Negombo

Pre-colonialism

The region was under the rule of the Sinhala monarchy based on Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte. The language used in the area was a regional dialect of Sinhala when the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century.^[6]

Negombo also served as a shelter for Arab vessels, whose descendants are the Sri Lankan Moors.^[7][8] Negombo was a major port known for its trading activity and was well known for its cinnamon cultivation.^[9] The cinnamon trade was controlled by the Sri Lankan kings and later by the Sri Lankan Moors.^[10]

Portuguese Ceylon

Landing in the early 1500s, the Portuguese overthrew the Sinhala monarchy who were forced to relocate to Seethawaka. The Portuguese constructed a fort in Negombo and took over the trade of cinnamon to the west.^[11] During the Portuguese occupation, the Karava (the dominant seafaring clan of Negombo), who were previously Buddhist and Hindu were converted into Catholicism.^[12] Due to the sheer amount of conversions to Catholicism, present-day Negombo is sometimes known as 'Little Rome' due to nearly two thirds of its population being Catholic.^[13]

The Portuguese restructured the traditional production and management of cinnamon and maintained their control over the trade for more than a century. The decline of their power began in the 1630s when warfare between the Portuguese and the Kingdom of Kandy reached a stalemate. The King of Kandy turned to the Dutch for help.^[14]

Dutch Ceylon

The Dutch captured Negombo from the Portuguese in 1646 and negotiated an armistice with Portugal for ten years. During this period, the King of Kandy sought to provoke conflict between the nations by passing through the territories of the one to attack the other. On one occasion, he captured the fort of Negombo and sent the head of the Dutch commander, Adrian Vander Stell, to his countrymen in Galle.^[15] Although the Dutch managed to regain control of Negombo from the King by diplomatic means, hostilities continued. In particular, the disruption of the cinnamon trade was a favourite method of the King to harass the Dutch.^[16]

Throughout the eighteenth century, the demand for cinnamon from Ceylon outstripped the supply, and its quality appeared to have suffered. Other factors, including the continued hostility from the Kandyan Kingdom and a rival cinnamon exporter in the form of China, led to a 40% decline in the volume of cinnamon exported between 1785 and 1791, despite attempts to clear land around Negombo and create cinnamon plantations.^{[citation needed]}

The legacy of the Dutch colonial era can be seen in the Negombo fort, constructed in 1672, and other Dutch buildings, including churches and the extensive canal system that runs 120 km (75 mi) from Colombo in the south, through Negombo to Puttalam in the north.^{[citation needed]}

British Ceylon

By the time the British commander Colonel Stuart took over the cinnamon trade in 1796, it was clear that the industry was in decline. Poor policies put in place by Frederick North the first Governor of British Ceylon exacerbated the problem. By the 1830s, commercial interest had moved elsewhere.

Following the British takeover of the Kingdom of Kandy in 1815, Negombo lost its strategic value as an outpost of Colombo. However, it continued to develop in commercial influence. The Negombo fishery was at the heart of the seafood trade in Ceylon, and many migrant fisherman arrived annually with the profits of their ventures going into the small, prosperous town. In 1907 Negombo was connected to the massive railway project that was linking the island together under British control and encouraging the growth of plantations in coconuts, tea and coffee.

Climate

Negombo features a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification. The city receives rainfall mainly from the Southwestern monsoons from May to August and October to January. During the remaining months there is a little precipitation due to Convective rains. The average annual precipitation is about 2,400 millimetres (94 in). The average temperature varies 24 °C (75 °F) to 30 °C (86 °F), and there are high humidity levels from February to April.

Zones

Neighbourhoods

Negombo Lagoon

The Negombo lagoon is large semi-enclosed coastal water body with plenty of natural resources. The lagoon is fed by number of small rivers and the Hamilton Canal (also known as the Dutch canal). It is linked to the Indian Ocean by a narrow channel to the north, near Negombo. The lagoon and the marsh land area also support local agriculture and forestry. It has extensive mangrove swamps and attracts a wide variety of water birds. The lagoon supports so many distinct species of flora, fauna and as well as another species of birds and variety of animals. Negombo Lagoon is a major local and tourist attraction primarily for sightseeing and boating tours.

The fishermen who are based at the Negombo lagoon live in shanty thatch palm villages along the water's edge. They rely mainly on their traditional knowledge of the seasons for their livelihood, using outrigger canoes carved out of tree trunks and nylon nets to bring in modest catches from September through April. Their boats are made in two forms – oruvas (a type of sailing canoe) and paruvas (a large, man-powered catamaran fitted with kurlon dividers). In recent years, the villagers have supplemented the income earned from fishing by collecting 'toddy', or palm sap, which is used to brew arrack.^[38]

Religion

Negombo is a multi-religious city. Since the beginning of European colonisation, the township of Negombo has had a majority of Roman Catholics along with Muslims, Buddhist and Hindus. Before European invasions it was a Buddhist majority region.

Catholic and Christian churches

Negombo has been given the name "Little Rome" owing to the highly ornate Portuguese-era Roman Catholic churches such as St. Mary's Church found in the township and because of the majority of inhabitants being Roman Catholics. St. Sebastian's Church, Katuwapitiya; Saint Stephen's Church, Negombo, Grand Street; St. Mary's Church, Negombo; St. Anne's Churches at Kurana and Palangatura; St. Anthony's Church Dalupothal; and Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Kandawala, are the biggest parishes in Negombo. There are over 25 Roman Catholic churches in the city.

There is a branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Negombo. The church building is just west of the intersection of Ave Maria Street and Old Chilaw Street. There are also Methodist churches, Baptist churches, and the other Anglican churches in Negombo.

During British Ceylon

• Mudaliyar John de Silva Wijegooneratne Rajapakshe JP (1841–1909)^[50]
• Muhammed Thamby Samsudheen Vidane Arachchi a.k.a. Dheen Arachchi (1860–1915),^[51] the Vidane Arachchi of Negombo from 1896 to 1915, the highest position held by a Muslim in Negombo in the Native Headmen System. After completing the Cambridge Senior Examination he got involved in managing the family estates before being appointed as the Vidane Arachchi. Dheen Junction ^[52] in Negombo is named after him. Udayar Thoppuwa Mosque ^[53] at Dheen Junction in Negombo was built by his father Maththicham Saleem Lebbe Muhammed Thamby Vidane (1819–1879) in 1846. The Masjid is maintained by his descendants, who continue to preserve the original building.
• Gate Mudaliyar A. E. Rajapakse OBE (13 March 1866 – 20 September 1937), was the first chairman of the Negombo Urban Council (1922–1923, 1925–1934). Rajapakse Park and Rajapakse Broadway in Negombo are named after him.He is the eldest son of Mudliyar John de Silva Wijegooneratne Rajapakshe (1841–1909).
• Samsudheen M. Abdul Raheeman JPUM (1896–1965), was the first Muslim chairman of the Negombo Urban Council (20 November 1941 – 31 December 1943). He was the second Muslim (first was his elder brother S. I. Dheen) to qualify as a lawyer in Negombo and was the 8th (1st Muslim) President (1948–1958) of the Negombo Law Society. Raheemanabad ^[54] in Periyamulla Negombo is named after him. He is the fourth child of Muhammed Thamby Samsudheen Vithane Arachchi a.k.a. Dheen Arachchi (1860–1915).
• William Mohotti Munasinghe (1902–1962), Aide-de-camp to the British Governor and Mudaliyar of Negombo^{[citation needed]}
• Mudaliyar Thenahandi David Mendis (1904–1977), MBE, was Mayor of Negombo from 1965 to 1970 and a prominent entrepreneur. He was the founder and owner of the Wijaya Bus Company, which was nationalised on 1 January 1958 with the creation of the Ceylon Transport Board (CTB). He was the father of T. Wijayapala Mendis (Government Minister, Member of Parliament, and Mayor of Negombo) and T. Nandana Mendis (Provincial Councillor and Chief Minister of the Western Province in 2005). 'Mudaliyar Mendis Mawatha' in Negombo is named after him.^{[citation needed]}

During Dominion Ceylon

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• Thomas Cooray (28 December 1901 – 29 October 1988), first indigenous Archbishop of Colombo (1947–1976) and first Sri Lankan Cardinal (1965–1988).
• Alexander Nicholas de Abrew Abeysinge CBE, JPUM (1 May 1894 – 15 September 1963) was elected as the first Mayor of the Negombo Municipal Council in January 1950
• Thenahandi Wijayapala Hector Mendis (16 December 1928 – 1 September 2012), was elected the Mayor of Negombo in 1954 and entered Parliament in 1960 from the Katana electorate as a UNP candidate. He was appointed Minister of Textile Industries in 1977, in 1989 he became the Minister of Transport and Highways, In 1993 he was appointed Leader of the House and in 1994 he became the Chief Opposition Whip in Parliament which he served till 1998. He was the third child of Mudliyar T. David Mendis of Negombo.Wijayapala Mendis Road in Negombo is named after him.

During Republic of Sri Lanka

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• Frank Marcus Fernando (19 October 1931 – 24 August 2009), served as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chilaw (1972–2006).
• Nicholas Fernando (6 December 1932 – 10 April 2020), served as Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo (1977–2002).
• Ranjan Ramanayake (11 March 1963), was an actor, director and screenwriter before entering Parliament in 2010 as the member for Ratnapura. In 2015 he was elected as a member for Gampaha. He served as the State Minister of Highways and Road Development (2018–2019).