Stories Behind Names of Places in Sri Lanka How places in Sri Lanka got their names – GALEWELA – By Nimal Sedera
Source:- Dæhæna Newsletter
Galewela is a famous place in Sri Lanka located in the Matale District, in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Galewela is a separate Pradeshiya Sabha. It is known as a rich agricultural area with successful paddy fields.
It is believed that the name Galewela was given to this area during the time of King Kashyapa. Galewela is in the vicinity of famous Sigiriya, the greatest artistic creation of King Kashyapa, the one and only king that ruled Sri Lanka from this historic kingdom.
King Kashyapa, who is identified as a lover of nature who had creative ideas, observed the area around the rock kingdom very carefully and took every possible step to develop the place and moved around the place enjoying the beauty and meeting people and developing the area. The king observed the beautiful paddy fields around the rock and visited them with his army.
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The story is that the large rice fields he saw from the rock kingdom were visited by the king several times, and he enjoyed the environment seated on a huge rock located amidst the rice cultivation. It is further said that he loved the place so much that he visited this place even on moonlit days. “Vele Gala” (the rock in the rice field) became the King’s favorite place. People referred to this place as “Vele Gala”, and over time it evolved to be “GALEWELA”.
Nimal Sedera
Dr. Nimal Sedera is a journalist, poet, motivational speaker, and an author of over 70 books.
