Sri Jayawardenapura - Kotte, Sri Jayawardenepura - Kotte, Sri Lanka

Sri Jayawardenepura - Kotte is the administrative capital of Sri Lanka, built on drained marshland, based here since the formal inauguration of new Parliamentary Legislature buildings on 29th of April 1982, located beyond the eastern suburbs of the commercial capital of Sri Lanka; Colombo.

Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte distance from Colombo - Within the same region.
The planning of Sri Jayawardenepura - Kotte was started in 1979, with the Government decision to redevelop Kotte and its suburbs as the administrative capital of Sri Lanka; this is when Kotte got back its name Sri-Jaya-Vardhana-Pura-Kotte, translated as "the blessed fortress city of growing victory".
Sri Jayawardenepura-Kotte, also known locally as the new capital territory, was the triangular shaped capital fortress of the kings of Kotte Kingdom, first constructed by the Tamil chief Nissanka Alagakkonara, and had been so between the 14th and 16th centuries, before the Portuguese and Dutch arrived. The New Capital territory is surrounded by the fresh water lake Diyawanna Oya fed by the river of the same name.
The Portuguese arrived on Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was known then, in 1505 and initially welcomed by the Kotte king but by 1565 the Portuguese had colonised the city. The city underwent repeated assaults from the neighbouring kingdom of Sitawaka. The Portuguese abandoned Kotte and made the coastal town of Colombo their new capital.
There are few archeological remains of the old city apart from traces of the moat and ramparts. Some of the original block work has found its way into local construction projects.
Jayawardhanapura means "victory enhancing city" in Sinhalese and was the name given to the place by the ancient chief Alagakkonara. Today it also houses the campus of the Sri Lanka Open University and the University of Sri Jayawardenapura.

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JeGraNet.com statement - 15 October 2008 - Quote from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: "There is a high threat from terrorism in Sri Lanka. Fatal attacks have become more frequent. They have occurred in Colombo and throughout Sri Lanka, including places frequented by expatriate and foreign travellers. Further attacks may occur at any time. There is an increasing risk of British nationals being caught up in an attack". As independent travellers we left Colombo after just 9 days into our planned 6 month stay as a result of a feeling of insecurity, however we are sure that 'package tour' travellers to tourist resorts will probably enjoy a worry free holiday.