave Maria Road and Old Chilaw Road. The Negombo Branch is part of the Colombo, Sri Lanka District, which includes the Colombo, Negombo, and Kandy Branches as well as the Chilaw Group.

Artists

Singers

• Rukmani Devi
• Winon De Paul peiris
• Ivo Dennis
• Claud de Soyza
• Wilbert Anthony
• Joe B Perera
• Shelton Muthunamage
• Shanika Wanigasekara
• Ruwan Srilal Dalpadadu
• Christy Demel
• Meril fernando
• Dee R cee Members

Composers and Musicians

• Alien de soyza
• Dinesh Subasinghe
• Jayantha Fernando(Jayantha Buwa)
• Roy Kariyakarawana
• Camilus Perera

Bands

• Sunshine
• Galaxies
• Dee R cee Members

cinema

Actors and Actresses

• Edie Jayamanna
• B.A.w Jayamanna
• Rukmani Devi
• Edie Yapa
• Benjamin Fernando
• Hugo Master
• Saiman Vass
• Ranjan Mendis
• Swarna Mallika
• Wijitha Mallika
• Leana Fernando
• Edna Sugathapala
• Latishia peries
• Helan Sakunthala
• Oswald Jayasinghe
• Cleatus Mendis
• Ranjan Ramanayaka
• Richard Manamudalli
• Kanchana Mendis
• Nayani Maheshika
• Shanika Siriwardhana
• Anuradha Udayangani
• Shalini Tharuka

Directers

• Bonifus Fernando
• Anton Gregory
• Andrew Jayamana
• Sunil Costha

Stage Drama Artists

• Benedict Master
• Aloe Alahakon
• Clement Fernando
• Christy Mihindukulasuriya
• Peter Wellambage
• peter Vedhamuni
• Jayantha Modarage
• Frank Fernando
• Nevil De Silva
• Jude Sisira
• Krishantha Warnakula
• Richard Manamudalli

Transport

Built by the dutch to transport spices, now used by the local fisherman to get to the sea, Dutch canal in Negombo

Colombo Puttalam A3 main road go through via Negombo, There is a good road net work in and around Negombo City. Negombo is the main hub of the Colombo - Puttalam Railway and the A3 Highway.

The new Bus Terminal Complex of Negombo has been declared open on 4 October 2011. Certainly it is the best bus stand in Sri Lanka and it comprises unprecedented ultra modern architectural features, state-of-the art amenities and multiple facilities for passengers and public. This has become the newest focus of attraction in Negombo.

In year 2011 August Sri Lanka Railway Department have introduced new intercity train between Chilaw to Colombo with a stop at Negombo.

Negombo is closest city to the international Airport in Sri Lanka.

Education

There are many Catholic schools in Negombo City.

• Ave Maria Convent.
• Ave Maria Convent Branch School
• Maris Stella College.
• St.Peter's College.
• St.Mary's College.
• Adventist International School

See also

• Negombo Tamils
• Bharatakula
• RAF Negombo
• Place names in Sri Lanka

References

External links

• Negombo - a large fishing town
• Negombo - Tourism Guide

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Negombo

v t e Cities in Sri Lanka Capitals Colombo (commercial) Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte (national) Other cities Anuradhapura Badulla Batticaloa Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Galle Hambantota Jaffna Kandy Kurunegala Maharagama Matara Moratuwa Negombo Nuwara Eliya Polonnaruwa Ratnapura Trincomalee

Coordinates: 7°13′N 79°50′E / 7.217°N 79.833°E / 7.217; 79.833