The name "Gampaha" in Sinhala (ගම්පහ) literally means “Five Villages”. The five villages are known to be Ihalagama, Pahalagama, Medagama, Pattiyagama and Aluthgama. However, at present the location of Pattiyagama can no longer be identified within the town limits of Gampaha and remains disputed. Gampaha was also formerly known as Henarathgoda.
History
The former volleyball statue was an iconic landmark in Gampaha. Due to the development program this statue has been moved next to the railway station entrance.
During reign of Portuguese, the main route to the hill country had been laid through the Gampaha area and in the period of Dutch, this area was served as centre for the collection of cinnamon.[3] But before year 1815, it is said that Gampaha was a dense forest. The 5th Governor of Ceylon, Sir Edward Barnes made a visit to Gampaha in 1825, on the way to observe the construction work of the Negombo-Colombo main road. When British built the “Moragoda” catholic church in 1828, Gampaha and surrounding areas slowly became inhabited.
As the extension of the railway track from Colombo to Ambepussa, the Henarathgoda railway station was completed in 1866 which acted as a key factor for the progress and recognition of the town. In 1867, the first rubber tree of Sri Lanka was planted in Henarathgoda botanical garden.
The town was planned in 1920, with 52 roads including the main street, a water tank, a public market, a hospital and an electrical generator. Most of these are still present in their original sites with various improvements over time.[4]
Local Government
Gampaha was a village council until 1945. On 1 January that year, the town qualified to become an urban council. The first urban council had five members. P. P. Jayawardane was the first chairman of the urban council. Total number of workforce in the urban council was 197 persons. In 1978 constitutional reforms declared Gampaha as a new administrative district (which was formerly recognised as a part of the Colombo District) and the main administrative centre was established in Gampaha.[3] The new district status lead the town to a rapid development, establishing new government institutes. On 16 April 2002, the Urban Council was upgraded to become the Gampaha Municipal Council.
Economy
The economy of Gampaha has been vastly extended in many aspects. Mainly paddy and Rubber are grown here as main cultivation products and additionally pineapple and betel are grown here. Also some rural industries like pottery, tiles, hand loom textiles, coconut related products can be found.[3]
Climate
Gampaha has a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification. The climate is fairly temperate all throughout the year with a significant rainfall. Even in the driest month there is a significant amount of rain. The driest month is January and there is about 62 mm of precipitation. Most of the precipitation in Gampaha area falls in October, averaging 365 mm. The precipitation varies 303 mm between the driest month and the wettest month. April is warmest month in Gampaha, with an average temperature of 28.4 °C (83.1 °F) and the December is the coolest month, with temperatures averaging 26.1 °C (79 °F). Throughout the year, temperatures vary by 2.3 °C.
The annual rain fall in the area is about 2398 mm and the average temperature is about 27.3 °C. The main sources of water canals of Gampaha are Attanagalla Oya and Uruwela Oya.
Henarathgoda Botanical Garden where the first rubber tree was planted in Sri Lanka[6] is still present located close to Gampaha town. The garden is bordered with Attangalle oya and covers about 43 acres. It is believed that the garden is more than 128 years old.[7]
Henarathgoda old railway station. Currently this building has been recognised as archaeological protected monument in Gampaha town.
The first seedling was planted under the auspices of the vast garden's original owner Muhandiam Amaris De Zoysa, who became the garden's first OIC. The generous Muhandiram donated this vast estate for public use, to enhance the local surroundings.
Asgiriya Rajamaha Vihara is an ancient Buddhist temple which is located close to the Gampaha town. Currently this temple has been recognized as archaeological protected monument in Minuwangoda division. The history of this temple runs to the reign of King Valagamba.
Yatawatte Purana Vihara is an old Tampita Vihara, located in Pahalagama. Currently this temple has been protected as one of archaeological protected sites in Sri Lanka.
GorakaElla Waterfall
Wathumulla Ketawala Ambalama is an old Ambalama, located near to Daraluwa rail way station. During the past periods Ambalams were designed to provide shelter for the travelers.
Ketawala Anicut is one of two anicut projects that come under the key irrigation scheme in Gampaha.
Maligawatta Rajamaha Vihara is an ancient Buddhist Temple which located in Gampaha District. The history of this temple runs to the reign of King Valagamba. The tooth relic was hidden twice here.
Kaleniya Rajamaha Vihara is an ancient Buddhist Temple in Gampaha District. It is located near to Kelani River.
Gorakaella waterfall
Education
Literacy in Gampaha district is the highest in Sri Lanka.[citation needed] The literacy rate for both sexes is 98.5. [9] Gampaha is home to secondary educational institutes in Sri Lanka. The government owned schools in the gampaha area are listed below.[10]
Pundit Wickramarachchi found the first Ayurveda College of the country - "Sri Lanka Siddhayurveda Vidyalaya"[11][12] in 1929 closer to Yakkala. "Gampaha Wickramarachchi Ayurveda Vidyalaya (Incorporation) Act No. 30 of 1982" established the college as a national institute for Ayurveda education. From 1 March 1995 the institute was recognized as Gampaha Wickramarachchi Ayurveda Institute and was affiliated to the main university stream of the country Under University of Kelaniya. The institute offers "Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery" (BAMS) diploma and the practitioners are distinguished around the country as "Gampaha Ayurvedic Physicians". Rules for the regulation of the professional conduct of Ayurvedic physicians have been approved by the Minister of Health and gazetted in June 1971.
Transport
Gampaha is the 15th railway station from the Colombo fort on main railway line.
^"Cutting the First Sod of Earth for the Railway in 1858". colombofort.com. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
^"Literacy Rates by District and Sex (Population of Age 10 Years and Over)". Department of Census and Statistics-Sri-Lanka. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
^"Schools". Gamapaha Divisional Secretariat. 21 November 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
^. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011.
gampaha, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, august, 2016, lear. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Gampaha news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Gampaha Sinhala ගම පහ ˈɡamːpaha Tamil கம பஹ kambahaː is an urban city in Gampaha District Western Province Sri Lanka It is situated to the north east of the capital Colombo It is the sixth largest urban area in Western Province after Colombo Negombo Kalutara Panadura and Avissawella 2 Gampaha is also the second largest municipal centre in Gampaha district after Negombo Gampaha has a land area of 25 8 ha 64 acres and is home to the offices of 75 government institutions Gampaha ගම පහCityView of the Gampaha town Sri LankaGampahaCoordinates 7 05 30 N 79 59 59 E 7 09167 N 79 99972 E 7 09167 79 99972 Coordinates 7 05 30 N 79 59 59 E 7 09167 N 79 99972 E 7 09167 79 99972CountrySri LankaDistrictGampaha DistrictGovernment TypeMunicipal Council MayorEranga SenanyakePopulation 2014 1 Total62 797Time zoneUTC 5 30 SLST Postal code11000Area code033 Contents 1 Namesake 2 History 3 Local Government 4 Economy 5 Climate 6 Attractions 7 Education 8 Universities 9 Schools 9 1 Ayurveda 10 Transport 11 References 12 External linksNamesake EditThe name Gampaha in Sinhala ගම පහ literally means Five Villages The five villages are known to be Ihalagama Pahalagama Medagama Pattiyagama and Aluthgama However at present the location of Pattiyagama can no longer be identified within the town limits of Gampaha and remains disputed Gampaha was also formerly known as Henarathgoda History Edit The former volleyball statue was an iconic landmark in Gampaha Due to the development program this statue has been moved next to the railway station entrance During reign of Portuguese the main route to the hill country had been laid through the Gampaha area and in the period of Dutch this area was served as centre for the collection of cinnamon 3 But before year 1815 it is said that Gampaha was a dense forest The 5th Governor of Ceylon Sir Edward Barnes made a visit to Gampaha in 1825 on the way to observe the construction work of the Negombo Colombo main road When British built the Moragoda catholic church in 1828 Gampaha and surrounding areas slowly became inhabited As the extension of the railway track from Colombo to Ambepussa the Henarathgoda railway station was completed in 1866 which acted as a key factor for the progress and recognition of the town In 1867 the first rubber tree of Sri Lanka was planted in Henarathgoda botanical garden The town was planned in 1920 with 52 roads including the main street a water tank a public market a hospital and an electrical generator Most of these are still present in their original sites with various improvements over time 4 Local Government EditGampaha was a village council until 1945 On 1 January that year the town qualified to become an urban council The first urban council had five members P P Jayawardane was the first chairman of the urban council Total number of workforce in the urban council was 197 persons In 1978 constitutional reforms declared Gampaha as a new administrative district which was formerly recognised as a part of the Colombo District and the main administrative centre was established in Gampaha 3 The new district status lead the town to a rapid development establishing new government institutes On 16 April 2002 the Urban Council was upgraded to become the Gampaha Municipal Council Economy EditThe economy of Gampaha has been vastly extended in many aspects Mainly paddy and Rubber are grown here as main cultivation products and additionally pineapple and betel are grown here Also some rural industries like pottery tiles hand loom textiles coconut related products can be found 3 Climate EditGampaha has a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification The climate is fairly temperate all throughout the year with a significant rainfall Even in the driest month there is a significant amount of rain The driest month is January and there is about 62 mm of precipitation Most of the precipitation in Gampaha area falls in October averaging 365 mm The precipitation varies 303 mm between the driest month and the wettest month April is warmest month in Gampaha with an average temperature of 28 4 C 83 1 F and the December is the coolest month with temperatures averaging 26 1 C 79 F Throughout the year temperatures vary by 2 3 C The annual rain fall in the area is about 2398 mm and the average temperature is about 27 3 C The main sources of water canals of Gampaha are Attanagalla Oya and Uruwela Oya Climate data for GampahaMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearAverage high C F 30 7 87 3 31 8 89 2 32 7 90 9 32 6 90 7 31 5 88 7 30 3 86 5 30 2 86 4 30 4 86 7 30 6 87 1 30 3 86 5 30 4 86 7 30 1 86 2 32 7 90 9 Daily mean C F 26 2 79 2 26 8 80 2 27 9 82 2 28 4 83 1 28 3 82 9 27 5 81 5 27 5 81 5 27 6 81 7 27 5 81 5 26 9 80 4 26 5 79 7 26 1 79 0 27 2 81 0 Average low C F 21 7 71 1 21 8 71 2 23 1 73 6 24 2 75 6 25 1 77 2 24 8 76 6 24 8 76 6 24 8 76 6 24 4 75 9 23 6 74 5 22 7 72 9 22 2 72 0 21 7 71 1 Average precipitation mm inches 62 2 4 79 3 1 146 5 7 255 10 0 353 13 9 216 8 5 134 5 3 123 4 8 202 8 0 365 14 4 311 12 2 152 6 0 2 398 94 3 Source CLIMATE DATA ORG 5 Attractions EditHenarathgoda Botanical Garden where the first rubber tree was planted in Sri Lanka 6 is still present located close to Gampaha town The garden is bordered with Attangalle oya and covers about 43 acres It is believed that the garden is more than 128 years old 7 Henarathgoda old railway station Currently this building has been recognised as archaeological protected monument in Gampaha town The first seedling was planted under the auspices of the vast garden s original owner Muhandiam Amaris De Zoysa who became the garden s first OIC The generous Muhandiram donated this vast estate for public use to enhance the local surroundings Henarathgoda old railway station is one of oldest railway stations in Sri Lanka It was built in 1866 by the British to facilitate the transportation of tea and coffee from the up country to Colombo 8 Asgiriya Rajamaha Vihara is an ancient Buddhist temple which is located close to the Gampaha town Currently this temple has been recognized as archaeological protected monument in Minuwangoda division The history of this temple runs to the reign of King Valagamba Yatawatte Purana Vihara is an old Tampita Vihara located in Pahalagama Currently this temple has been protected as one of archaeological protected sites in Sri Lanka GorakaElla WaterfallWathumulla Ketawala Ambalama is an old Ambalama located near to Daraluwa rail way station During the past periods Ambalams were designed to provide shelter for the travelers Ketawala Anicut is one of two anicut projects that come under the key irrigation scheme in Gampaha Maligawatta Rajamaha Vihara is an ancient Buddhist Temple which located in Gampaha District The history of this temple runs to the reign of King Valagamba The tooth relic was hidden twice here Kaleniya Rajamaha Vihara is an ancient Buddhist Temple in Gampaha District It is located near to Kelani River Gorakaella waterfallEducation EditLiteracy in Gampaha district is the highest in Sri Lanka citation needed The literacy rate for both sexes is 98 5 9 Gampaha is home to secondary educational institutes in Sri Lanka The government owned schools in the gampaha area are listed below 10 Universities Edit University of KelaniyaSchools Edit Anura Central College Chandrajothi Maha Vidyalaya Bandaranayake College Bandarawatta Parakrama Maha Vidyalaya Bendiyamulla Gajaba Vidyalaya Bemmulla Gamini Kanishta Vidyalaya Gothami Kanishta Vidyalaya Sri Dharmaloka College Kelaniya Gurukula College Kelaniya Holy Cross College Viharamahadevi Balika Vidyalaya Kiribathgoda Vishaka Balika Vidyalaya Makola Ihala Yagoda Lumbini Kanishta Vidyalaya Indigolla Vijitha Prathamika Vidyalaya Keppetipola Maha Vidyalaya Kirindiwela Central College Kirindiwela Maha Vidyalaya Kirindiwita Gemunu Kanishta Vidyalaya Mahaththuwa Jinarathana prathamika Vidyalaya Mahagamasekaya Maha Vidyalaya Moragoda Wimaladharmasuriya Kanishta Vidyalaya Rathnavali Balika Vidyalaya Sidharthakumara Vidyalaya Sri Bodhi College Sumedha College St Peter s College Thakshila College Yasodara Devi Balika Maha Vidyalaya Gunanodaya Vidyalaya Divlapitiya Ayurveda Edit Pundit Wickramarachchi found the first Ayurveda College of the country Sri Lanka Siddhayurveda Vidyalaya 11 12 in 1929 closer to Yakkala Gampaha Wickramarachchi Ayurveda Vidyalaya Incorporation Act No 30 of 1982 established the college as a national institute for Ayurveda education From 1 March 1995 the institute was recognized as Gampaha Wickramarachchi Ayurveda Institute and was affiliated to the main university stream of the country Under University of Kelaniya The institute offers Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery BAMS diploma and the practitioners are distinguished around the country as Gampaha Ayurvedic Physicians Rules for the regulation of the professional conduct of Ayurvedic physicians have been approved by the Minister of Health and gazetted in June 1971 Transport EditGampaha is the 15th railway station from the Colombo fort on main railway line Numerous bus routes terminatate at Gampaha References Edit Gampaha Municipal Council Real Estate in Gampaha then and now Daily News Sri Lanka 15 March 2016 Retrieved 27 November 2016 a b c A Brief Description of Gampaha Secretariat Division Gamapaha Divisional Secretariat 19 November 2010 Retrieved 21 February 2016 GAMPAHA event lk Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 21 February 2016 CLIMATE GAMPAHA CLIMATE DATA ORG Retrieved 21 February 2016 Gampaha Botanic Garden Botanic Gardens Conservation International Henarathgoda Botanicl garden Cutting the First Sod of Earth for the Railway in 1858 colombofort com Retrieved 21 February 2016 Literacy Rates by District and Sex Population of Age 10 Years and Over Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka 23 March 2015 Retrieved 23 March 2015 Schools Gamapaha Divisional Secretariat 21 November 2010 Retrieved 21 February 2016 Siddhayurveda College AKA The Gampaha Wickramarachchi Ayurveda Institute Archived from the original on 13 September 2011 Siddhayurveda Rasayanushada Samagama External links EditDetailed map of Gampaha and Sri Lanka Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gampaha amp oldid 1130672027, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
