Kalutara is a resort town located approximately 40km south of Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital.
Once an important spice-trading center, the city's name is derived from the Kalu Ganga River ('Black River' in native Sinhala). In the 11th Century, the town was temporarily made a capital on the orders of a South Indian Prince. The region was later planted with coconut trees, whose by-products are used for both internal and external trade. The location also boast fortifications dating back from the times when Portuguese, Dutch and British vied for control of the area.
The 38-meter long Kalutara Bridge was built at the mouth of the Kalu Ganga River and serves as a major link between the country's Western and Southern border. At the southern end of the bridge lies the 3 stories-high Kalutara Vihara, a Buddhist temple built in the 1960s which holds the distinction of being the only stupa in the world that is hollow.
Kalutara is a district in Western Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 1,606 km². The district was hit by the tsunami generated by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
Kalutara is a coastal town some 35 km south of Colombo. Most visitors will approach it from the north, and will behold first not the town but the sight of the imposing white dagoba of the Gangatilake Vihara as they traverse the bridge across the Kalu-ganga - literally the Black River. Visitors will note that having crossed the bridge, many vehicles pull over and stop alongside this dagoba. Drivers can be seen quickly alighting and walking towards a small Buddhist shrine with a pin-kate, or till, into which they place offerings to ensure the success of their journeys. Why not stop, too, and check out the dagoba, which, unusually, is hollow and has a beautifully painted interior.
The Gangatilake Vihara is on the very edge of the modern bustling Kalutara, with its wide highway and endless rows of brightly- advertised shops. It is difficult to imagine today that the town's history goes back to the 11th century, when a South Indian Prince called Vickramapandya made it his seat of government. It didn't last long, though, for a year later he was murdered. About 200 years after that, the maritime stretch between Kalutara and Bentota was planted with coconut on the orders of King Parakramabahu II.
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics--once thought to be places of Buddhist worship typically, the remains of a Buddha or saint.
After "stupa," chorten (from the Tibetan chos rtan) is the most commonly-encountered English term. The term "reliquary" is sometimes used, after a Roman Catholic functional equivalent.
The stupa is the latest Buddhist religious monument and was originally only a simple mound of mud or clay to cover supposed relics of the Buddha.
Alphabetical Listings of Hotels in Kalutara
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