Ja-Ela (, ) is a town, located approximately north of the city centre of

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 ...

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, ...

. Ja-Ela lies on the A3 road which overlaps with the Colombo – Katunayake Expressway at the Ja-Ela Interchange.

Etymology

The etymology of the name is uncertain, and there are several yet arguable interpretations of the name. Howbeit, based on verified historical shreds of evidence, the etymology of the place, Ja Ela is based on both Malay and Sinhala languages. "Ja" and "Javan" are referential terms used by the Sinhalese, Moors & Tamils to address the Malays/Javanese or those of Indonesian descent and the term "Ela" is derived from Sinhala language meaning stream, lake or canal.

Local government council

Ja-Ela is administered by the Ja-Ela Urban Council.

Populations

32,175

Demographics

Majority of the people from Ja-Ela are generally Sinhalese, along with other minority communities such as Tamils, Muslims and Burghers. The following table summarises the population of Ja-Ela DS Area which covers both urban sectors and rural sectors, according to ethnicity (2012 Census) Source: Department of Census and Statistics, 2012 Religious composition in Ja-ela DS Division according to 2012 census is as follows Roman Catholics 99,515-49.38%, Buddhists 87,772-43.55%, Other Christians 7,746-3.84%, Hindus 4,235-2.10%, Muslims 2,115-1.05%, Others 138-0.07%.

Transport

This suburb is situated on the main road A3, between

municipality and

Negombo Negombo (, ), also known as Punchi Romaya (Little Rome), is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in the Western Province, Sri Lanka, Western Province, from Colombo via the E03 expressway ...

municipality. Ja-Ela is situated very close to the

Bandaranaike International Airport Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) (commonly known as Colombo International Airport, Colombo–Bandaranaike International Airport, and locally as Katunayake International Airport) (IATA airport code, IATA: CMB, ICAO airport code, ICAO: VC ...

. There is also a bus stand in Ja-Ela which provides access to

, Gampaha. The traffic issues at Ja-Ela have been reduced after the introduction of the Colombo – Katunayake Expressway, which serves an interchange at Ja-Ela.

Railway

The Ja-Ela railway station is located on the

Puttalam line The Puttalam line (originally called the North-Western Line) is a broad gauge railway line in the Sri Lanka Railways, rail network of Sri Lanka. The railway line begins at Ragama junction and runs through the major towns along the north-we ...

and was opened in 1908. It is the fourth station on the line and is from Colombo Fort railway station. The station provides commuter access to the Colombo, Putlam and Chilaw areas. Not only is the station in the heart of the Ja- Ela town, it is also the nearest station to the Negombo-Colombo Main road. Therefore, it is known as one of the most popular stations in the area.

Schools

*Christ King College, Tudella *Mary Immaculate Convent, Tudella *St. Maries College, Ja-Ela *Jayanthi Vidyalaya, Ja-Ela * King's International College - Kapuwatta

Geography

Climate

References

Populated places in Gampaha District {{WesternLK-geo-stub