Opposition
42-717: The Port of Colombo Sinhala : කොළඹ වරාය , Tamil : கொழும்பு துறைமுகம் (known as Port of Kolomtota during the early 14th Century Kotte Kingdom ) is the largest and busiest port in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean. Located in Colombo , on the southwestern shores on the Kelani River , it serves as an important terminal in Asia due to its strategic location in the Indian Ocean . During the 1980s,
84-783: A supposed former abundance of lions on the island. According to the chronicle Mahāvaṃsa , written in Pali, Prince Vijaya of the Vanga Kingdom and his entourage merged in Sri Lanka with later settlers from the Pandya kingdom . In the following centuries, there was substantial immigration from Eastern India, including additional migration from the Vanga Kingdom (Bengal), as well as Kalinga and Magadha . This influx led to an admixture of features of Eastern Prakrits. The development of Sinhala
126-653: A Dravidian origin for this word. ), dola for pig in Vedda and offering in Sinhala. Other common words are rera for wild duck, and gala for stones (in toponyms used throughout the island, although others have also suggested a Dravidian origin). There are also high frequency words denoting body parts in Sinhala, such as olluva for head, kakula for leg, bella for neck and kalava for thighs, that are derived from pre-Sinhalese languages of Sri Lanka. The oldest Sinhala grammar, Sidatsan̆garavā , written in
168-486: A major regional hub port for transshipment cargo in the late 1990s. The main channel of the port was deepened to 15 meters, while it also reached the one million mark for annual handling of container TEUs in 1996. In 1997 the Oil Berth was opened and container traffic made it to the 1.5 million TEUs mark. 1998 saw the opening of a new container terminal while 1999 saw a new container yard begin operation. The Oluvil Lighthouse
210-700: A military centre, giving birth to the modern Port of Colombo. In 1865, the Municipal Council was created by the British in the Port of Colombo in an effort to teach the local population self-governance. The Colombo Municipal Council was practically the Legislative Council of Ceylon , meeting for the first time in 1866. In 1912, the Port was converted into a sheltered harbour, and the Colombo Port Commission
252-722: A period of prior bilingualism: "The earliest type of contact in Sri Lanka, not considering the aboriginal Vedda languages, was that which occurred between South Dravidian and Sinhala. It seems plausible to assume prolonged contact between these two populations as well as a high degree of bilingualism. This explains why Sinhala looks deeply South Dravidian for an Indo-Aryan language. There is corroboration in genetic findings." In addition to many Tamil loanwords , several phonetic and grammatical features also present in neighbouring Dravidian languages set modern spoken Sinhala apart from its Northern Indo-Aryan relatives. These features are evidence of close interactions with Dravidian speakers. Some of
294-409: A resident population of over 600,000 (as of 2001). It is one of the largest employers in the country with over 12,000 employees. Colombo is a charter city , with a Mayor Council form of government. Colombo's mayor and the council members are elected through local government elections held once in four years. It has 16 standing committees on various subjects. The Colombo Municipal Council under
336-606: A treaty with Rajasinghe II of Kandy for monopoly over the island's trade goods and in turn promising help in the Kandyan King's war effort with the Portuguese. In 1656 the Portuguese were eventually defeated through a terrible siege which ended with only 93 Portuguese survivors leaving the fort. The area captured by the Dutch was given back to the Sinhalese king, however continued to control
378-513: Is a 16 bedroom mansion at Albert Crescent, Colombo 7. The Colombo municipal council is made up of 16 departments. These include: The municipal council is responsible for: The Colombo Municipal Council covers the Colombo and Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretariat Divisions. According to the 2011-12 Census the population living within the boundaries of the CMC was 555,031. Of this number, 318,048 lived in
420-473: Is a conspicuous example of the linguistic phenomenon known as diglossia . Sinhala ( Siṁhala ) is a Sanskrit term; the corresponding Middle Indo-Aryan ( Eḷu ) word is Sīhala . The name is a derivative of [[[:wikt:सिंह|siṁha]]] Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script ( help ) , the Sanskrit word for 'lion'. The name is sometimes glossed as 'abode of lions', and attributed to
462-559: Is also the naval base for Sri Lanka Navy Western Fleet under the Commander Western Naval Area (COMWEST). The Port of Colombo is home to the second tallest building in South Asia and is the center for many commercial interests. The Port of Colombo was known to Roman , Arab , and Chinese traders more than 2000 years ago. By the 8th century, Arab Muslim traders settled in Colombo as a base for their trade for that part of
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#1732851983032504-584: Is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka , who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. Sinhala is also spoken as the first language by other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, totalling about 2 million speakers as of 2001. It is written using the Sinhala script , which is a Brahmic script closely related to the Grantha script of South India. Sinhala
546-479: Is divided into four epochs: The most important phonetic developments of Sinhala include: According to Wilhelm Geiger , an example of a possible Western feature in Sinhala is the retention of initial /v/ which developed into /b/ in the Eastern languages (e.g. Sanskrit viṁśati "twenty", Sinhala visi- , Hindi bīs ). This is disputed by Muhammad Shahidullah who says that Sinhala Prakrit branched off from
588-623: Is expected to dramatically increase the port's capacity and capabilities. The project, which was headed by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and built by the Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company , was completed by 11 April 2012. The expansion project consisted of four new terminals that are 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in length and can accommodate three berths each, alongside a depth of 18 m (59 ft) (which can be deepened to 23 m (75 ft)). The channel width of
630-412: Is one of the official and national languages of Sri Lanka, alongside Tamil . Along with Pali , it played a major role in the development of Theravada Buddhist literature. Early forms of the Sinhala language are attested as early as the 3rd century BCE. The language of these inscriptions, still retaining long vowels and aspirated consonants, is a Prakrit similar to Magadhi , a regional associate of
672-427: Is the municipal governing body of Colombo , the largest city and financial centre in Sri Lanka . It consists of a directly elected executive Mayor of Colombo , and elected 119 municipal councilors. The council was formed in 1865, it first met in 1866 and derives most of its powers from Municipal Council Ordinance No. 29 of 1947 . It is the oldest and the largest local government authority in Sri Lanka which covers
714-659: The King of Sitawaka , Mayadunne , invaded the Kotte Kingdom and forced the Portuguese into retreat they retreated into the Port of Colombo, besieging the city many times. When the Kotte kingdom fell to the Kingdom of Sitawaka , the Portuguese were able to control the entire coast, making the Port of Colombo their capital. That area of the city is still called " Fort ". In 1638 the Dutch empire signed
756-700: The Middle Indian Prakrits that had been used during the time of the Buddha . The most closely related languages are the Vedda language (an endangered, indigenous creole still spoken by a minority of Sri Lankans, mixing Sinhala with an isolate of unknown origin and from which Old Sinhala borrowed various aspects into its main Indo-Aryan substrate), and the Maldivian language . It has two main varieties, written and spoken, and
798-481: The Municipal Council Ordinance have several elected and appointed officers. These are: The Mayor serves as the head of the council assisted by a Deputy Mayor . A Municipal Commissioner heads the staff and administration municipal, which is made up of 16 departments. The Municipal Commissioner is appointed by the minister of local government or which ever minister the subject is vested under. Usually
840-576: The UNESCO National Commission of Ceylon According to Wilhelm Geiger , Sinhala has features that set it apart from other Indo-Aryan languages. Some of the differences can be explained by the substrate influence of the parent stock of the Vedda language . Sinhala has many words that are only found in Sinhala, or shared between Sinhala and Vedda and not etymologically derivable from Middle or Old Indo-Aryan. Possible examples include kola for leaf in Sinhala and Vedda (although others suggest
882-464: The 13th century CE, recognised a category of words that exclusively belonged to early Sinhala. The grammar lists naram̆ba (to see) and koḷom̆ba (fort or harbour) as belonging to an indigenous source. Koḷom̆ba is the source of the name of the commercial capital Colombo . The consistent left branching syntax and the loss of aspirated stops in Sinhala is attributed to a probable South Dravidian substratum effect. This has been explained by
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#1732851983032924-714: The Colombo DSD (the Northern part of the city) and 236,983 lived in the Thimbirigasyaya DSD (the Southern part). For the past 50 years the city had been dominated by the United National Party (UNP), a right leaning party, whose business friendly policies resonate with the population of Colombo. The UNP as held majority in the council and post of Mayor since the party was formed in 1947, with two brief exceptions. In 1954,
966-700: The Eastern Prakrits prior to this change. He cites the edicts of Ashoka , no copy of which shows this sound change. An example of an Eastern feature is the ending -e for masculine nominative singular (instead of Western -o ) in Sinhalese Prakrit. There are several cases of vocabulary doublets , one example being the words mæssā ("fly") and mækkā ("flea"), which both correspond to Sanskrit makṣikā but stem from two regionally different Prakrit words macchiā (Western Prakrits) and makkhikā (as in Eastern Prakrits like Pali ). In 1815,
1008-662: The Sri Lanka Port Authority signed a $ 700 million 35-year build-operate-transfer (BOT) agreement for West Container Terminal. In 2023 U.S. International Development Finance Corporation provided $ 553m in funding for the Adani-led project. West Container Terminal WCT is expected to become operational in 2025. The Colombo Port currently has three container terminals: Jaya Container Terminal (JCT), South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT - operated by John Keells Holdings ) and Unity Container Terminal (UCT). These terminals operate round
1050-747: The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). It is developing the new port under a 35-year build, operate, and transfer agreement with the SLPA. Commenced construction in December 2011, the first "pace" was ceremonially opened for traffic on 8 August 2013, making the Colombo Port complex one of the biggest in the world. The total length of the new breakwater is 6,830 m (22,410 ft), with a berth depth of 18 m (59 ft). In 2021, Adani Ports & SEZ together with local partners John Keells Holdings and
1092-597: The UNP lost the municipal election to the Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and Dr N. M. Perera was elected Mayor. The LSSP won several local government elections that year including nine Village Councils and three Urban Councils, apart from the Colombo Municipal Council. In 2006, the UNP nomination list for the 2006 Municipal elections was rejected, and an Independent Group supported by
1134-651: The UNP won the elections. Uvais Mohamed Imitiyas was subsequently appointed Mayor of Colombo. The former Mayoress Rosy Senanayake , the first female Mayor of Colombo, was elected in 2018 representing the UNP. Colombo as the largest city and former capital of Sri Lanka, has been at the center of Sri Lankan politics. The Colombo municipal council has been an entry route for many politicians. Four national leaders, which includes two presidents, J. R. Jayewardene and Ranasinghe Premadasa ; one prime minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike , and an independence activist Vivienne Goonewardene started their political career by contesting for
1176-476: The appointment would be made from an officer seconded from the Sri Lanka Administrative Service . In the absence of the mayor or deputy mayor or following the end of term of the council, the commissioner would serve as the officer implementing the powers and functions of the Colombo municipal council. Municipal Commissioner is entitled to use of Park House, Colombo as an official residence which
1218-696: The area and the rich cinnamon lands. Until 1796, The Port of Colombo was also the capital of the Dutch Maritime Provinces controlled by the Dutch East India Company . The Port of Colombo fell to the British in 1796, when they first arrived on the island. However it remained a Kandyan Kingdom military outpost until it was surrendered in 1815. The Port was made the capital of the new British crown colony called Ceylon . The British decided to build houses and civilian buildings rather than making it into
1260-915: The clock for faster turn around time than any other operator in the region. Port facilities include: Now with the expansion of the Colombo South Harbour project CICT(Colombo International Container Terminal) was established and 12 quay cranes were added. Additional facilities include the Bandaranaike Quay (BQ) and Prince Vijaya Quay (PVQ) with four rail-mounted quay cranes , and 6,245 m (67,221 sq ft) of bonded warehouses. Sinhala language Sinhala ( / ˈ s ɪ n h ə l ə , ˈ s ɪ ŋ ə l ə / SIN -hə-lə, SING -ə-lə ; Sinhala: සිංහල , siṁhala , [ˈsiŋɦələ] ), sometimes called Sinhalese ( / ˌ s ɪ n ( h ) ə ˈ l iː z , ˌ s ɪ ŋ ( ɡ ) ə ˈ l iː z / SIN -(h)ə- LEEZ , SING -(g)ə- LEEZ ),
1302-455: The container throughput of Nhava Sheva Harbour surpassed that of Colombo. However, in 2016 Colombo port surpassed Nhava Sheva Harbour and become the largest and busiest container port in South Asia. Sri Lanka Ports Authority owns 15% stakes each in SAGT and CICT and proposed West Container Terminal. In 2008, the port commenced a large-scale expansion project at a cost of US$ 1.2 billion, which
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1344-493: The features that may be traced to Dravidian influence are: ඒක ēka it අලුත් aḷut new කියලා kiyalā having-said මම mama I දන්නවා dannavā know ඒක අලුත් කියලා මම දන්නවා ēka aḷut kiyalā mama dannavā it new having-said I know "I know that it is new." ඒක ēka it අලුත් aḷut new ද da Q කියලා kiyalā having-said මම mama I දන්නේ Colombo Municipal Council The Colombo Municipal Council
1386-407: The harbour is to be 560 m (1,840 ft) and depth of 20 m (66 ft), with harbour basin depth of 18 m (59 ft) and a 600 m (2,000 ft) turning circle. It increases the annual container handling capacity from four million TEUs to approximately twelve million TEUs. It is also able to accommodate larger container vessels, carrying around 22,000 TEUs. The first terminal
1428-538: The island of Ceylon came under British rule . During the career of Christopher Reynolds as a Sinhalese lecturer at the School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London , he extensively researched the Sinhalese language and its pre-1815 literature. The Sri Lankan government awarded him the Sri Lanka Ranjana medal for his work. He wrote the 377-page An anthology of Sinhalese literature up to 1815 , selected by
1470-625: The multi-purpose Ashraff Quay was inaugurated, while the new Customer Service Center for LCL and breakbulk cargoes was opened in the same year. 2003 saw the Unity Container Terminal and the Colombo Port Maritime Museum open. In 2004 the Port handled 2.2 million TEUs of containerized cargo, which increased to 2.45 million TEUs in 2005. At present, the port handles 15% of transshipment cargo in South Asia . However, in early 2009,
1512-549: The port underwent rapid modernization with the installation of cranes , gantries and other modern-day terminal requirements. Currently with a capacity of 7 million TEUs and a depth of over 18 m (59 ft), the Colombo Harbour is one of the busiest ports in the world, and ranks among the top 25 ports. It is also one of the biggest artificial harbours in the world handling most of the country's foreign trade. It has an annual cargo tonnage of 30.9 million tons . The port
1554-517: The right to trade cinnamon from the island, and receiving full authority of the coastline. The Portuguese established a trading post in the port but they soon expelled the Muslims and began building a fort in 1517. In order to protect their interests in coastal India , the Portuguese knew that controlling the island was vital, and thereby took advantage of royal rivalries between the Kingdoms. However, when
1596-474: The world. Today, they make up the local Sri Lankan Moor community. Among the users of the port, China , India and Persia were among the first people to use the harbour. In 1505 the Portuguese first discovered the Port of Colombo when first arriving to the island. In an effort to protect the coast from invaders the King of Kotte at the time, Parakamabahu VIII made a treaty with the Portuguese giving them
1638-538: Was awarded to the China Merchants Holdings (International) - Aitken Spence consortium on 16 September 2010. The new terminal is planned to be operational by first quarter 2013. The 2.4 million TEU capacity Colombo South Container Terminal, the first terminal under new expansion in the Port of Colombo is built by Colombo International Container Terminals Ltd., (CICT) , a joint venture company between China Merchants Holdings (International) Co., Ltd. (CMHI) and
1680-639: Was commissioned, and the Oluvil Maritime Training Center opened also in 1999. The South Asia Gateway Terminal began operations, and a new 50 thousand DWT berth was constructed. A third berth at Galle Regional Port was started in 2000, while the Peliyagoda Container Freight Station was opened. The second phase of the North Pier development started, and the port opened a one-stop documentation center opened its doors. In 2002,
1722-431: Was created in 1980. The harbour underwent a major transformation to handle containerised cargo in the early 1980s, with two being built by the end of the 1980s and three more in the early 1990s. Due to this, and its strategic location amidst trade routes, the port became more attractive to main line shipping than any other port in the region. After the introduction of private sector operators, it consolidated its position as
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1764-532: Was established in 1913. Much of the city was planned during the British occupation of the Port of Colombo. The Port saw dramatic changes when the country gained its independence in 1948. The Queen Elizabeth Quay was opened in 1954, while 16 alongside berths, transit sheds and warehouses were completed. In 1958 The Port Corporation was founded. Sri Lanka's economy began to improve, even though it had influences of Portuguese , Dutch and British cultures while its own had been repressed. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority
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