SRI JAYAWARDENEPURA KOTTE

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the capital of Sri Lanka. It is also the legislative and judicial capital of the country. The city also known as Kotte which means ‘Fortress’ was the capital of the Sinhalese kingdom of Kotte from the 14th to 16th centuries. A Tamil chief Alagakkonara founded it as a fortress against the invasions from the Jaffna Kingdom in the 13th century. The city later became the capital of the island and was renamed Sri Jaya Vardhana Pura Kotte, which means "the blessed fortress city of growing victory." In 1505, the Portuguese arrived on the island and took control of the city by 1565. After being selected as the new capital by the new government of 1977, all government institutions have been relocated to the city from the old capital of Colombo.

Location: Located five miles southeast of Colombo, in Western Province in the southwestern part of the country, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is situated at 6°54′ Latitude North and 79°55′ Longitude East. The city has a population of 115,826, which includes a mixture of Sinhalese, Moors and Tamils.

Tourist Attractions: Temples of various religions are the main attractions of the city.

Transportation: The main railway station at Nugegoda is the prime access to the city. The main bus terminus at Nugegoda provides buses to all cities in the country. Passenger boat service is the other mode of transport in the city.

Hotels: Being the capital city, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte has number of hotels, which serve as the main lounge for the tourists. The important hotels in the city are Holiday Inn Colombo, The Colombo Plaza, Grand Oriental Hotel, Galadari Hotel, Cinnamon Grand Hotel Colombo, Trans Asia Hotel Colombo and Taj Samudra Colombo.

Places of Attraction: The beaches attract thousands of tourists to it. Buddhist temples, Hindu temples and churches attract pilgrims to the city. The old parliament building, the zoo, museums and art galleries are the other attractions of the city.

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