Mahara Prison is a maximum security prison, and is one of the largest prisons in
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, ...
. Situated in the town of
Mahara 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 ...
, it was built in 1875 by the British colonial government to ease the congestion at the
Slave Island
Slave Island, officially known as Kompagngna Veediya (; ), also known as Kampong Kertel and Kompanna Veediya and formerly known as Javanam Quarters (Javanese Quarter) during Dutch rule, is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka, located directly south of ...
prison.
It was used to house the prisoners employed in crushing stones at the Mahara quarry. The stone was used to construct the
Port of Colombo
The Port of Colombo , (known as Port of Kolomtota during the early 14th Century Kotte Kingdom) is the largest and busiest port in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean. Located in Colombo, on the southwestern shores on the Kelani River, it serves as a ...
and its associated breakwaters. Since its establishment, it has had a police post attached to it. The prison is administered by the
Department of Prisons
The Department of Prisons ( Sinhala: බන්ධනාගාර දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව ''Bandhanagara Departhamenthuwa'') is a department of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of ...
.
History
1902 prison break
There was a revolt at the quarry and an escape by 79 inmates around 2:00 pm on 28 June 1902. Prison officers on guard were assaulted and the revolver of the deputy jailor was seized by the riot leader. An army team, headed by Major Bishop and assisted by the jailor, were able to take into custody forty escapees from the neighbourhood. This was the first and the biggest ever escape in the history of the Sri Lanka prisons.
[
]
2020 prison riot
A riot broke out in the facility on 30 November 2020, resulting in the deaths of eight prisoners. The riot occurred after rumors spread that other Sri Lankan prisons were transferring their prisoners infected with COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
to Mahara.
Notable inmates
* Utuwankande Sura Saradiel - bandit turned Freedom fighter, the ''Robin Hood of Sri Lanka''
* Maradankadawala Yakadaya
* Navarian ''alias'' Fancis Fernando
* Cutex Piyadasa
* Keragala Siresana ''alias'' cheena
* Watareka Jayasundara
* Gampaha Munidasa
External links
Mahara Prison, Department of Prisons
References
1876 establishments in Ceylon
British colonial prisons in Sri Lanka
Prisons in Sri Lanka
Residential buildings in Gampaha District
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