Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte
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ශ්රී ජයවර්ධනපුර කෝට්ටේ ஸ்ரீ ஜயவர்த்தனபுரம் கோட்டே Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte |
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| State : |
 Sri Lanka
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| Province : | Western province | ||
| District : | Colombo | ||
| Next city: | Colombo | ||
| Surface: | 17 km² | ||
| Height: | 0 m | ||
| Residents: | 107,925 (2012) | ||
| Mayor: | RAD Janaka Ranawaka ( SLFP ) | ||
| Website: |
www.kotte.mc.gov.lk/ (English) |
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Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte ( Sinhala : ශ්රී ජයවර්ධනපුර කෝට්ටේ , Tamil : ஸ்ரீ ஜயவர்த்தனபுரம் கோட்டே , also Sri Jayewardenepura , Sri Jayavardhanapura or simply Kotte ) is a city in western Sri Lanka and a suburb of Colombo (about 8 km from the center of Colombo) and has been since 1982 Seat of Parliament and the capital of Sri Lanka. On this occasion the city was renamed after himself by the then President Junius Richard Jayewardene .
Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte was the capital of the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kotte, which ruled all of Sri Lanka from 1450 to 1477 . In 1565, Colombo replaced Kotte as the capital. According to the 2012 census, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte has around 108,000 inhabitants.
Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the seat of a university, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura .
history
The historical name Kotte means "fortress". The city was the capital of the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kotte from the 14th century to the 16th century. The city was built in the marshland on the banks of the Diyawanna Oya as a fortress to protect the surrounding area against incursions from the kingdom of Jaffna of the Arya Chakaravarth dynasty. A Tamil leader named Alagakkonara has been handed down as the city's founder . When Ibn Battuta Alagakkonara is considered the king of Kurunegala called, but other sources speak of a guard of Raigama Korale in Kalutara -Distrikt. In any case, Alagakkonara managed to stop Arya Chakaravarth's army in front of Kotte.
Kotte was a jala durgha ("water fortress") in the shape of a triangle. The Diyawanna Oya marshes formed the two long sides, while the shorter side was protected by an artificial moat . The city was also protected by a laterite city wall . The land outside the trench was called Pitakotte ("outer fortress") and that inside Ethul Kotte ("inner fortress").
Later, the city was renamed the capital of the island of Sri Lanka and after Sri Jaya Vardhana Pura Kotte (blessed fortress city of growing victory) (a name that Junius Richard Jayewardene later used his own name spelling). The Portuguese landed on the island in 1505 and took control of the city in 1565. Because of the constant attacks by troops from the neighboring kingdom of Sitawaka (Avissawella), the city was abandoned and Colombo became the new capital.
The urbanization began back in the 19th century; remaining old parts of the city were demolished and reused as building material.
Of the historical capitals of Sri Lanka, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the worst preserved. Even the first capital Anuradhapura , which looks back to pre-Christian times, is better preserved. Kotte's proximity to Colombo is often cited as the reason for this.
Demographics
Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is a city made up of many different cultures and ethnic groups. The population consists mainly of Sinhalese , Tamils and Muslims . Christians form the second largest religious group in the city. But there are also Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Malay and Indian minorities in the city.
| 2001 | |
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| Sinhalese | 101,331 |
| Sri Lankan Tamils | 6,583 |
| Indian Tamils | 786 |
| Moors | 4.031 |
| Burgher | 1,367 |
| Malays | 919 |
| Chettiar (Sri Lanka) | 65 |
| Bharatakulaa | 57 |
| other | 687 |
| total | 115,826 |
| 2001 | |
|---|---|
| Buddhists | 93.364 |
| Catholics | 8,659 |
| Muslims | 5,465 |
| Hindus | 4,550 |
| other Christians | 3,618 |
| other | 170 |
| total | 115,826 |
