Gandara, Sri Lanka

Gandara
ගන්දර
கந்தறை
Village
Gandara is located in Sri Lanka
Gandara
Gandara
Coordinates: 5°57′N 80°33′E / 5.950°N 80.550°E / 5.950; 80.550
CountrySri Lanka
ProvinceSouthern
Government
 • MayorUpul Nishantha
Area
 • Total
283 km2 (109 sq mi)
 • Land270 km2 (100 sq mi)
Elevation
2 m (7 ft)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total
12,254
 • Density43/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone)
Postal code
81170
Area codes041

Gandara (Sinhala: ගන්දර, Tamil: கந்தறை) is a village in the Matara District on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, 168 kilometres (104 mi) from Colombo. It is an important village in Matara.[1] It was slightly affected by the Asian tsunami in December 2004.

History

Historically, Gandara belongs to the area called Ruhuna, one of the three kingdoms in Sri Lanka (Thun Sinhalaya). The temple in the village was built by ancient kings and now is a popular sacred place among Buddhists in the area. The mosque in the village was built by villagers in the late 1840s.

Polling division

Education

Schools

  • Gandara Maha Vidyalaya
  • Gandara kanitu Viduhala
  • Al Azhar Muslim Kanista Vidyalaya, established in 1938.

Places of Worship

  • Purana Viharaya, Gandara
  • Wijerathnaramaya Temple, Gandara
  • Abayasekararamaya Temple, Gandara
  • Sri Jayabodhi Viharaya, Gandara
  • Muhiyaddeen Jumma Mosque

Transport

Gandara is on the Matara – Kataragama main road, which is served by the A32 highway.

See also

References

  1. ^ Trip destination Matara Sri Lanka
  2. ^ Polling divisions – Matara – slelections.gov.lk (pdf)