Matale ( Sinhala: මාතලේ, , , ) is a major city in Central Province,

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 the administrative capital and largest urbanised city of

Matale District Matale District (, ) is a district in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It is one of 25 districts of Sri Lanka. The administrative capital and largest city of the district is Matale. The district is considered to be the centremost region of ...

. Matale is also the second largest urbanised and populated city in Central Province. It is located at the heart of the Central Highlands of the island and lies in a broad, green fertile valley at an elevation of above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. Surrounding the city are the Knuckles Mountain Range, the foothills were called ''

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

'' by the British. They have also called this place as Matelle.

History

Matale is the only district of Sri Lanka where an ancient book of

written history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world his ...

is found. It is known as ''Pannagamam – பன்னாகமம்'' ("Five Headed Serpent" in English) of Goddess Muthumari in Sri Muthumariamman Temple. The most important historical incident in Matale is the writing of the Thripitaka during the reign of King Walagamba in 89–77 BC in Aluvihare. It is mentioned that "Mahatala" become the modern word Matale because it is placed in a valley and also the King Gajaba invaded "Soli Rata" and brought and settled 12,000 people here. The Aluvihare Rock Temple that is situated on north side of the city's suburb, Aluvihare. The historic location where the

Pali Canon The Pāḷi Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhism, Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant Early Buddhist texts, early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from t ...

was written down completely in text on ola (palm) leaves in 29 BCE. Matale was the site of a major battle in 1848 when the Matale Rebellion started and the British garrison in the Fort MacDowall in Matale was placed under siege by the rebels led by Weera Puran Appu and Gongalegoda Banda. The city is also the birthplace of Monarawila Keppetipola, a rebel who led the Wellasa rebellion against the British troops. His ancestral home, Kappetipola walawuwa, still exists at Hulangamuwa, Matale.

Attractions

* Aluvihare Rock Temple * Anagarika Dharmapala monument * Christ Church, Matale * Fort MacDowall * Matale clock tower * Matale railway station, the former terminus of the Colombo railway (completed in 1880) * Sri Muthumariyamman Temple * Nandamithra Ekanayake International Hockey Ground * Weera Monarawila Keppetipola Monument * Weera Puranappu Monument

Economy

The city is surrounded by large plantations and is famous for its spice gardens. In addition to agriculture, the main economic activities include

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

and

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...

. Population growth, urban expansion and economic development in Matale have created regulatory and management challenges.

Education

Matale is home to some of the island's oldest and leading colleges and schools. * Government Science College * Amina Girl's National School, Matale * Christ Church College, Matale * Greenwood College International, Matale * Matale Hindu College, Matale * Matale International School * Pakkiyam National School, Matale * Royal English School Matale * St. Thomas' College, Matale * St. Thomas' Girls' School, Matale * Sinhala Buddhist College, Matale * Sri Sangamitta Balika National School, Matale * Sujatha Balika School, Matale * Technical College, Matale * Vijaya College, Matale * Vijayapala Collage, Matale * Zahira College, Matale

Demographics

According by the statistics of 2019, 8.2% of the population of

live in the Matale city limits and 15% of the population of the district live in Matale metropolis. Matale is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural city, city's urban and metro area's residents are mix of numerous ethnic groups. The Sinhalese make the majority of the city.

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

are the second largest ethnic group in the city. Others include

Sri Lankan Tamils Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province, form the pluralit ...

, small numbers of Indian Tamils, Burghers and Malays.

Ethnicity in Urban Area

''Source:
''statistics.gov.lk''

Ethnicity in
Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...
Area

''Source:
''statistics.gov.lk''

Suburbs

* Agalawatta (MC) * Aluvihare (MC) * Hulangamuwa (MC) * Kaludewala (MC) * Mandandawela (MC) * Palapathwela (PS) * Ukuwela (PS) * Yatawatta (PS)

Notable personalities

* Alick Aluwihare, politician * A. S. Jayawardena, Governor Central Bank of Sri Lanka * Chanaka Welegedara, International cricketer * Damith Wijayathunga, model and actor * Dayan Witharana, singer and photographer * Ehelepola Nilame, a minister in King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha's royal court * Hemal Ranasinghe, model and actor * Keppetipola Disawe, leader of the Great Rebellion of Uva in 1818 * Kingsley Jayasekera, actor and singer *

Kumar Sangakkara Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara (; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan former professional cricketer who represented Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2015. A former captain in all formats. He was born in Matale, Central Province. In first-class cricke ...

, International cricketer * Lahiru Madushanka, International cricketer * Prabath Jayasuriya, International cricketer * Ven. Premananda,

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

* Richard Aluwihare, first Ceylonese Inspector General of Police * Richard Udugama, first Sinhalese Buddhist Army Commander * Sanath Wimalasiri, dramatist and dancer * Gen. Shavendra Silva, Commander of the 58 Division during the Sri Lankan Civil War, current

Commander of the Sri Lanka Army The Commander of the Army () is the title of the professional head of the Sri Lanka Army. The current Commander of the Army is Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo. The post's precursor was known as Commander of the Ceylon Defence Force. Se ...

William Gopallawa William Gopallawa (, ; 17 September 1896 – 31 January 1981) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the last Governor-General of Ceylon from 1962 to 1972 and the first and only non-executive President of Sri Lanka from 1972 to ...

, last

Governor-General of Ceylon The governor-general of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch in the Dominion of Ceylon from the country's independence in 1948 until it became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972. History There were four governors-general. Si ...

and first president of Republic of Sri Lanka

References

External links

The Official website of Sri Muthumariamman Thevasthanam
*

* ttp://www.aluvihara.virusinc.org/ The official web site of Aluvihara rock cave temple {{Authority control Geography of the Kingdom of Kandy