Sammanthurai

Sammanthurai
සමන්තුරේ
சம்மாந்துறை
Town

Sammanthurai Clock Tower
Sammanthurai
සමන්තුරේ
சம்மாந்துறை
Coordinates: 7°22′0″N 81°48′0″E / 7.36667°N 81.80000°E / 7.36667; 81.80000Coordinates: 7°22′0″N 81°48′0″E / 7.36667°N 81.80000°E / 7.36667; 81.80000
Country Sri Lanka
Province Eastern
District Ampara
DS Division Sammanthurai Divisional Secretariat
Population 60,596
Government
  Type Pradeshiya Sabha
  Chairman A. M. M. Naushad (UPFA)
Time zone Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30)
Postal code 32200
Area code(s) 067
Website www.sammanthurailg.com

Sammanthurai (Tamil: சம்மாந்துறை), Sinhalese: සමන්තුරේ), is a town in Ampara District of Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. Sammanthurai, at 7°22′0″N 81°48′0″E / 7.36667°N 81.80000°E / 7.36667; 81.80000,[1] is 4.8 km west of the Bay of Bengal coast. It lies between the towns of Ampara and Karaitivu along the A31 road. It is surrounded by paddy fields and It's renowned for its rice paddies and its inner harbour from ancient times.

Sammanthurai is the birthplace of M. H. M. Ashraff, known as "the kingmaker"[2] and the founder of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress political party.

History

Sammanthurai is an important and historical place. It was the first place where Dutch people arrived in Sri Lanka. Sammanthurai derives its name from ‘sampan,’ the vessel, and ‘Sammankaran’ who were Muslims from India who came to Sammanthurai during the Portuguese period.

Demographics

Sammanthurai has a population of 60,596, with a majority of Sri Lankan Moors (Muslim) ethnicity. There is a small Sri Lankan Hindu Tamil minority, particularly in the Veeramunai area. The majority is Tamil speaking Muslims and a few speak Sinhala and English. Sammanthurai is home to many victims of the tsunami of 2004.[3]

Ethnicity Population[4] ! % of Total
Sri Lankan Moors 53,114 87.51
Sinhalese 297 0.49
Sri Lankan Tamils 7,178 12
Burgher 1 0.002
Others (Including Malay) 6 0.01
Total 60,596 100

Climate

Being close to the equator, Sammanthurai enjoys a tropical wet and dry climate. Summer prevails in the months of May, June, July and August. Days in June are the hottest period, with temperatures regularly reaching 30 °C.[5] Monsoons occur in November, December and January. Sammanthurai receives most of its rainfall from the Northeast Monsoon.

Education

Sammanthurai Technical College

Sammanthurai has a number of post-secondary institutions. In addition to the Faculty of Applied Science campus of the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka, there are two colleges granting diplomas and certificates in Sammanthurai: Technical College[6] and Vocational Training Center.[7] The town is also home to an Arabic college:[8] (Sammanthurai Thableekul Islam Arabic College) also Markaz Darul Iman (Arabic College)

The Sammanthurai Zonal Education Office (STRZEO) operates 65 public schools in an area of 257 km2.[9] The Main Amir Ali Public Library has two branches in the town.

Economy

Paddy field in Sammanthurai, Ampara, Sri Lanka

Traditionally Sammanthuraiyans (natives of Sammanthurai) rely on farming. Agriculture is the most important source of income for the townsfolk and paddy is the major crop cultivated in 55,000 acres. Other sources of revenue include the service sector and small businesses.

Culture

Sammanthurai culture is strongly influenced by Islamic thoughts. Life in Sammanthurai revolves around the prayer calls (Adhan). The people, particularly women, heavily depend on Adhan to keep their regular activities on track. The Adhan for early morning prayer well before sunrise acts as a wakeup alarm. It is followed by four prayer calls throughout the day. Friday is observed as spiritual day and the month of Ramadan (month of fasting) is observed as a spiritual month in Sammanthurai like in any Muslim country. Eid Al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are the two festivals celebrated here.

Islam and the people

As many as 45 Masjids are in this town. Sammanthurai houses two religious institutions: the Thablighul Islam Arabic College, Hifz Madrasa and a Markaz Darul Iman (Arabic College)

Transport and communication

This town is well connected via road with major towns and cities in Sri Lanka. A31 road runs through Sammanthurai. Bus service is available to the nearby cities of Kalmunai, Ampara and Batticaloa. The state-owned Sri Lanka Transport Board provides regular passenger services.

Approximate distance from other cities and towns

City Distance (in km)
Anuradhapura 248
Batticaloa 49
Colombo 343
Galle 323
Hambantota 209
Jaffna 415
Kandy 195
Nuwara Eliya 214
Polonnaruwa 149

Infrastructure

Sammanthurai houses a government hospital along with private hospitals/clinics. The police station serves the town as well as the surrounding villages. Government establishments like the post office, magistrates' court,[10] Pradeshiya Shaba, Ceylon Electricity Board, Sri Lanka Transport Board Bus Depot, Rice Research Station[11] and Divisional Secretariats of Sri Lanka are based in the town.

In addition, Group Action For Social Order (GAFSO) and Centre for Peace Studies (CPS) Sri Lanka are the national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) headquartered in Sammanthurai.[12]

Sports

Sammanthurai is home to a sports complex,[13] a public playground and many public school playgrounds. Cricket is the most popular sport as it is the most popular sport in the country.

Environmental issues

The post-tsunami and post-war development activities and subsequent resettlement programs have contributed to air pollution in this area. In addition, solid waste generation, contaminated water and mosquito breeding, have caused much damage to peoples’ health. The dusty air with bad odour has become a major threat to the daily lives of inhabitants of Sammanthurai.[14]

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 12, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.