Horana (, , ) is a town in

Kalutara District Kalutara District (; ''Kaḷuttuṟai Māvaṭṭam'') is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previo ...

, in the

Western Province Western Province or West Province may refer to: *Western Province, Cameroon *Western Province, Rwanda *Western Province (Kenya) *Western Province (Papua New Guinea) *Western Province (Solomon Islands) *Western Province, Sri Lanka *Western Provinc ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. It is on the A8 highway between

Panadura Panadura (; ) is a main city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka, Western Province in Sri Lanka. It is located approximately south of Colombo. Panadura was an electoral district in Sri Lanka until 1989 and is surrounded all sides b ...

and

Ratnapura Ratnapura (, ; , ) ("City of Gems" in Sinhala and Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is loca ...

, away from

and away from

. Horana is connected with Colombo via B84 Colombo - Horana road, away from

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

The town is administered by an

Urban Council The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Services ...

. Horana is the home town of former

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka The prime minister of Sri Lanka, officially the prime minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's exec ...

Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (, ; 5 May 1933 – 27 December 2016) was a Sri Lankan politician who served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2005 to 2010, and also served as the Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 200 ...

. Horana DS Division area is predominantly Sinhala Buddhist.Religious composition in Horana DS Division area according to 2012 census data is as follows Buddhists 109,930-96.97%, Hindus 1,530-1.35%, Roman Catholics 942-0.83%, Other Christians 788-0.70%, Islam 151-0.13%, Others 23-0.02%.

Etymology

The name, Horana, refers to the Hora tree, which there were significant numbers in this area in the past.

Education

There are number of schools in Horana including Royal College of Horana,

Sri Palee College Sri Palee College in Horana is one of the main mixed schools in Sri Lanka. The number of students are over 5,000. There are classes from grade 1 to 13. History Inspired by Guru Dev Rabindranath Tagore an Indian writer, artist and educationist, ...

, Don Pedric M.V, Medankara M.V, Taxila M.V, Vidyarathana University College, Prajapathi Balika Vidylaya and Ealla Kanda Thamil Maha Vidyalayam, Ashoka college, and Sussex College, Taxila Central The

Sri Palee campus The Sri Palee Campus of the University of Colombo is located in Wewala, Horana, Sri Lanka. Established in 1996 it conducts undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the fields of performing arts and mass media. History The Sri Palee Campus ...

(formerly known as the Western campus) of the

University of Colombo The University of Colombo (informally Colombo University or UoC) is a Public University, public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is the oldest institution of modern higher education in Sri Lanka. Specialised in t ...

is also located in the town. The campus was established by the Sri Lankan Government on 20 June 1996 and its name was subsequently amended to Sri Palee Campus on 11 September 1998. It is built on land donated to the university in 1976 by the board of the Sri Palee Trust set up by

Wilmot A. Perera Wilmot Abraham Perera (1905–1973) was a Sri Lankan statesman and philanthropist. He was declared a National Hero in 1993. A member of parliament, he was Ceylonese Ambassador to China, Ceylon's first Ambassador to China.

, a politician and philanthropist. It has two faculties: the Faculty of Performing Arts and the Faculty of Mass Media.

References

Populated places in Western Province, Sri Lanka {{WesternLK-geo-stub