Kottawa

History

The name Kottawa might be derived from the Sinhalese phrase kotten awa, meaning "just arrived from Kotte" and later the name was shortened to "Kottawa". Another contemporary opinion is that it's the "city of the great one". The town was part of the Kottawa Electoral District which existed between 1960 and 1977 and has been identified as one of the main transportation hubs of Colombo. Kottawa comprises five grama niladhari divisions: north, south, east, west and city.

During the Sri Lankan Civil War, Kottawa's strategic location on one of the main roads connecting Panagoda Cantonment to Colombo made it a target for attacks. In 2004, 7 alleged Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal militants were killed in a pre-dawn attack blamed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. In June 2006, Major General Parami Kulatunga was killed by a suicide bomber just after passing Kottawa on his way to the Army Headquarters in Colombo from his residence in Panagoda.

Economy

Kottawa is a commercial hub with several banks, shops, supermarkets, a post office, bakeries and fuel depots. As a commuter suburb of Colombo, Kottawa has seen land prices increase twenty five to thirty two per cent in recent times, with the average price per perch being between LKR .

Culture

The Kottawa United Traders Association constructs a pandal for the Vesak festival at the centre of town. This has been an annual event since 1988.

Education

There are several schools located in Kottawa:

• Kottawa Dharmapala Maha Vidyalaya
• Ananda Vidyalaya, Kottawa
• Kottawa North Dharmapala Vidyalaya
• Vidyadana Maha Vidyalaya
• Vijayagosha Vidyalaya
• Madduma Bandara Kanishta Vidyalaya

Law Enforcement

Kottawa is served by the Kottawa Police Station. In 2010, the artist Lalaka Peiris was found dead after arrest here.

Climate

Kottawa displays a tropical climate. Highest temperatures are usually recorded in March and April; while the lowest temperatures are usually recorded in December, January and February. The atmospheric pressure in Kottawa is around 1.010 bar, while the wind speeds range from 8 to 16 Kilometres per hour.

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Infrastructure

Kottawa town is located alongside the A4 highway connecting Colombo and Batticaloa.

Road

Kottawa can be reached via A4 (Colombo - Batticaloa) highway. The northern end of the Southern Expressway is about 2 km east of Kottawa on the High Level Road (A4) and the Outer Colombo Circular Highway also extends from here towards north.

In December 2021, area residents protested delays and irregularities in the construction of the Kottawa–Piliyandala road.

Bus Routes affiliated with Kottawa

• 99 - Colombo (Pettah) – Badulla / Passara / Welimada / Lunugala / Bibila
• 122 - Pettah – Avissawella / Rathnapura / Embilipitiya
• 124 - Maharagama – Ihala bope
• 125 - Pettah / Maharagama – Padukka / Ingiriya
• 128 - Kottawa – Kiriwaththuduwa / Yakahaluwa
• 128/1 - Maharagama – Munamalewatta
• 129 - Kottawa – Moragahahena
• 138 - Pettah – Kottawa / Homagama / Maharagama / Mattegoda / Rukmalgama / Athurugiriya / Diyagama
• 138/2 - Pettah – Mattegoda
• 138/3 - Pettah – Rukmalgama
• 138/4 - Pettah – Athurugiriya
• 174 - Kottawa – Borella
• 255 - Kottawa – Mount Lavinia
• 280 - Maharagama – Horana
• 296 - Kottawa – Piliyandala
• 342 - Kottawa – Piliyandala (via Polgasowita)
• 336 - Kottawa – Malabe
• 336/1 - Kottawa – Malabe (via Horahena)
• E01 - Maharagama – Galle / Matara

Rail

Main article: Kottawa railway station

Kottawa Railway Station is located on the Kelani Valley Railway Line (which connects Colombo to Avissawella). It is situated approximately 200 m from Kottawa Junction along the Kottawa-Athurugiriya Road

Kottawa has been included in the proposal for elevated commuter rail lines serving the Colombo metropolitan area. An elevated track named "Neela" (Blue), 23 km in length, will connect Hunupitiya to Kottawa via Pelawatte. The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project aims to address heavy traffic congestion during the morning and evening rush hours in Colombo.

Architecture and Housing

Kottawa is home to several renowned Buddhist temples, including Digana Purana Rajamaha Viharaya and Pinhena Temple.

Two middle-income housing projects have been initiated by the Urban Development Authority in the Kottawa area. They are Kottawa Green Arcade Apartments in Kulasevana Watte on Hokandara Road, and the Viyathpura Housing Complex in Weera Mawatha. These are scheduled to be completed in June 2022 and consist of 300 housing units and parking spaces for each of the units.

Notable landmarks and sights

• Kottawa nursing home
• Kottawa kulasewana public library
• Digana purana rajamaha viharaya
• Great Kottawa zebra crossing

References

References

1. "GN Divisions".
2. (27 August 2004). "Striking terror, again". The Hindu.
3. (2 July 2006). "Who kept Kulatunga out of Army HQ". Sunday Times.
4. "Pan Asia Bank opens 80th branch in Kottawa". Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.
5. "Wickramarachchi opens latest branch in Kottawa".
6. "Rich Look Fashion opens branch in Kottawa". Daily News.
7. (8 July 2019). "Softlogic Glomark enters Kottawa with new outlet". Wijeya Newspapers Limited.
8. "Arpico opens 17th Superstore at Kottawa". Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.
9. (27 June 2019). "Land Prices in Greater Colombo Increase by up to 64% as Demand Grows for Affordable Land Outside the City". Ada Derana.
10. (4 May 2015). "කොට්ටාව වෙසක් තොරණ". Wijeya Newspapers Limited.
11. "SRI LANKA: Killings at the police stations". Asian Human Rights Commission.
12. (March 29, 2019). "Kottawa-Makumbura multimodal transport center opens 31st March". Lanka Business Online (Pvt) Ltd. All rights reserved.
13. "Kottawa city". Lanka.info.
14. (28 March 2014). "Southern Expressway from Pinnaduwa (Galle) to Godagama (Matara)". Road Development Authority.
15. Alwis, Harshi. (8 March 2014). "Kottawa - Kaduwela Highway declared open". [[Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka).
16. (1 December 2021). "කොට්ටාව -පිළියන්දල බස්පාර නිසි සැලැස්මකට ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන්නැයි උද්ඝෝෂණයක්". Wijeya Newspaper Limited.
17. (31 March 2021). "Four colour-coded elevated rail tracks for Colombo". The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
18. (31 March 2021). "Four colour-coded elevated railways for Colombo". Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.
19. (13 October 2021). "Work on two housing projects in Pannipitiya and Kottawa expedited". The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.