๐ฑ๐ฐ Moratuwa is a large suburb of Colombo, on the south-western coast of Sri Lanka, near Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. It is situated on the GalleโColombo (Galle road) main highway, 18ย km (11ย mi) south of the centre of Colombo. Moratuwa is surrounded on three sides by water, except in the north of the city, by the Indian Ocean on the west, the Lake Bolgoda on the east and the Moratu river on the south.
Moratuwa is also the birthplace of Veera Puran Appu, a resistance fighter against British rule in Matale, the philanthropist Sir Charles Henry de Soysa and the musician Pandit W. D. Amaradeva.
History Both Moratuwa and Lakshapathiya are mentioned in the 15th century poem Kokila Sandesha, written by a monk poet of Devundara to celebrate Prince Sapumal during the reign of King Parakramabahu VI. Lunawa, Uyana and Rawathawatte are mentioned in 16th century chronicles and church records of martyrs, the latter commemorates Revatha Thera, the chief incumbent of a temple built by King Vijayabahu I. Lakshapathiya, meaning commanding a hundred-thousand, was once the land awarded to Lak Vijaya Singu, a Commander of King Nissanka Malla. Subsequent to the Wijayaba Kollaya and the division of the Kotte Kingdom, the hamlet of Koralawella was created as part of Raigam Korale, which again became part of Moratuwa in 1735, however losing Ratmalana and parts of Borupane to Dehiwala. The name Moratuwa is derived from "Mura Atuwa" meaning sentry turret in Sinhalese which once existed at Kaldamulla.
Suburb structure Moratuwa consists of 24 main areas: Angulana, Borupana, Dahampura, Egoda Uyana, Idama, Indibedda, Kadalana, Kaduwamulla, Kaldemulla, Katubedda, Katukurunda, Koralawella, Lakshapathiya, Lunawa, Molpe, Moratumulla, Moratuwella, Puwakaramba, Rawathawatta, Soysapura, Thelawala, Uswatta, Uyana and Willorawatta.
Industries Industries in Moratuwa include the manufacture of furniture, rubber products, batteries, transformers, and wood handicrafts. This suburb is also a fishing and trading center. Of these, Moratuwa is most well known for its furniture.
Education The University of Moratuwa, a leading technological university in South Asia is situated on the banks of the Bolgoda Lake in Katubedda, Moratuwa. High schools in the area include Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, Prince of Wales' College, Princess of Wales' College, Our Lady of Victories Convent, St. Sebastian's College and the Methodist High School.
Attractions The Bolgoda lake situated in Moratuwa is the largest natural lake of Sri Lanka. It is a tributary of the Kalu Ganga which originates at Adam's Peak and is a popular resort for swimming, angling and boating. Bolgoda lake spreads, twisting from Ratmalana via Moratuwa and Panadura till it meets the sea at Wadduwa and Moratuwa via the Moratu ganga. Moratuwa is home to the oldest church dedicated to St. Sebastian and the Holy Emmanuel Church, which was once the tallest building in Sri Lanka. A monument to Puran Appu stands in the premises of the Moratuwa Municipal Council and a museum is housed at the Weera Puran Appu Vidyalaya.
Transport The main road transport link to Moratuwa is the Colombo-Galle Highway (Galle Road), which links the suburb from the north and south. Moratuwa is linked to the outside by four bridges, old Moratuwa Bridge at the town centre, New Galle Road Bridge at Modara, Kospalana Bridge and Borupana Road Bridge, all across the Bolgoda lake. The town is linked by Galle Road to the north at Ratmalana, to Panadura to the south and to Pilyandala in the east. Access to the Southern Expressway from Moratuwa is either through Kottawa or by Horana Road.
The coastal railway line from Colombo to Matara runs through Moratuwa along the coast. Railway stations at Angulana, Lunawa, Moratuwa, Koralawella and Egodauyana serve residents of Moratuwa.
Moratuwa has a population of over 168,280 people. Moratuwa also forms part of the wider Colombo metropolitan area which has a population of over 5,600,000 people.
To set up a UBI Lab for Moratuwa see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork
Twin Towns, Sister Cities Moratuwa has links with:
๐ฏ๐ต Suita, Japan๐ฌ๐พ Georgetown 6.805
๐จ๐ฎ Yamoussoukro 6.822
๐ฑ๐ฐ Maharagama 6.833
๐ฑ๐ฐ Piliyandala 6.85
๐ฑ๐ฐ Katunayake 79.87
๐ฑ๐ฐ Maharagama 79.917
๐ฑ๐ฐ Piliyandala 79.95
๐ฑ๐ฐ Minuwangoda 79.95
๐ฑ๐ฐ Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 79.867
๐ฎ๐ณ Bhupalpally 79.864
๐ฎ๐ณ Nagapattinam 79.845
๐ฎ๐ณ Pondicherry 79.817
๐ฎ๐ณ Puducherry 79.817
๐ฎ๐ณ Kanchipuram 79.702
Locations Near: Moratuwa 79.8667,6.78333
๐ฑ๐ฐ Maharagama 79.917,6.833 d: 7.8
๐ฑ๐ฐ Panadura 79.902,6.715 d: 8.5
๐ฑ๐ฐ Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 79.867,6.867 d: 9.3
๐ฑ๐ฐ Dehiwala 79.883,6.867 d: 9.4
๐ฑ๐ฐ Piliyandala 79.95,6.85 d: 11.8
๐ฑ๐ฐ Colombo 79.863,6.915 d: 14.7
๐ฑ๐ฐ Homagama 80.003,6.843 d: 16.5
๐ฑ๐ฐ Kelaniya 79.917,6.95 d: 19.3
Antipodal to: Moratuwa -100.133,-6.783
๐ต๐ช Talara -81.267,-4.567 d: 17913.2
๐ต๐ช Mรกncora -81.05,-4.1 d: 17882
๐บ๐ธ Sterling Heights -83.001,2.544 d: 17849
๐ต๐ช Piura -80.633,-5.2 d: 17851.6
๐ช๐จ Salinas -80.968,-2.207 d: 17831.1
๐ช๐จ La Libertad -80.9,-2.233 d: 17824.5
๐ช๐จ Santa Elena -80.858,-2.227 d: 17819.8
๐ต๐ช Chiclayo -79.844,-6.764 d: 17775