Google sightseeing Mannar ( map2 )

A more distant map of Mannar.In the maps you can see Rameswaram of India too.

Rameswaram, hailed as the Varanasi of the South, is an island in the Palk Straits. Legend has it that Sri Rama worshipped Lord Shiva here after his victory over the demon king Ravana. Even today anyone visiting Varanasi or Kasi, has to complete his pilgrimage by a visit to Rameswaram. The temple town has been in the news of late because its illustrious son Sri APJ Abdul Kalam,President of India has recounted it fondly in his memoirs called "Wings of Fire".It forms part of Adams Bridge, a series of coral reef islands connecting India and Sri Lanka. The island contains a temple that is one of the most venerated of all Hindu shrines.This Shivastalam is considered to be one of the holiest shrines in India. It represents the southernmost of the 12 Jyotirlingams of India and has been a time honored pilgirmage center held on par with Banaras.

Satellite Maps of Mannar,SriLanka

Mannar is a district of Sri Lanka. Mannar means 'deer river' or 'silt river'. The ancient port was known as Mahaota Mahawamsa, Mantota, and Mahatheetha in Sanskrit, where it means the 'great port'. Mathoddam or Manthai and many other variants are found, e.g., in Egyptian, Chinese, Portuguese and Dutch maps. The Malvatu oya (Aruvi Aru) provided a direct water route from Mantota to the Ancient capital Anuradhapura. Many Buddhist ruins dating to pre-Christian times are found in this area. This is the location of Thiruketheeswaram. the ancient temple which was sung in Tevaram and visited by Sambanthar.

Google Satellite maps of Kotte,City of SriLanka

General Info

Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte, also known as Kotte, is the Administrative capital of Sri Lanka. It is located beyond the eastern suburbs of the Commercial capital Colombo and is often called New Capital territory. The Parliament of Sri Lanka has been based here since the formal inauguration of its new building on 29 April 1982.

Infrastructure

Transport

The only major railway station is at Nugegoda, on the Kelani Valley Line. Also at Nugegoda is the city's main bus terminus. There are subsidiary bus stands at Pita Kotte and Welikada. The city is well served by buses and there is a major CTB bus depot at Udahamulla.

A Passenger boat service is being finalised and would commence adjacent to Parliament Junction at Bataramulla and end at the Wellawatte canal near Marine drive. Each journey would take around 30 minutes. It would have stations at the Kotte Marsh, Nawala, Open University, Apollo Hospital, Wellawatte, Duplication road and at St Peter's College, Colombo.

Health

Kotte has a large public hospital, The Sri Jayawardenepura Hospital - also known as Nava rohala - located in Sri Jayawardenepura. The largest dedicated childrens ENT hospital is currently under construction at Rajagiriya.

Education

There are a number of State and Private Schools in Kotte. They are either are either "National schools" (run by the state), Semi-government/Private schools or International schools (run by trusts and individuals). The Education Ministry as well as the Department of Examinations is based here.

Affluent residents prefer International and private schools located in Colombo due to its close proximity and the use of English as a medium of instruction. Demand is especially high for affiliated International schools, and those run by convents or the Jesuits. The government run public schools lack certain facilities, but are the only option for poorer residents who cannot afford the more expensive schools.

The Oldest National school which was known as Christian College is located in Kotte. And relocated at Bataramulla from its previous site in Colombo 02 is the Oldest International school catering exclusively to the expatriate community and a few select nationals; The Overseas School of Colombo.
Speakers Residence
Speakers Residence

Located at Nawala is the Open University, Sri Lanka and at Nugegoda is the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Public Libraries are conveniently located, and can be found at Nugegoda and Rajagiriya.

Utilities

The Kotte Municipal Council is responsible for the road maintenance and door-to-door garbage collection in the city. They also are responsible for keeping Storm drains clean to cope with the heavy Tropical Rains.

The largest telephone service provider is Sri Lanka Telecom, which previously held a monopoly over fixed line services, and provides fixed line as well as mobile services through its subsidiary Mobitel. Cell phone coverage is extensive, and the main service providers are Dialog Telekom, Mobitel, Tigo and Hutch. Both GSM and CDMA services are available in the city and Broadband internet penetration is increasing.

Electricity is provided by the Lanka Electricity Co. Ltd.

Sports and recreation facilities in city

Cricket is the most popular sport in the city as well as the country, and is usually played in the grounds around the city. Incidently Kotte's govt. representative in Parliament is the Former Cricket Captain Arjuna Ranathunga.

Football has grown in popularity, and the sport now has a considerable following. The Football association's new training facility at Kotte is aimed at harnessing and developing the available talent and organizing the individual players into a cohesive team. It includes a football playground with a sprinkler system, gym and a host of other facilities.[6]

Golf is another pastime that has increased in popularity. The Waters Edge country club is a 11 hole Golf course located at Battaramulla. Its infrastructure include; Restaurant/dining room/ballroom/conference hall, Driving range with 20 bays - 300 metres in length and floodlit for practice at night. Chip and putt area with bunkers, Swimming pool, Spa, gym, games arcade, beauty salon and a karaoke lounge.

Other sports are mostly played in the numerous clubs and gyms, and include tennis, squash, billiards, horse riding, Indoor cricket, badminton and table tennis. One such place where all these sports come together is the Austasia Sports and Leisure Complex. It is the only one of its kind in Sri Lanka and is best known for hosting indoor cricket competitions.

Horse riding can be pursued at the Premadasa Riding School in Nugegoda.

Satellite maps of Colombo (capital of SriLanka)

Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the administrative capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and colonial ruins and a metropolitan population of over 600,000 people.

The name Colombo, first introduced by the Portuguese in 1505, was derived from the classical Sinhalese name Kolon thota, meaning "port on the river Kelani". It has also been suggested that the name may be derived from the Sinhalese name Kola-amba-thota which means "harbor with leafy mango trees".

Due to its large natural harbour and its strategic position along the East-West sea trade routes, Colombo was known to ancient traders since more than 2,000 years ago. However it was only made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815,[5] and its status as capital was retained when the nation received independence in 1948. In 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka.

Like many cities, Colombo's urban area extends well beyond the boundaries of a single local authority, encompassing other Municipal and Urban Councils. The main city is home to a majority of the Sri Lanka's corporate offices, restaurants and entertainment venues.[4] Famous landmarks in Colombo include The Galle Face Green, the Viharamahadevi Park as well as the National Museum.

SriLanka (Green jem) as seen through Google Satellite maps

Please drag (click left button of mouse and while keeping clicked move mouse)maps to see more.Also you can zoom in and out of map by using top left controls.

Provinces of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is divided into 9 provinces and 25 districts. Each province is administered by a directly-elected provincial council:
Province Capital
1 Central Kandy
2 North Central Anuradhapura
3 North Jaffna
4 Eastern Batticaloa
5 North Western Kurunegala
6 Southern Galle
7 Uva Badulla
8 Sabaragamuwa Ratnapura
9 Western Colombo

The districts are further subdivided into sub-districts.

Sports in SriLanka

While the national sport in Sri Lanka is volleyball , by far the most popular sport in the country is cricket while aquatic sports, athletics, football, tennis and rugby also enjoy extensive popularity. There are a large number of public and private sports, athletics and aquatic clubs in Colombo. Sri Lanka's schools and colleges regularly organise sports and athletics teams, competing on provincial and national levels. Aquatic sports such as boating, surfing, swimming and scuba diving on the coast, the beaches and backwaters attract a large number of Sri Lankans and foreign tourists. Sri Lanka has a large number of sports stadiums, including the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, the R. Premadasa Stadium and the Rangiri Dumbulla Stadium in Colombo as well as the Galle International Stadium in Galle.

Sri Lanka has hosted the Asia Cup tournament on numerous occasions. It co-hosted the 1996 Cricket World Cup with India and Pakistan, and will co-host the 2011 Cricket World Cup. The Sri Lankan cricket team has achieved considerable success in the 1990s, rising from underdog status to winning the 1996 World Cup and the Asia Cup in 1996 and 2004. Sri Lanka's cricket team have been described by many as "world class". The entry of new talented young players will only further help Sri Lankan cricket's world standing.

Some Facts about SriLanka

* Sirimavo Bandaranaike became Sri Lanka's and the world's first female Prime Minister in 1960.
* Sri Lanka has enjoyed the longest period of continuous multi party democracy with universal suffrage in a non western country (since 1931)
* Sri Lanka became the first country in South Asia to start radio broadcasting when Radio Ceylon was launched on December 16, 1925
* Sri Lanka is the world's leading exporter of tea, and Ceylon tea is considered of the finest quality in the world
* Sri Lanka is the world's leading exporter of cinnamon and it was exported to Egypt as early as 1400 BC
* Sri Lanka was the first country to establish a wildlife sanctuary[1]
* Sri Lanka was the winner of the 1996 Cricket World Cup
* The ancient Buddhist scriptures were first committed to writing in Aluvihare in Sri Lanka
* Sri Lanka, which existed as a united country as far back as the 4th century BC, is the oldest country within its present borders
* The chronology of early India depends upon that of the Mahawamsa, the historical chronicle of Sri Lanka
* The national flower of Sri Lanka is Nil Manel (Nympheae Stelleta), the national tree is Na (Mesua ferrea) and the national bird is the Junglefowl. Volleyball is the National Sport.
* The world's oldest documented tree and a first generation of the tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment - the Sri Maha Bodhi - still grows in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.


* Seven properties of Sri Lanka have been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage, namely, the ancient city of Polonnaruwa (1982), the ancient city of Sigiriya (1982), the golden Temple of Dambulla (1991), the old town of Galle and its fortifications (1988), the sacred city of Anuradhapura (1982), the sacred city of Kandy (1988) and the Sinharaja forest reserve (1988)
* Adams Peak, a conical mountain found in Sri Lanka is said to have been the first place on earth where Adam the first Ancestor set foot as he was exiled from the Garden of Eden, where a large 'foot shaped' deformation can be found at the peak. As the sun rises the conical shadow of the mountain is cast perfectly on the western side of the mountain, in the local languages it is known as Svargarohanam, "The Climb to Heaven" and Sri Pada, "Sacred Foot."
* According to English historian James Emerson Tennent, Galle a southern city in Sri Lanka was the ancient seaport of Tarshish from which King Solomon drew ivory, peacocks and other valuables.
* The English word "Serendipity", taken from the ancient Persian name for Sri Lanka, was coined by Horace Walpole to describe a faculty possessed by the heroes of a Persian fairy tale called "The Three Princes of Serendip".

Culture of Sri Lanka

The island is the home of two main traditional cultures: the Sinhalese (centered in the ancient cities of Kandy and Anuradhapura) and the Tamil (centered in the city of Jaffna). In more recent times a British colonial culture was added, and lately Sri Lanka, particularly in the urban areas, has experienced a dramatic makeover in the western mold. Until recently, for example, most Sri Lankans, certainly those in the villages, have eaten traditional food, engaged in traditional crafts and expressed themselves through traditional arts. But economic growth and intense economic competition in developed countries has spilled over to most of Sri Lanka, producing changes that might variously be identified as progress, westernisation or a loss of identity and assimilation.

Sri Lankans have added western influences to the customary diet such as rice and curry, pittu (mixture of fresh rice meal, very lightly roasted and mixed with fresh grated coconut, then steamed in a bamboo mould). Kiribath (cooked in thick coconut cream for this unsweetened rice-pudding which is accompanied by a sharp chili relish called "lunumiris"), wattalapam (rich pudding of Malay origin made of coconut milk, jaggery, cashew nuts, eggs, and various spices including cinnamon cloves and nutmeg), kottu, and hoppers ("appa"), batter cooked rapidly in a hot curved pan, accompanied by eggs, milk or savouries. Sri Lankan food also has Dutch and Portuguese influences, with the island's Burgher community preserving this culture through traditional favourites such as Lamprais (rice cooked in stock and baked in a banana leaf), Breudher (Dutch Christmas cake) and Bolo Fiado (Portuguese-style layer cake).
Elephants at the Esala Perahera.
Elephants at the Esala Perahera.

Being one of the largest producers of tea in the world (the Royal Family of the United Kingdom has been known to drink Ceylon tea), Sri Lankans drink a lot of tea.

Religion plays an important part in the life and culture of Sri Lankans. The Buddhist majority observe Poya Days, once per month according to the Lunar calendar. The Hindus and Muslims also observe their own holidays. There are many Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka and many mosques, Hindu temples and churches all across the island. The North and the East of the island have many mosques and Hindu temples because a large Tamil and Muslim population resides in those areas. Many churches can be found along the southern coast line because of a concentration of Christians, particularly Roman Catholics, in that region. The interior of the island is mostly Buddhist, and indeed there are many Buddhists in nearly all parts of the island.

Geography and climate of Srilanka

Geography of Sri Lanka

The island of Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean, to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. According to Hindu mythology, a land bridge to the Indian mainland, known as Rama's Bridge, was constructed during the time of Rama by the vanara architect Nala. Often referred to as Adam's Bridge, it now amounts to only a chain of limestone shoals remaining above sea level. According to temple records, this natural causeway was formerly complete, but was breached by a violent storm (probably a cyclone) in 1480. The width of the Palk Strait is small enough for the coast of Sri Lanka to be visible from the furthest point near the Indian town of Rameswaram. The pear-shaped island consists mostly of flat-to-rolling coastal plains, with mountains rising only in the south-central part. Amongst these are Sri Pada and the highest point Pidurutalagala (also known as Mt Pedro), at 2,524 meters (8,281 ft). The Mahaweli ganga (Mahaweli river) and other major rivers provide fresh water.
Topographical map of Sri Lanka.
Topographical map of Sri Lanka.

Climate of Sri Lanka


Sri Lanka's climate can be described as tropical, and quite hot. Its position between 5 and 10 north latitude endows the country with a warm climate, moderated by ocean winds and considerable moisture. The mean temperature ranges from a low of 16°C in Nuwara Eliya in the Central Highlands (where frost may occur for several days in the winter) to a high of 32° C in Trincomalee on the northeast coast (where temperatures may reach 38 °C). The average yearly temperature for the country as a whole ranges from 28 to 30 °C. Day and night temperatures may vary by 4 to 7. In January, the coolest month, many people wear coats and sweaters in the highlands and elsewhere. May, the hottest period, precedes the summer monsoon rains. The rainfall pattern is influenced by the monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal, which encounter the slopes of the Central Highlands, they unload heavy rains on the mountain slopes and the southwestern sector of the island. Some of the windward slopes receive up to 2500 mm of rain per month, but the leeward slopes in the east and northeast receive little rain. Periodic squalls occur and sometimes tropical cyclones bring overcast skies and rains to the southwest, northeast, and eastern parts of the island. Between December to March, monsoon winds come from the northeast, bringing moisture from the Bay of Bengal. Humidity is typically higher in the southwest and mountainous areas and depends on the seasonal patterns of rainfall. At Colombo, for example, daytime humidity stays above 70% all year, rising to almost 90 percent during the monsoon season in June. Anuradhapura experiences a daytime low of 60% during the monsoon month of March, but a high of 79% during the November and December rains. In the highlands, Kandy's daytime humidity usually ranges between 70 and 79%.

General Info of SriLanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka known as Ceylon before 1972) is an island nation in South Asia, located about 31 kilometers (18½ mi) off the southern coast of India. Originally known as Heladiva, it is home to more than twenty million people.

Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia and has been a centre of Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times. Today, Sri Lanka is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation, with a fifth of the population following faiths other than Buddhism - notably Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. The Sinhalese community forms the majority of the population (around 74%), with Tamils, who are mostly concentrated in the north and east of the island, forming the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include the Muslim Moors and Malays as well as Burghers.

Famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, rubber and coconuts, Sri Lanka boasts a progressive and modern industrial economy. The natural beauty of Sri Lanka's tropical forests, beaches and landscape, as well as its rich cultural heritage make it a world famous tourist destination.

After over two thousand years of rule by local kingdoms, parts of Sri Lanka were colonized by Portugal and the Netherlands beginning in the 16th century, before the control of the entire country was ceded to the British Empire in 1815. During World War II Sri Lanka served as an important base for Allied forces in the fight against the Japanese Empire. A nationalist political movement arose in the country in the early 20th century, with the aim of obtaining political independence, which was eventually granted by the British after peaceful negotiations in 1948.