Kalutara is a resort town located approximately 40 km south of Colombo

Colombo

Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...

 in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

.

Overview

Once an important spice-trading center, the city's name is derived from the Kalu Ganga River ('Black River' in native Sinhala). In the 11th Century, the town was temporarily made a capital on the orders of a South Indian Prince. The region was later planted with coconut trees, whose by-products are used for both internal and external trade. The location also boast fortifications dating back from the times when Portuguese, Dutch and British vied for control of the area.

The 38-meter long Kalutara Bridge was built at the mouth of the Kalu Ganga River and serves as a major link between the country's western and southern border. At the southern end of the bridge lies the 3 stories-high Kalutara Vihara

Kalutara Vihara

The Kalutara Vihara is a dagoba located south of the Kalutara Bridge. It is the world's only hollow Buddhist shrine and its interior contains 74 murals, each depicting a different aspect of the Buddha's life. The remaining temple buildings feature the Bodhiya and several Buddha shrines....

, a Buddhist temple built in the 1960s which holds the distinction of being the only stupa

Stupa

A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....

in the world that is hollow.

Also a famous historic temple built in 1873in Kalutara is the Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple

Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple

Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple is a temple in Sri Lanka.- The Temple History :In the year 1873 a virtuous Buddhist monk, Rev Aluthgama Sangharatne by name came to the Village called Etanamadala in Kalutara North and was residing in a quiet hermitage, a strip of jungle close to river Kalu Ganga...

situated in Kalutara north. The official website for Kalutara Asokarama maha viharaya can be found at www.asokaramya.org.