Places in Sri Lanka Archives

Stories Behind Names of Places in Sri Lanka – PALAGALA – By Dr. Nimal Sedera Source : Queensland Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – April 2023 This article series has been on for a long period. I take great pleasure in doing this article as the feedback is that many read it. These stories are not my original findings. They are the wealth gained by reading the work of other people. Stories in our history becomes his or her story. This month, I write how a village in the Anuradhapura got its name “PALAGALA”. Palagala is now a Pradesheeya Sabha in Anuradhapura. Almost all the names of villages and places in and around Anuradhapura are linked to some King that ruled from the Anuradhapura Kingdom. This naming is linked to the famous King Dhathusena who built the mighty Kalaweva reservoir. He considered Kalaweva as his wealth. When the tank was ...

Stories Behind Names of Places in Sri Lanka: How Lellupitiya got its Name Lellupitiya is a very famous village in the district of Ratnapura, “the Gem pit” of our motherland. The story goes back to the time the Portuguese arrived in Sri Lanka. They deceived the King of Kotte to build a fort in Colombo cunningly, and gradually intruded into the country. They went to Ratnapura hearing of the rich gem pits in the area. Sri Lanka was well known in the world for its Gems even more than today. Realising the value of capturing Ratnapura for economic gains, they were successful in building their fortress in a land in the vicinity of Ratnapura. The people of the area lived in fear of an attack from the fortress would happen anytime. Contanthinu da Sa, a dreadful war veteran of the Portuguese was heading the regiment in the fort. However, ...