Kegalle (Sinhala: කෑගල්ල; Tamil: கேகாலை) is a large town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It is located on the Colombo–Kandy road, approximately 78 km (48 mi) from Colombo and 40 km (25 mi) from Kandy. It is the main town in the Kegalle District, which is one of two districts which comprise Sabaragamuwa Province. The town is governed by an Urban Council.
Kegalle has an agricultural based economy and mainly produces rubber. The surrounding area produces graphite, precious stones and agricultural products such as rice. It is the nearest town to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, a major tourist attraction in the area, which is 13 km (8.1 mi) to the north-east.
The history of the area dates back to the stone age of Sri Lanka.[citation needed] According to evidence[clarification needed] there had been a prosperous civilisation in Kegalle prior to 28,000 years.[citation needed] The caves of Beli lena, Dorawaka lena, Alu lena, Asmadala, Padavigampola, Batalegala, Lenagala, Ambala Kanda, Halamada, Heenatipana, Uthuwankanda, Beligala, Salawa, Yahalena, Salgala and Kela Dambulla provide evidence of that.
According to the archaeology of the Kegalle District, it has been a region in Maya Rata, which was one of three divisions of Sri Lanka. In the latter half of the Sinhalese kingdom and also by the ruling period of the British, Kegalle was further divided into three parts; “Satara Koralaya”,” Thun Koralaya” and “Patha Bulathgama”.
Physical information
Kegalle, situated in between the central highlands and western southern planes and has an enchanting environment. The height of the western region is less than 150 metres (500 ft) above sea level while the eastern region exceeds 300 metres (1,000 ft). Rubber cultivation has stretched over most of the area of the district and minor export crops such as coffee, cocoa, pepper, clove and nutmeg takes an important place in the district's economy. Sri Lanka’s oldest graphite mine is situated at Bogala in Kegalle District. The extent of the District is 169,280 ha (418,300 acres).
The land has become another fertile facilitator to the cultivation promoted needs of the citizens of Kegalle. The district mainly being an agrarian society, rubber, tea and coconut are cultivated as the main crops of it. Apart from that clove, pepper, coffee and cocoa too are being cultivated as secondary commodities. As of the rubber cultivation, 33% of the agrarian lands have been utilised for it. 12,000 ha (30,000 acres) of land area have been occupied for the paddy cultivation. The rain water is the main resource provider for the cultivation in Kegalle.
Minerals are another lucrative donor of the district of Kegalle. The Bogala graphite is one of the most notable mine in Kegalle district and marks a half amount of the total mineral export of Sri Lanka. The gem distribution near the Kelani River further boosts for the economic prosperity of the district.
Education
Secondary
The town has a number of schools including:
Aranayake Central College (M.M.V.), Ussapitiya
Baduriya Central College, Mawanella
Bandaranayake Maha Vidyalaya, Hettimulla
Dippitiya Muslim Maha Vidyalaya,
Dehiowita M.V.
Dharul Uloom Muslim Maha Vidyalaya, Rambukkana
Dudley Senanayaka Central College (M.M.V.), Tholangamuwa
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is an orphanage, nursery and captive breeding ground for wild Asian elephants located at Pinnawala village, 13 km (8.1 mi) northeast of Kegalle town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. Pinnawala is notable for having the largest herd of captive elephants in the world.
Asupini Ella
Asupini Ella (waterfall) also called 'Asupini Falls' is a 30 metres (98 ft) waterfall that can be seen from the historic town of Aranayake. According to ancient tales, it was named after the story about a King who had many queens. On his return from war, he assured them that he would give them a sign from the hills about the fate of the war. He said, “If his soldiers waved a white flag over the hills, it would mean he was defeated and killed in action. But, if he waved his own flag bearing his crest, that he was victorious". The King decided to play a joke on his wives, who were waiting with their horses near the waterfall to see the visual message, by waving a white flag. His wives were so upset that they all committed suicide by jumping over the falls which inspired the name Ahupini, which is derived from 'Aswaya' (Horse) and 'Pini' or 'Panina' (Jump) which combined means "the horses jumped over the falls".[citation needed]
Buddhist Temples
Wewaladeniya Viharaya, also known as Kegalla Siri Mahindodaya Piriwen Viharaya is one of oldest temples in Kegalle. It is located at the centre of the town.
Other
Alagalla Mountain Range in Sabaragamuwa province is "Freedom Summit" in Sri Lanka, where an annual folk climbing event takes place on 4 February commemorating country's independent from British empire.[citation needed]
Notable people from Kegalle
Sir.Edwin Wijeyeratne First elected Kegalle member, State Council of Ceylon & Sri Lankan independence activist
Sir Edwin Wijeyeratne - First elected member of Kegalle to State Council of Ceylon, Sri Lankan independence activist & Cabinet Minister of Home Affairs and Rural Development in the government of D. S. Senanayake.
^Kalugalla passes away. The Island, Retrieved on 22 November 2007.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kegalle.
April 26, 2023
kegalle, 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, september, 2017, l. 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 Kegalle news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Kegalle Sinhala ක ගල ල Tamil க க ல is a large town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka It is located on the Colombo Kandy road approximately 78 km 48 mi from Colombo and 40 km 25 mi from Kandy It is the main town in the Kegalle District which is one of two districts which comprise Sabaragamuwa Province The town is governed by an Urban Council Kegalle ක ගල ලக க ல TownKegalle Clock TowerKegalleLocation in Sri LankaCoordinates 7 15 11 N 80 20 43 E 7 25306 N 80 34528 E 7 25306 80 34528 Coordinates 7 15 11 N 80 20 43 E 7 25306 N 80 34528 E 7 25306 80 34528CountrySri LankaProvinceSabaragamuwa ProvinceDistrictKegalle DistrictGovernment TypeUrban Council BodyKegalle Urban CouncilArea Town106 0 km2 40 9 sq mi Urban8 00 km2 3 09 sq mi Population Town90 854 Kegalle Division 1 Density857 1 km2 2 220 sq mi Urban15 993 Kegalle Urban Council 2 Urban density1 999 km2 5 180 sq mi Time zoneUTC 05 30 SLST Postal code71000Area code035Kegalle has an agricultural based economy and mainly produces rubber The surrounding area produces graphite precious stones and agricultural products such as rice It is the nearest town to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage a major tourist attraction in the area which is 13 km 8 1 mi to the north east Contents 1 History 2 Physical information 3 Economy 4 Education 4 1 Secondary 4 2 Higher Education Institutes 5 Attractions 5 1 Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage 5 2 Asupini Ella 5 3 Buddhist Temples 5 4 Other 6 Notable people from Kegalle 7 Demographics 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksHistory EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed February 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message The history of the area dates back to the stone age of Sri Lanka citation needed According to evidence clarification needed there had been a prosperous civilisation in Kegalle prior to 28 000 years citation needed The caves of Beli lena Dorawaka lena Alu lena Asmadala Padavigampola Batalegala Lenagala Ambala Kanda Halamada Heenatipana Uthuwankanda Beligala Salawa Yahalena Salgala and Kela Dambulla provide evidence of that According to the archaeology of the Kegalle District it has been a region in Maya Rata which was one of three divisions of Sri Lanka In the latter half of the Sinhalese kingdom and also by the ruling period of the British Kegalle was further divided into three parts Satara Koralaya Thun Koralaya and Patha Bulathgama Physical information EditKegalle situated in between the central highlands and western southern planes and has an enchanting environment The height of the western region is less than 150 metres 500 ft above sea level while the eastern region exceeds 300 metres 1 000 ft Rubber cultivation has stretched over most of the area of the district and minor export crops such as coffee cocoa pepper clove and nutmeg takes an important place in the district s economy Sri Lanka s oldest graphite mine is situated at Bogala in Kegalle District The extent of the District is 169 280 ha 418 300 acres Economy EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed February 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message The land has become another fertile facilitator to the cultivation promoted needs of the citizens of Kegalle The district mainly being an agrarian society rubber tea and coconut are cultivated as the main crops of it Apart from that clove pepper coffee and cocoa too are being cultivated as secondary commodities As of the rubber cultivation 33 of the agrarian lands have been utilised for it 12 000 ha 30 000 acres of land area have been occupied for the paddy cultivation The rain water is the main resource provider for the cultivation in Kegalle Minerals are another lucrative donor of the district of Kegalle The Bogala graphite is one of the most notable mine in Kegalle district and marks a half amount of the total mineral export of Sri Lanka The gem distribution near the Kelani River further boosts for the economic prosperity of the district Education EditSecondary Edit The town has a number of schools including Aranayake Central College M M V Ussapitiya Baduriya Central College Mawanella Bandaranayake Maha Vidyalaya Hettimulla Dippitiya Muslim Maha Vidyalaya Dehiowita M V Dharul Uloom Muslim Maha Vidyalaya Rambukkana Dudley Senanayaka Central College M M V Tholangamuwa Hathgampala Maha Vidyalaya Aranayaka Kegalu Vidyalaya Kegalu Balika Vidyalaya Mayurapaada M M V Mawanella Molagoda Jayapala Maha Vidyalaya Parakumba Maha Vidyalaya Dedigama Pinnawala Central College M M V Rambukkana Rajasinghe Central College M M V Ruwanwella Royal College Kegalle formerly known as Walagamaba Kanishta Vidyalaya Sirisaman M M V Deraniyagala St Joseph Balika Vidyalaya Kegalle formerly known as St Joseph s Convent St Mary s College St Mary s Maha Vidyalaya Swarna Jayanthi Vidyalaya Sulaimaniya Navodya School Kannattota Thalgaspitiya Muslim Maha Vidyalaya Aranayake Walagama Maha Vidyalaya Dewalegama Yatiyantota M M V Zahira College Mawanella Muslim M M V Higher Education Institutes Edit Advanced Technological Institute National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority Open University of Sri Lanka Study Centre Technical College Kegalle SANASA CampusAttractions EditPinnawala Elephant Orphanage Edit Main article Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is an orphanage nursery and captive breeding ground for wild Asian elephants located at Pinnawala village 13 km 8 1 mi northeast of Kegalle town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka Pinnawala is notable for having the largest herd of captive elephants in the world Asupini Ella Edit Asupini Ella waterfall also called Asupini Falls is a 30 metres 98 ft waterfall that can be seen from the historic town of Aranayake According to ancient tales it was named after the story about a King who had many queens On his return from war he assured them that he would give them a sign from the hills about the fate of the war He said If his soldiers waved a white flag over the hills it would mean he was defeated and killed in action But if he waved his own flag bearing his crest that he was victorious The King decided to play a joke on his wives who were waiting with their horses near the waterfall to see the visual message by waving a white flag His wives were so upset that they all committed suicide by jumping over the falls which inspired the name Ahupini which is derived from Aswaya Horse and Pini or Panina Jump which combined means the horses jumped over the falls citation needed Buddhist Temples Edit Wewaladeniya Viharaya also known as Kegalla Siri Mahindodaya Piriwen Viharaya is one of oldest temples in Kegalle It is located at the centre of the town Other Edit Alagalla Mountain Range in Sabaragamuwa province is Freedom Summit in Sri Lanka where an annual folk climbing event takes place on 4 February commemorating country s independent from British empire citation needed Notable people from Kegalle Edit Sir Edwin Wijeyeratne First elected Kegalle member State Council of Ceylon amp Sri Lankan independence activist Chinthaka Jayawickrama Sri Lankan cricketer 3 The Honourable Dr P B G Kalugalla Member of Sri Lanka Parliament from Kegalle District for 26 years until 2000 He was the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Philippines 4 Sir Edwin Wijeyeratne First elected member of Kegalle to State Council of Ceylon Sri Lankan independence activist amp Cabinet Minister of Home Affairs and Rural Development in the government of D S Senanayake Demographics EditKegalle is a Sinhalese majority town there are sizable communities belonging to other ethnic groups such as Indian Tamils Muslims and Tamils Others include Burgher and Malay Ethnicity in Kegalle 2012 Population PercentSinhalese 95 00 IN Tamils 2 76 Muslims 2 12 SL Tamils 1 04 Others 0 20 Source 2012 statistics gov lkSee also EditKegalle District Wanduradeniya Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage Alagalla Mountain Range Kegalu VidyalayaReferences Edit kegalle division population census kegalle urban population census Chinthaka Jayawickrama at Cricket Archive Kalugalla passes away The Island Retrieved on 22 November 2007 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kegalle Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kegalle amp oldid 1151793114, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
