North Western Province (Sri Lanka) Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Map of North Western Province (Sri Lanka)

The province is made up of the districts of Kurunegala and Puttalam. Its capital is Kurunegala.

• 8.16666779.7166671 Kalpitiya — famous as a kitesurfing, dolphin and whales watching and scuba diving destination on a 50-km—long sand strip which is home to many fishing or agricultural villages, empty wild beaches, sand dunes, and mangroves
• 7.48333380.3666672 Kurunegala — encircled by eight very large rocks, six of which are named after the animals that they are imagined to represent
• 8.03416779.8352783 Puttalam — tourists come to see one of the largest lagoons in the country, Wilpattu National Park, Kalpitiya, and the beaches
• {{marker|type=city|name=Chilaw|wikidata=Q2495639}is} — an industrial and agricultural processing town with a few tourist attractions in the surrounding area

The majority of the population of Wayamba province is of Sinhalese ethnicity. There is also a substantial Sri Lankan Moor minority around Puttalam and Sri Lankan Tamils in Udappu and Munneswaram.

Fishing, prawn farming and rubber tree plantations are other prominent industries of the region.

The province is known mainly for its numerous coconut plantations. 

The climate of Wayamba is tropical, with a marked dry season, and temperatures averaging between 20 °C in January to 25 °C in March. The south of the province is wetter, with almost 2000 mm of rainfall per year, but the north of the province is one of the driest regions in Sri Lanka, averaging under 1100 mm of rain in parts.

The region is served by an extensive rail and road transport system providing linkages to the major cities and ports in Sri Lanka.

Some major roads include,

• A3: Puttalam – Chilaw – Negombo - Colombo (162 km)
• A6: Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Dambulla – Trincomalee (192 km)
• A10: Katugastota – Kurunegala – Puttalam (125 km)
• A12: Puttalam - Anuradhapura - Trincomalee (179 km)

Railway lines:

• Colombo, Ragama Junction, Polgahawela Junction, Kurunegala, Maho Junction, Anuradhapura. Served by the Rajarata Rajini (Queen of North Central Region).
• Colombo, Ragama Junction, Negombo, Chilaw, Puttalam (1926). Served by the Muthu Kumari (Pearl Princess). A route of 83 miles (134 km) along the North-Western coast.

Archaeological sites: The Wayamba province was the seat of four medieval kingdoms of Sri Lanka between the mid-12th and mid-14th centuries, and is a treasure house of archaeology. Having been forced to move capitals due to foreign invasions, Sri Lankan kings nevertheless built magnificent citadels are Yapahuwa, Panduwasnuwara, Dambadeniya and Kurunegala. Impressive remains of those citadels, palaces, Buddhist temples and monasteries provide exciting sight seeing to the visitors.

Rock temples: Wayamba and Kurunegala are also the home for other ancient Buddhist rock temples, mostly with 1st century BCE roots, with wall and ceiling frescos, colossal Buddha images, stone inscriptions and sculptures dating from early medieval to 18th-century period.

European colonial monuments: The well-preserved Dutch Fort in Kalpitiya (Puttalam district) dating back to 1670 is an evidence of the Wayamba's European colonial period. The fort is complete with barracks, store houses and living quarters, Dutch colonial pillars and ancient tombstones. Kurunegala has many 19th-century relics of the British colonial period including the government Agent's residence and the Rajapihilla rest house.

The sparkling blue surf of the Indian Ocean and scenic tropical lagoons which edge the western shores of the Wayamba province are glided with 240 kilometres of wide, sun drenched beaches. These beaches stretch from Waikkal at its southern end to Dutch Bay in the Puttalam district. Some of Wayamba's best resort beaches are at Marawila, Talwila, Kalpitiya and Waikkal. These beaches are often with the bonus of a lagoon or a river front and make excellent bases for stay-put beach holidays.

Some of the beach resorts also offer viewing of underwater Coral wonderlands off Kandakuliya and Karaitivu. Many fishing villages dot the coastal areas.

The people of Wayamba celebrate many traditional festivals centred on sacred shrines of diverse faith.

All Buddhist temples celebrate the Vesak, Poson and Esela festivals commemorating the events of great importance to the Buddhists. These festivals feature colourful decorations, lanterns, illuminations and pageants where traditional dancing, drumming, costumed dignitaries and elephants are paraded. Two noteworthy colourful Buddhist processions are organised by the Wilbawa Raja Maha Viharaya (Major temple) and Athanda Raja Maha Viharaya and are paraded in the Kurunegala city. The St Anne's Roman Catholic church is located on a magnificent beach stretch in Talawila in the Puttalam district. The church draws thousands of pilgrims for its main festivals in March and July.

The Munneswaram and Udappu Hindu temples are pilgrim centres of many devotees. People gather to worship deities and seek favours. The main temple of God Shiva at Munneswaram, comprises the shrines and has been built according to traditional Hindu style. Munneswaram celebrates its major festival in August where fire-walking is practiced. Udappuwa, a sea side shrine complex of three shrines, also has a colourful festival held in the month of August.

The Ramazan, Haj and Milad-un-Nabi festivals are also celebrated by the minority Muslims of Wayamba especially at historic and famed mosques in Puttalam, Kurunegala and Chilaw. These celebrations are mainly of religious character, recitations of Koran and distribution of cooked food and sweets.

All three shrines are easily accessible from Kurunegala: Munneswaram approximately 70 km, Udappuwa 95 km and St. Anne's about 110 km respectively.