Karaitivu (Ampara)
Encyclopedia
Karaitivu is a coastal village
situated in the Eastern Coast of Sri Lanka
about 30 miles (44 km) south of Batticaloa
and is next to Kalmunai
town. This is one of the oldest surviving village settlements in the Ampara District
.
majority borders the North and Ninthavur, another Muslim dominant village is on its South. The sandy soil beach front extends to about less than 300 meters before a creek
of about 20 meters running parallel to the sea and connects the sea almost at the end of the village. Land area further extends from the creek to the West border of paddy
lands for a length of one and half km. There are few smaller patches of coconut plantations and vegetable growing area in the south part of the village.
Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic group. Most people belong to few Kudis or Clans hence are very closely knit community. Most are Hindus and the rest are Christians.
Most of people engaged in farming related activities and the rest shares trickling government jobs opportunities, fishing
, casual jobs in the neighboring towns and hundreds of unemployed families relying on extended families for their survival.
who was credited with reviving the long dormant Tamil
and Hindu traditions of the minority Tamil people throughout Sri Lanka.WE Veniyan Kanthan birth in this village.
The continuing Sri Lankan civil war
has adversely affected civilian population of this village resulting in many missing people, preponderance of widows and lack of development and employment opportunities.
The village also took a direct hit from the 2004 Tsunami resulting in the destruction of over 50% of the village and the deaths of over 2,000 people. Most farming and fishing related families lost all the required equipment to continue on with their professions.(see pic here)
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
situated in the Eastern Coast of 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...
about 30 miles (44 km) south of Batticaloa
Batticaloa
Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
and is next to Kalmunai
Kalmunai
Kalmunai is a municipality within the Ampara District of Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. It had a total population of 91,457 as of 2001. And It is the one and only Muslim majority municipality in the country. There were Sri Lankan Muslims, Sri Lankan Tamils, Sinhalese, and Burghers with the Moors...
town. This is one of the oldest surviving village settlements in the Ampara District
Ampara District
Ampara district is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The headquarters is located in Ampara town...
.
Landscape
The village has 9-10 square meter area with 4 km long continuous sea boundary on the East and contains paddy lands on the West. Kalmunai, a commercial town with MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
majority borders the North and Ninthavur, another Muslim dominant village is on its South. The sandy soil beach front extends to about less than 300 meters before a creek
Creek (tidal)
A tidal creek, tidal channel, or estuary is the portion of a stream that is affected by ebb and flow of ocean tides, in the case that the subject stream discharges to an ocean, sea or strait. Thus this portion of the stream has variable salinity and electrical conductivity over the tidal cycle...
of about 20 meters running parallel to the sea and connects the sea almost at the end of the village. Land area further extends from the creek to the West border of paddy
Paddy field
A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Paddies can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such...
lands for a length of one and half km. There are few smaller patches of coconut plantations and vegetable growing area in the south part of the village.
Demography
The population was approximately 19,000 people of 5200 families all belonging to minorityMinority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic group. Most people belong to few Kudis or Clans hence are very closely knit community. Most are Hindus and the rest are Christians.
Most of people engaged in farming related activities and the rest shares trickling government jobs opportunities, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, casual jobs in the neighboring towns and hundreds of unemployed families relying on extended families for their survival.
History
Significance of this village in the East is that it is the birth place of Swami VipulanandaSwami Vipulananda
Swami Vipulanada , also known as Vipulananda Adigal, was a Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu social reformer, literary critic, author, poet, teacher and ascetic from the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. Vipulanada was an early pioneer associated with the Indian-based Ramakrishna Mission in Sri Lanka...
who was credited with reviving the long dormant Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
and Hindu traditions of the minority Tamil people throughout Sri Lanka.WE Veniyan Kanthan birth in this village.
The continuing Sri Lankan civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
has adversely affected civilian population of this village resulting in many missing people, preponderance of widows and lack of development and employment opportunities.
The village also took a direct hit from the 2004 Tsunami resulting in the destruction of over 50% of the village and the deaths of over 2,000 people. Most farming and fishing related families lost all the required equipment to continue on with their professions.(see pic here)
External links
- www.karaitivu.org (Tamil and English)
- Karaitivu map at www.karaitivu.org
- Karaitivu map location
- www.karaitivu.com