Hikkaduwa

Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka හික්කඩුව கிக்கடுவை
The beach at Hikkaduwa, photographed in July 2010
Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka
Coordinates: 6°8′50″N 80°6′37″E / 6.14722°N 80.11028°E / 6.14722; 80.11028Coordinates: 6°8′50″N 80°6′37″E / 6.14722°N 80.11028°E / 6.14722; 80.11028
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Southern Province
District	Galle District
Population
• Total	101,342
Time zone	Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30)
Postal Code	80240^[1]

Hikkaduwa is a small town on the south coast of Sri Lanka located in the Southern Province, about 17 km (11 mi) north-west of Galle and 98 km (61 mi) south of Colombo.

Etymology

The name Hikkaduwa is thought to have been derived from the two words Ship Kaduwa, with Ship being the shorter version of Shilpaya which refers to knowledge in Sinhalese and Kaduwa which means sword. It is believed therefore that the name Hikkaduwa means sword of knowledge.

Transport

Hikkaduwa is located on the Coastal or Southern Rail Line (connecting Colombo through to Matara). It is also located on the A2 highway, connecting Colombo to Wellawaya, which runs mostly parallel to the shore, through the town.

Economy

Hikkaduwa's beach and night life make it a popular tourist destination. It is a well-known international destination for board-surfing. The town was featured in an episode of Anthony Bourdain's television show No Reservations.

Hikkaduwa was affected by the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake along with nearby villages Telwatta, Paraliya (Queen of the Sea rail disaster), Dodanduwa, Kahawa and Rathgama. In the aftermath of the tsunami, many of the families who had lost everything were given sewing machines as part of the relief operations. As a result, the town has a multitude of tailors who will custom make shirts, pants, and shorts.

Attractions

Hikkaduwa beach - reputed as the second best surfing spot in Sri Lanka.
Hikkaduwa Coral Sanctuary - located a few hundred metres offshore. The sanctuary has approximately seventy varieties of multi-coloured corals.

Images

Hikkaduwa Beach
Fishing boats near the Hikkaduwa beach.
Hikkaduwa beach by sunset.
Hikkaduwa Beach with Coral viewing and Fishing boats in the background

References

↑ "Hikkaduwa Post Office - Sri Lanka Postal Codes". Mohanjith. Retrieved 2015-10-19.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hikkaduwa.

Urban councils of Sri Lanka

Ambalangoda Ampara Balangoda Beruwala Boralesgamuwa Chavakachcheri Chilaw Embilipitiya Eravur Gampola Haputale Hatton-Dickoya Hikkaduwa Horana Ja-Ela Kadugannawa Kalutara Kattankudi Katunayaka-Seeduwa Kegalle Kesbewa Kinniya Kolonnawa Kuliyapitiya Maharagama Mannar Minuwangoda Nawalapitiya Panadura Peliyagoda Point Pedro Puttalam Seethawakapura Tangalle Talawakele-Lindula Trincomalee Valvettithurai Vavuniya Wattala-Mabola Wattegama Weligama

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, January 30, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.