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48-755: Negombo ( Sinhala : මීගමුව , romanized:  Mīgamuva , Tamil : நீர்கொழும்பு , romanized:  Nīrkoḻumpu ) is a major city in Sri Lanka , situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon , in the Western Province , 38 km (24 mi) from Colombo via the Colombo–Katunayake Expressway and the nearest major city from the Bandaranaike International Airport (about 9 km distance). Negombo

96-783: 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

144-653: 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

192-463: A clear Roman Catholic majority. The name "Negombo" is the Portuguese corruption of its Tamil name Neerkolombu . The Sinhala name Migamuva comes from old Tamil, மீகமன் பட்டினம் - mīgamaṉ paṭṭiṉam, a naval terminology. Meegaman denotes Naval Captain, where the local Karava population's long association of Naval and Fishing connections. Later, "Village of the honeycomb", gaining its name from

240-483: A legend mentioned in Rajaveliya . The army of King Kavantissa found bee honey in a canoe near the seashore, for Viharamahadevi who was pregnant with the prince Dutugamunu . Because of this, the place was named "Mee-Gomuwa". The shallow waters of the Negombo Lagoon provided safe shelter for seafaring vessels and became one of the key ports along with Kalpitiya , Puttalam , Colombo , Kalutara and Galle , from which

288-722: 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

336-473: 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

384-437: Is a good road network in and around Negombo. The Bus Terminal complex of Negombo has multiple facilities for passengers and public. It is served by many bus routes, connecting with some major destinations in the country, provided Negombo to Colombo , Kandy , Kegalle , Kataragama , Hatton , Kalpitiya , Chilaw , Kurunegala , Puttalam , Avissawella , and Kaluthara . Due to Negombo being situated along A3 Highway Road, it

432-620: Is a major local and tourist attraction primarily for sightseeing and boating tours. The fishermen who are based at the Negombo lagoon live in shanty thatch palm villages along the water's edge. They rely mainly on their traditional knowledge of the seasons for their livelihood, using outrigger canoes carved out of tree trunks and nylon nets to bring in modest catches from September through April. Their boats are made in two forms – oruvas (a type of sailing canoe ) and paruvas (a large, man-powered catamaran fitted with kurlon dividers). In recent years,

480-584: 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

528-479: 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

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576-715: Is large semi-enclosed coastal water body with plenty of natural resources. The lagoon is fed by number of small rivers and the Hamilton Canal (also known as the Dutch canal). It is linked to the Indian Ocean by a narrow channel to the north, near Negombo. The lagoon and the marsh land area also support local agriculture and forestry. It has extensive mangrove swamps and attracts a wide variety of water birds. The lagoon supports so many distinct species of flora, fauna and as well as another species of birds and variety of animals. Negombo Lagoon

624-424: Is one of the major commercial hubs in the country and the administrative centre of Negombo Division. Negombo has a population of about 142,136 within its divisional secretariat division . Negombo municipal boundary is fully extended throughout its Divisional Secretariat area. Negombo is known for its long sandy beaches and centuries old fishing industry. Negombo has a large bilingual (Sinhala/Tamil) population with

672-412: 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

720-435: Is served by many bus routes from Colombo to Northern and North western points of Sri Lanka including Jaffna , Anuradhapura , Vavuniya , Kilinochchi , Mullaitivu , Mannar , Point Pedro , Nikaweratiya , Panduwasnuwara , Anamaduwa , Kankasanthurai, Pulmudei, Silawathurai, Velvetithurai and Padaviya. Four railway stations serve Negombo, they are: Kurana , Negombo Downtown, Kattuwa and Kochchikade. Negombo Downtown Station

768-470: Is the main railway station on the Puttalam railway line . It serves Galle , via Colombo from south and to Puttalam , via Chilaw from north. The Sri Lanka Railway Department has introduced an intercity express train between Chilaw and Colombo with stops at Negombo Downtown and Kochchikade Stations. The Negombo Downtown Station is close to the central Bus Terminal Complex. Negombo is the closest major city to

816-1194: The Bandaranaike International Airport and Katunayake Interchange of the E03 - Airport Expressway . Negombo is home to some of the oldest secondary educational institutes in Sri Lanka. The leading schools are listed below. There are also many higher educational institutes and private tuition institutes in Negombo: Ocean University of Sri Lanka Negombo faculty conducts Nautical Engineering, Marine Science, Fisheries and other degree programmes. BCI Campus, Regent Language School, American College of Higher Education, IPM Institute of Sri Lanka, ESOFT Metro Campus , AIMS College, ACBS , ACCHE, SLIMM, Australian Higher Educational Centre, Electro Technical Institute and Don Bosco Technical College are some of them. 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 ),

864-564: The Kingdom of Kandy reached a stalemate. The King of Kandy turned to the Dutch for help. The Dutch captured Negombo from the Portuguese in 1646 and negotiated an armistice with Portugal for ten years. During this period, the King of Kandy sought to provoke conflict between the nations by passing through the territories of the one to attack the other. On one occasion, he captured the fort of Negombo and sent

912-700: 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

960-576: 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

1008-464: 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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1056-572: The British takeover of the Kingdom of Kandy in 1815, Negombo lost its strategic value as an outpost of Colombo. However, it continued to develop in commercial influence. The Negombo fishery was at the heart of the seafood trade in Ceylon, and many migrant fisherman arrived annually with the profits of their ventures going into the small, prosperous town. In 1907 Negombo was connected to the massive railway project that

1104-700: 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,

1152-577: The Negombo Municipal council led by former Western Provincial councillor Royce Fernando by securing 19 seats and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna led By Dayan Lanza, brother of Nimal Lanza (MP) secured 16 Seats. The rest of seats were distributed among other political Parties and independent groups including Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Dayan Lanza became the Mayor of Negombo with the support of minor political parties and Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Royce Fernando Became

1200-563: The Negombo municipal boundary. Each is represented by an elected member, but there were only 26 members before the Local Government election held in 2018. The number of municipal councillors was increased to 48 according to new local government election system introduced in 2018. where 29 members are elected form wards and the rest form a preferential list. In the Local Government Election held in 2018, United National Party Won

1248-753: The Opposition Leader in Negombo Municipal council. Negombo is considered one of the largest economic centres of the country. Negombo is about 4–5 km (2.5–3.1 mi) from the Bandaranaike International Airport , and the free trade zone. Negombo has a moderate port (used during the periods of Portuguese and Dutch colonisation) The economy of Negombo is mainly based on tourism and its centuries-old fishing industry, though it also produces cinnamon , ceramics , and brass ware. The Colombo Stock Exchange -Negombo branch and many major financial corporations have their key branches in Negombo. There are department stores, large supermarkets, and boutiques in

1296-528: The Sri Lankan kingdoms conducted external trade. The region was under the rule of the sinhala monarchy based on sri jayawardanapura kotte. The language used in the area was a regional dialect of sinhala when the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century. Negombo also served as a shelter for Arabic vessels, whose descendants are the Sri Lankan Moors . Negombo was a major port known for its trading activity and

1344-632: The bustling streets of Downtown Negombo and international food outlets are being opened. The E03 - Airport Expressway opened in 2013 links the capital Colombo through the Katunayake Interchange with Negombo minimising travelling time to approximately 20 to 30 minutes. The Katunayake Interchange from Negombo takes about 5 to 10 minutes (approximately 4 km (2.5 mi)). There are highway bus services running between from Negombo to Pettah , Maharagama via Airport Expressway . Negombo to Galle , Kataragama and Matara (the southern tip of

1392-404: The city as well as a long established Chinese community. Negombo is a multi-religious city. Since the beginning of European colonisation, the township of Negombo has had a majority of Roman Catholics along with Muslims , Buddhist and Hindus . Negombo has been given the name "Little Rome" owing to the highly ornate Portuguese-era Roman Catholic churches such as St. Mary's Church found in

1440-807: The city is formed by the Maha Oya river which meets the Indian Ocean . Negombo features a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification . The city receives rainfall mainly from the Southwestern monsoons from May to August and October to January. During the remaining months there is a little precipitation due to Convective rains. The average annual precipitation is about 2,400 millimetres (94 in). The average temperature varies 24 °C (75 °F) to 30 °C (86 °F), and there are high humidity levels from February to April. The Negombo lagoon

1488-638: The city. There are many Hindu temples (Kovil) in Negombo: Kali Amman temple, Ganapathi (Pillaiar) Temple, Kamachchi Amman Temple, Muththumari Amman Temple , Murugan (Kandaswami) Temple, Karumari Amman Temple etc. There are nine jummah mosques in Negombo. The Kamachchoda Jummah Masjid in Kamachchode, Negombo, is one of the oldest in Sri Lanka. Another old mosque in Negombo is the Udayar Thoppuwa Mosque, Mirigama Road, Dheen Junction, Negombo, which

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1536-633: The city. There is a branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Negombo. The church building is just west of the intersection of Ave Maria Street and Old Chilaw Street. There are also Methodist churches, Baptist churches, and the other Anglican churches in Negombo. Agurukaramulla Raja Maha Viharaya (Bodhirajaramaya) is a famous Buddhist temple bringing Buddhists from all over Sri Lanka to Negombo every year. Abhayasekararamaya Temple (Podipansala), Sri Sudarshanaramaya, Dutugamunu viharaya and Sri Buddhagaya maha viharaya are famous Buddhist temples in

1584-510: The continued hostility from the Kandyan Kingdom and a rival cinnamon exporter in the form of China, led to a 40% decline in the volume of cinnamon exported between 1785 and 1791, despite attempts to clear land around Negombo and create cinnamon plantations. The legacy of the Dutch colonial era can be seen in the Negombo fort , constructed in 1672, and other Dutch buildings, including churches and

1632-472: The cost). The fort was located on a narrow strip of land between a lagoon and an inlet of the sea. It was surrounded by a dry moat , and the gate was accessed via a drawbridge. In February 1796 it was occupied by the British without opposition. In the late 1800s the British authorities decided to demolish the fort and build a prison in its place, constructed from the stones of the fort. Today all that remains

1680-594: The country) using the Southern Expressway . And also bus services provided Negombo to Kadawatha , Kottawa , Panadura and Moratuwa using the Outer Circular Expressway The A3 Colombo–Negombo highway road from Colombo , goes through Negombo, extends to Jaffna , and Trincomalee via Anuradhapura . Negombo is connected with some of the B grade roads from Ja-Ela , Kurunegala , Mirigama , Nittambuwa and Giriulla, and there

1728-447: The extensive canal system that runs 120 km (75 mi) from Colombo in the south, through Negombo to Puttalam in the north. By the time the British commander Colonel Stuart took over the cinnamon trade in 1796, it was clear that the industry was in decline. Poor policies put in place by Frederick North the first Governor of British Ceylon exacerbated the problem. By the 1830s, commercial interest had moved elsewhere. Following

1776-462: 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 Negombo fort In its time

1824-657: The fort at Negombo was probably the next in strategic importance after Colombo , Jaffna and Galle . The original Portuguese fort was a weak structure, which, according to the account of João Ribeyro; "Negombo was only a square enclosed by walls, with two redoubts and five guns. A Captain and a few men, with a Chaplain were stationed there" It was captured by Dutch forces commanded by Philip Lucasz, in February 1640. The Portuguese made several attempts to retake it before they were successful in December 1643. They then strengthened

1872-474: The fortifications and managed to defend the fort until it was recaptured by the Dutch under the command of François Caron, in January 1644. The original bastions were destroyed by the Dutch cannons during the siege of the fort. The Dutch subsequently rebuilt it in 1672 however not on the usual square pattern, but on a pentagonal one, though it had only four bulwarks, the fifth was never constructed (possibly due to

1920-517: The head of the Dutch commander, Adrian Vander Stell, to his countrymen in Galle . Although the Dutch managed to regain control of Negombo from the King by diplomatic means, hostilities continued. In particular, the disruption of the cinnamon trade was a favourite method of the King to harass the Dutch. Throughout the eighteenth century, the demand for cinnamon from Ceylon outstripped the supply, and its quality appeared to have suffered. Other factors, including

1968-590: 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

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2016-409: The main patrons on the opening day of the celebrations. The Negombo Urban Council was offered Municipal status on 1 January 1950 under the municipal ordinance of 1865. The Negombo Municipal Council has governed the city with a mayor from the government, since 1950. Negombo's mayor and the council members are elected through the local government election held every five years. There are 29 wards in

2064-401: The sheer amount of conversions to Catholicism, present-day Negombo is sometimes known as 'Little Rome' due to nearly two thirds of its population being Catholic. The Portuguese restructured the traditional production and management of cinnamon and maintained their control over the trade for more than a century. The decline of their power began in the 1630s when warfare between the Portuguese and

2112-406: The township and because of the majority of inhabitants being Roman Catholics. St. Sebastian's Church, Katuwapitiya ; Saint Stephen's Church, Negombo , Grand Street; St. Mary's Church, Negombo ; St. Anne's Churches at Kurana and Palangatura; St. Anthony's Church Dalupothal; and Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Kandawala , are the biggest parishes in Negombo. There are over 25 Roman Catholic churches in

2160-536: The villagers have supplemented the income earned from fishing by collecting 'toddy', or palm sap, which is used to brew arrack . According by the statistics of 2011, 6.3% of the population of Gampaha district live in Negombo city limits and 11.6% of the population of the district live in Negombo Metropolis. It is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural city. Most of Negombo's residents belong to the Sinhalese majority. There are Tamil and Muslim people also living in

2208-518: Was built in 1846 by Maththicham Saleem Lebbe Muhammed Thamby Vidane and the old building which was built in 1846 is still in use. Negombo City Local Board began in 1878. After 44 years, it became the Urban District Council on 1 January 1922. Negombo celebrated its silver jubilee of its Urban council status in grand style in February 1948. Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were

2256-465: Was linking the island together under British control and encouraging the growth of plantations in coconuts, tea and coffee. Negombo is about 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) above sea level, and Negombo's geography is a mix of land and water. The Hamilton Canal flows in the heart of the city. The Negombo Lagoon is one of the most scenic landmarks of Negombo. There are over 190 species of wildlife and plenty of birds in its mangroves. The northern border of

2304-576: Was well known for its cinnamon cultivation. The cinnamon trade was controlled by the Sri Lankan kings and later by the Sri Lankan Moors . Landing in the early 1500s, the Portuguese overthrew the sinhala monarchy who were forced to relocate to Sithawaka. The Portuguese constructed a fort in Negombo and took over the trade of cinnamon to the west. During the Portuguese occupation, the Karava (the dominant seafaring clan of Negombo), who were previously Buddhist and Hindu were converted into Catholicism . Due to

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