Puttalam
Puttalam is a district
situated near to the west coast of Sri
Lanka. Situated
80 miles north from Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka,
Puttalam is a small but very populous town. Famous
for salt and fishing, Puttalam is the home to one
of Sri Lanka's largest lagoons, also called Puttalam
lagoon. Though not famous like many other towns, this
small remote town offers you the best of prawns in
the island. The drive to this destination is a sure
delight. The Puttalam highway is one of very best
in the country and takes you t this destination with
an hour form the capital Colombo. There is a train
service also available and the frequent mode of transport
within the town is through a three wheeler or hired
cycle.
The capitial town of
the district is known as Puttalam and borders the
Kala Oya and Modara Gam Aru in the north, Anuradhapura
and Kurunegala districts in the east, Ma Oya in the
south and the Indian Ocean in the west. Puttalam is
well known for its picturesque lagoon, a paradise
for shallow sea fishing activities. Apart from
salt and fishing, the main income for the residents
of Puttalam is from agriculture and trading and as
many people own coconut estates in the areas surrounding
the town they also produce coir and other handicrafts
for souvenirs. Situated
at the apex of the Coconut triangle, Puttalam is the
second largest Coconut
producer of the country and Tabbowa, a fertile land
for agriculture records highest paddy production per
acre. The so called prawn farming is an exciting
new investment opportunity for both people within
and outside Puttalam. One of country's main cement
plant is located in this town .
Puttalam deriving the meaning New Saltpans is a wind-swept
fishing settlement that gives little indication of
its history. In the 14th century it was the capital
of a Tamil king, Arya Chakravarty, who, although little
more than a pirate, possessed a portion of the northwestern
coast of the island. At that time it was a centre
of the regional cinnamon trade, when all the neighboring
shores were covered with trunks of cinnamon trees,
torn up the torrents. The wood was collected on the
beach, and formed as it were hillocks. The inhabitants
of Coramandel and Malabar take it away without payment,
save only that in return for this favour they make
a present to the King. Although
the town presents little of interest to today's visitor,
the peculiar wind-stunted trees of the area are worth
a look. Then there is the expansive Puttalam Lagoon
- Sri Lanka's second largest, in fact. Deep and widely
navigable, it is used by prawn and crab fishermen.
Ten miles inland from Puttalam are the ruins of Tammana
Newera, the original Tambapanni (or Taprobane), where
Vijaya, the first Hindu immigrant, established his
kingdom.
History of this dry zone district goes back to the
arrival of North Indian Prince Vijaya, 2500 years
ago in Tammanna in the coastal belt above Puttalam.
This happened when his vessel was washed ashore. Thonigala
the homeland of Kuweni is deep in the district. The
name "Puttalam" may be a modification of
"Buth-aram", i.e, a complex of villages
donated by the king to Buddhist temples.
