Rajagiriya
Encyclopedia
Rajagiriya is one of the main residential and Commercial suburbs after Nugegoda
in the Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte municipal limits. Rajagiriya is bordered by Borella
and Ethul Kotte.
terminus at Borella. Welikada Prison was originally within the village limits.
The name Rajagiriya came from the former Governor's residence, the grounds of which extended from Madinnagoda Road in the north to the Cotta road in the south. The house and grounds were later purchased by Ananda Coomaraswamy
. According to historian Douglas Ranasinghe, a Malayali servant of Coomaraswamy's saw a large mongoose
in the garden and shouted 'Raja kiriya' (meaning 'large mongoose') and the name stuck.
The house was later purchased by Anagarika Dharmapala
. The Hewavitharana Textile Training School was built within the grounds and later Hewavitharana Maha Vidyalaya
. The house and the truncated lands were later acquired by the Obeyesekere family and it is generally known as the 'Obeyesekere Walauwa'.
The area developed because of plumbago
, which was shipped up the canal network from Ingiriya in the Kalutara
district for purification at the Welikada graphite works.
The area around the Ethul Kotte bridge became a light industrial area, with the 'Electroplastics' and 'Pinnacle' factories and the Ceylon Transport Board
's ticket machine workshops.
Several historic buildings in the area have been destroyed. These include the ancient Ambalama (rest house) and the 'Welikada Hotel and Bakery' at the Welikada junction, The 'Shermila' cinema (originally the Kotte urban development council's first market) and several old houses.
Many of the area's marshes, which were the habitat of birds within the Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Bird Sanctuary, and which were designated as flood-retention areas, were filled up and built on in spite of the protests of the residents.
In the late 1970s the government of JR Jayawardene ran a major road through the very middle of the EW Perera Park (which commemorated a national hero and was the venue for Football, Cricket
and other sports). The Pavilion built by Stanley Tillekeratne was converted into a Police station
.
The Rajagiriya postal area (also known as the Welikada postal area) also includes Kotiyagoda and Kalapaluwawa within the Kaduwela Pradeshiya Sabha council limits.
Rajagiriya within the Kotte municipal limits comprises:
Nugegoda
Nugegoda is one of the most densely populated suburbs of Colombo. It is in the border of Sri Jayawardenapura Municipal Council Limits and Dehiwela Mt. Lavinia Municipal Council Limits, just outside Colombo City Limits. Central Nugegoda is a collection of densely packed shops and mixed residential...
in the Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte municipal limits. Rajagiriya is bordered by Borella
Borella
Borella is the largest suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka represented by divisional code 8.-Demographic:Borella is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic area. The major ethnic communities in Borella are Sinhalese and Tamils. There are also various other minorities such as Burghers, Arab descendants and others...
and Ethul Kotte.
History
The area was originally known as Welikada and stretched from the Ethul Kotte bridge to the tramTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
terminus at Borella. Welikada Prison was originally within the village limits.
The name Rajagiriya came from the former Governor's residence, the grounds of which extended from Madinnagoda Road in the north to the Cotta road in the south. The house and grounds were later purchased by Ananda Coomaraswamy
Ananda Coomaraswamy
Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy was a Ceylonese philosopher and metaphysician, as well as a pioneering historian and philosopher of Indian art, particularly art history and symbolism, and an early interpreter of Indian culture to the West...
. According to historian Douglas Ranasinghe, a Malayali servant of Coomaraswamy's saw a large mongoose
Mongoose
Mongoose are a family of 33 living species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like"...
in the garden and shouted 'Raja kiriya' (meaning 'large mongoose') and the name stuck.
The house was later purchased by Anagarika Dharmapala
Anagarika Dharmapala
Anagarika Dharmapala was a leading figure of Buddhism in the twentieth century. He was one of the founding contributors of Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalism and Protestant Buddhism...
. The Hewavitharana Textile Training School was built within the grounds and later Hewavitharana Maha Vidyalaya
Hewavitharana Maha Vidyalaya
Hewavitharana Maha Vidyalaya is a mixed school in Sri Lanka, located in Rajagiriya. Hewavitharana Maha Vidyalaya has two sections - the Primary section, serving students from Grade 1 to Grade 5 and the Secondary section, serving students from Grade 6 to Grade 13.-Other:* *...
. The house and the truncated lands were later acquired by the Obeyesekere family and it is generally known as the 'Obeyesekere Walauwa'.
The area developed because of plumbago
Plumbago
Plumbago is a genus of 10-20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort...
, which was shipped up the canal network from Ingiriya in the Kalutara
Kalutara
Kalutara is a resort town located approximately 40 km south of Colombo in Sri Lanka.- Overview :Once an important spice-trading center, the city's name is derived from the Kalu Ganga River . In the 11th Century, the town was temporarily made a capital on the orders of a South Indian Prince...
district for purification at the Welikada graphite works.
The area around the Ethul Kotte bridge became a light industrial area, with the 'Electroplastics' and 'Pinnacle' factories and the Ceylon Transport Board
Ceylon Transport Board
The Sri Lanka Transport Board is a bus service provider in Sri Lanka.Between 1958 and 1978, the Ceylon Transport Board was the nationalised enterprise which handled all public bus transport in Sri Lanka. At its peak, it was the largest omnibus company in the world - with about 7,000 buses and...
's ticket machine workshops.
Several historic buildings in the area have been destroyed. These include the ancient Ambalama (rest house) and the 'Welikada Hotel and Bakery' at the Welikada junction, The 'Shermila' cinema (originally the Kotte urban development council's first market) and several old houses.
Many of the area's marshes, which were the habitat of birds within the Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Bird Sanctuary, and which were designated as flood-retention areas, were filled up and built on in spite of the protests of the residents.
In the late 1970s the government of JR Jayawardene ran a major road through the very middle of the EW Perera Park (which commemorated a national hero and was the venue for Football, Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and other sports). The Pavilion built by Stanley Tillekeratne was converted into a Police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
.
Areas in Rajagiriya
The Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte municipal ward of Rajagiriya is confined to the areas around the original grounds of the Governor's house.The Rajagiriya postal area (also known as the Welikada postal area) also includes Kotiyagoda and Kalapaluwawa within the Kaduwela Pradeshiya Sabha council limits.
Rajagiriya within the Kotte municipal limits comprises:
- Ward no. 1 - Rajagiriya (includes Rajagiriya proper - the area around the Governor's house - Obeyesekerepura, Moragasmulla and Madinnagoda road, bounded by the Kolonnawa Ela canal on the north, the Heen Ela canal on the west, the Cotta Road on the south and the Welikada ward on the east);
- Ward no. 2 - Welikada (includes Welikada proper, and stretches from the Welikada junction to the Ethul Kotte junction, bounded by the Kolonnawa Ela canal on the north and east, Ward 1 on the west, and the Cotta Road on the south).
- Ward no. 3 - Welikada-Nawala (includes Bandaranaikepura and Royal Gardens, the Municipal offices and the western half of Nawala and of Koswatte, bounded by the Cotta Road on the north, the Heen Ela canal on the west, the Diyawanna Oya canal on the south and the Nawala Road on the east).
- Ward no. 4 - NawalaNawalaNawala is a Suburb of Colombo near Rajagiriya, within the Kotte municipality in the western province of Sri Lanka.An up-market residential area, Nawala lies between the Commercial Capital Colombo and the Administrative Capital of Kotte. It is considered to be a part of Rajagiriya and is bordered by...
(includes WelikadawatteWelikadawatteWelikadawatte, a middle-class housing estate in Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka was a result of the first co-operative housing scheme in Sri Lanka.In the mid-1950s, Dr. Seneka Bibile, together with Herbert Keuneman, 'Bonnie' Fernando, Anil and Jeanne Moonesinghe and other members of the radical...
, eastern Koswatte and Nawala, bounded by the Cotta Road on the north, the Nawala Road on the west and the Diyawanna Oya canal on the south and east).
Important locations
- 'Rajagiriya', the old governor's mansion (the 'Obeyesekere Walauwa') at Rajagiriya
- The Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte Municipal Council building on Nawala Road
- the Anglican Church of St Stephen (the gal-palliya or stone church) at Moragasmulla
- the Muslim mosqueMosqueA mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
on the Nawala Road - the EW Perera Children's Park (what remains of the old park and football ground) on the Nawala Road
- the Roman Catholic Sacred Heart Church at Rajagiriya proper
- The Hewavitharana Textile training school on Dharmapala Mawatha, Rajagiriya
- President's College, Rajagiriya
- Many institutions such as the Elections Department, Official Languages Department and the KachcheriKachcheriKachcheri is a Hindustani word initially used for the Revenue Collector's Office in the early years of the British Colonial Administration in Ceylon. Revenue collection was a main feature of the Dutch pattern of colonial administration...
are based in Ward no. 3.