Negombo
Encyclopedia
Negombo is a town 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 small port
, and its economy
is mainly based on tourism
and its centuries-old fishing
industry, though it also produces cinnamon
, ceramics
, and brass
ware.
The town 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.
Another point of interest in Negombo is the Old Dutch Fort, which was built in 1672. It is situated near the shore and offers a glimpse into the colonization history of Negombo. However, the Fort is now in a state of disrepair.
villages along the water's edge. They relay mainly on their traditional knowledge of the seasons for their livelihood, using outrigger canoe
s 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.
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.
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.
Puttalam
A3 main road go through via Negombo, there a sufficient good road system in and around Negombo . Negombo is a main hub of the Ragama
- Puttalam
rail road, Unfortunately the new bus complex has been not completed in so may months, so there are fewer facilities in the for passengers. Bus ride from Negombo to Colombo takes about one and half houre and costs LKR 40 in ordinary bus and LKR 80 in special air condition buses
Train Services are available from Negombo to Colombo
. However the 40 km train ride can take less then one and half hours after uplift the single line to dual line from Ragama to Seeduwa , General class train ticket from Negombo to Colombo costs LKR 40.
In year 2011 August Sri Lanka Railway Department have introduced new intercity train between Chilaw to Colombo , so that train take 45 minute to reach to Colombo , it has 2 Class compartment also
Renting a minivan for airport drop/pickup can cost about LKR 1200 to LKR 2000.
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...
. It is located at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon
Negombo Lagoon
Negombo Lagoon is a large estuarine lagoon in Gampaha District, south-west Sri Lanka.The lagoon is fed by a number of small rivers and a canal. It is linked to the sea by a narrow channel to the north, near Negombo town. It is surrounded by a densely populated region containing rice paddies,...
, about 7 km from the Bandaranaike International Airport
Bandaranaike International Airport
Bandaranaike International Airport is Sri Lanka's only international airport at the moment. Mattala International Airport, when it gets built will be the second International Airport of Sri Lanka. It is located in Katunayake, north of Colombo...
. Negombo has a small port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
, and its economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
is mainly based on tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and its centuries-old 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....
industry, though it also produces cinnamon
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
, ceramics
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, and brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
ware.
Etymology
The name "Negombo" was first used by the Portuguese, a corruption of the Sinhala name Mīgamuva(මීගමුව)."The town 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 in Sri Lanka. The cinnamon industry in Negombo was initiated by the Portuguese, and subsequently attended to by the Moors(Muslims). After the Portuguese were defeated by the Dutch in 1640, the Cinnamon business was kept as an key aspect of the regions economy. However, by the time the British took over in 1796, the industry was in decline.Another point of interest in Negombo is the Old Dutch Fort, which was built in 1672. It is situated near the shore and offers a glimpse into the colonization history of Negombo. However, the Fort is now in a state of disrepair.
Negombo lagoon
The fishermen who are based at the Negombo lagoon live in abject poverty in shanty thatch palmThatch palm
The name Thatch palm is applied to several different species of palm trees in the genera Coccothrinax, Howea and Thrinax. The name comes from the use of these trees for roof thatching....
villages along the water's edge. They relay mainly on their traditional knowledge of the seasons for their livelihood, using outrigger canoe
Outrigger canoe
The outrigger canoe is a type of canoe featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull...
s 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
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
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
Global warming in India
The effects of global warming on the Indian subcontinent vary from the submergence of low-lying islands and coastal lands to the melting of glaciers in the Indian Himalayas, threatening the volumetric flow rate of many of the most important rivers of India and South Asia. In India, such effects are...
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
Chartering (shipping)
Chartering is an activity within the shipping industry. In some cases a charterer may own cargo and employ a shipbroker to find a ship to deliver the cargo for a certain price, called freight rate. Freight rates may be on a per-ton basis over a certain route or alternatively may be expressed in...
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.
Tourism
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 colourful 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
Transport
ColomboColombo
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...
Puttalam
Puttalam
Puttalam is the capital city of the Puttalam District in North Western Province, Sri Lanka.-History:The history of this dry zone dates back to the arrival of Prince Vijaya, nearly 2500 years ago, when his vessel washed ashore. The name "Puttalam" may be a modification of the Tamil word Uppuththalam...
A3 main road go through via Negombo, there a sufficient good road system in and around Negombo . Negombo is a main hub of the Ragama
Ragama
Ragama is a municipality located in the Western Province, Sri Lanka.Ragama is easily accessible from the Colombo - Negambo main road and is about from Mahabage junction. This is a well known town due to one major Railway junction where the main line and the Puttalam line meet. The town is also...
- Puttalam
Puttalam
Puttalam is the capital city of the Puttalam District in North Western Province, Sri Lanka.-History:The history of this dry zone dates back to the arrival of Prince Vijaya, nearly 2500 years ago, when his vessel washed ashore. The name "Puttalam" may be a modification of the Tamil word Uppuththalam...
rail road, Unfortunately the new bus complex has been not completed in so may months, so there are fewer facilities in the for passengers. Bus ride from Negombo to Colombo takes about one and half houre and costs LKR 40 in ordinary bus and LKR 80 in special air condition buses
Train Services are available from Negombo to 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...
. However the 40 km train ride can take less then one and half hours after uplift the single line to dual line from Ragama to Seeduwa , General class train ticket from Negombo to Colombo costs LKR 40.
In year 2011 August Sri Lanka Railway Department have introduced new intercity train between Chilaw to Colombo , so that train take 45 minute to reach to Colombo , it has 2 Class compartment also
Renting a minivan for airport drop/pickup can cost about LKR 1200 to LKR 2000.
Education
There are many CATHOLIC Schools in NEGOMBO City.- Maris Stella College.
- St.Peter's College.
- St.Mari's College.
- Ave Maria Convent.
- Ave Maria Convent Branch SchoolAve Maria Convent Branch SchoolAve Maria Convent Branch School is a major catholic girls' school in Negombo, Sri Lanka. The school is administrated by the Dominican sisters of Malta. There are classes from Gr.1 to A/L classes...