Batticaloa

File:Batti.PNG

Batticaloa District.

Batticaloa (மட்டக்களப்பு in Tamil) is the provincial capital of the eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is also the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It lies on the east coast, 69 m. South by South East of Trincomalee, situated on an island.

Climate

Batticaloa is one of three warmest cities in Sri Lanka; the others are Trincomalee and Vavuniya. The climate in Batticaloa ranges from 30 degrees celsius to 40 plus degrees celsius depending on the seasons. The summer season in Batticaloa runs from March to November and the monsoon season runs from December to February.

Average Temperatures
Jan - 28.9C(84.0F)
Feb - 30.3C(86.6F)
Mar - 32.7C(90.1F)
Apr - 33.1C(91.6F)
May - 34.7C(94.5F)
Jun - 36.3C(97.3F)
Jul - 35.5C(96.0F)
Aug - 35.0C(95.0F)
Sep - 34.4C(94.0F)
Oct - 34.0C(93.2F)
Nov - 33.4C(92.1F)
Dec - 31.6C(88.9F)
C-Celsius
F-Fahrenheit

Average Highs
Jan - 32C 90F
Feb - 33C 92F
Mar - 35C 95F
Apr - 36C 97F
May - 39C 102F
Jun - 45C 113F
Jul - 42C 108F
Aug - 38C 100F
Sep - 37C 100F
Oct - 36C 96F
Nov - 34C 94F
Dec - 33C 93F

Geography

File:Batticaloa Sunset.jpg

Batticaloa Bridge and the Sunset

Batticaloa district is divided into two sections by a lagoon. They are called Ezhuvan Karai or East coast and Paduvan Karai and West coast. Tamil people in these two sections differ in caste and are called Vellalar and Karaiyar depending on the location. Farmers live inland around the Kokaddicholai (Kukulandola) area. Kaththankudi (Kaduruduwa) is a suburb south of Batticaloa.Batticaloa mainly populated by Tamil Hindu's. Many ancient dams, irrigation tanks, and abandoned villages from pre-times exit in this region. This also near [jungle] areas.

Educational institutions

The Eastern University of Sri Lanka, a significant educational institute in the whole eastern province of Sri Lanka, is located in Batticaloa. It also houses St.Michael's College and other British colonial era educational institutions. It is the cultural and economic focal point of the local Tamil people.

Economic activities

Rice and coconuts are the two staples of the district, and steamers trading round the island call regularly at the port. The lagoon is famous for its "singing fish," supposed to be shell-fish which give forth musical notes. The district has a remnant of Veddahs or wild men of the wood. The average annual rainfall is 551 in.; the average temperature 80.4° F. Prior to the civil war, there were large scale shrimp farms as well as fish and rice processing activities. Currently the economic activities are related to trading due to the effect of the civil war.

Demography

Batticaloa is on the East coast, 314 km from Colombo. The population of 515,707 consists mainly of Tamils ,Muslims, Sinhalese, Euro-Asian Portuguese Burghers and indigenous Vedda population. Earlier census data show more Sinhalese than today; but their population, as well as the Muslim population has decreased with the rise of the LTTE and civil war in Sri Lanka.

Thus the 1981 census gave a figure of 10,646 Sinhalese, while the 2000 census records only about 150 Sinhalese. Similarly, the 76,000 Moors in 1981 has reduced to about 47,000 in the 2000 census. By contrast, the Tamil population of about 234,000 in 1981 has increased to about 353,000 by 2000.

Population of the District of Batticaloa distribution in DS division as at year 2000.

D.S.DIVISION	No.of.Families	Male	Female	Total
Manmunai North	18,867	39,010	39,187	78,197
Manmunai West	6,964	13,559	13,250	26,809
Koralai Pattu North	4,902	9,364	10,093	19,457
Manmunai South West	5,703	11,513	11,821	23,334
Manmunai South West	7,084	11,513	13,692	23,334
Porativu Pattu	11,170	21,825	22,713	44,538
Manmunai South & East Pattu	14,083	26,381	27,885	54,266
Manmunai Pattu	7,084	13,205	13,692	25,897
Kattankudy	9,662	18,069	18,532	36,601
Eravur Pattu	16,350	31,066	33,128	64,194
Eravur Town	8,031	16,862	18,958	35,820
Koralai Pattu	13,191	28,033	28,639	56,672
Koralai Pattu West	12,682	24,732	24,190	48,922
Total	128,689	253,619 (49.1%)	262,088 (50.9%)	515,707

[Source: Department of Census & Statics, Sri Lanka]

Population of the District of Batticaloa distribution by Religion as at year 2000.

D.S.DIVISION	Hindus	Christains	Islam	Buddists	Others	Total
Manmunai North	35,591	21,507	2,947	152	00	78,197
Manmunai West	26,531	278	00	00	00	26,809
Koralai Pattu North	16,729	1,677	1,043	08	00	19,457
Manmunai South West	23,264	70	00	00	00	23,334
Porativu Pattu	44,152	386	00	00	00	44,538
Manmunai South & East Pattu	52,188	2,037	02	22	17	54,266
Manmunai Pattu	19,897	1,266	5,732	02	00	26,897
Kattankudy	00	00	36,601	00	00	36,601
Eravur Pattu	62,855	276	1,010	53	00	64,194
Eravur Town	00	00	35,820	00	00	35,820
Koralai Pattu	53,040	3,095	135	263	139	56,672
Koralai Pattu West	1,152	121	47,574	71	04	48,922
Total	353,399 (68.53%)	30,713 (5.96%)	130,864 (25.36%)	571 (0.11%)	160 (0.04%)	515,707

[Source: Department of Census & Statics, Sri Lanka]

History

How the name originated?

According to "Mattakalapu Manmium" a book about the history of Batticaloa by F.X.C.Nataraja the name "Mattakalapu" was given to this place for two reasons.It is well known Batticaloa is famous for its unique kind of honey called "Vamparai" which is still can be gained from forests situated around the lagoon.It is still holds the evidence the temples,walls and The first Portuguese fort seized by the Dutch which was the gateway for Dutch collaboration were constructued in 1684 using this kind of honey.Since the honey production from the forests around the forests around the lagoon was in very large scale the people named in Tamil as "Mattu Kalpu(Thenaru Kallakum Nadu)" which literally means "The land of confluence of honey river".The lagoon is literally meaned in Tamil as "Kallappu".The history says a group of people called Mukkuva from India came through the eastern part of ocean indian ocean and intordued through the salty water and reached the destination of their voyage at the forests situated around the lagoon.The name given by the Mukkuva was "Kallpu-Mattam" which literally means "boundary of lagoon" .Later it was called "Matta-Kallappu" which indicates the destination of Mukkuva's voyage and the water is flat.

Early History

"Mukkuva" or "Mutkuhar" are known as the first people migrated to this land and constructed seven villages in various areas.They immigrated their people form India and established the kingdom of Mukkuva.The name of the villages and towns in Batticala still holds the historical evedence of the ancient batticaloan people.A Fisher group of people called "Thimilar" who migrated from India were living in "Thimilathivu" where the first fort was built by the Thimilar for themself. "Valaikattiravu" which a place where Thimilar caught massive amount of fishes using fishing nets (Valai).At the begginng there were conflicts between Thimilar and Mutkuhar later it has grown up to war and continued for a long period.Mutkuhar gained the help of another group of people who came to Batticaloa from India called "Pattaniar" for bussiness and defeated the Thimilar and chase them away to "Verukal"(a village of Batticaloa near the boarder of Trincomalee).The name of some villages are seemed to be the monuments of this war.A village near the morden Batticaloa town called "Sathurukondan" (which literally means ambushed)was used by the Mutkuhar ambushed the enemy.The place where the Warriors who chased behind the Thimilar came back with vitory and met together called "Santhiwelli" and tha place the Warriors took rest and celebrated the victory was called "Vantharoomoolai" where the Eastern University of Sri Lanka is located today.The place where the Mutkuhar habituated Pattaniar assisted them in conquering Thimilar and built the fortress to prevent Thimilar immigrate again called "Eravur" .(In Tamil not to immigrate is means "Kudyeramal thaduthal" and "oor" means village).

In 1942, during World War II, Royal Navy Ships HMS Hermes and HMS Vampire were stationed near Batticaloa. Both these ships came under Japanese Aerial attack and were sunk. Some of the remnants of HMS Hermes still remain at around 9 nautical miles off Baticaloa.

Place in current civil war

The Batticaloa is claimed by the terrorist organization LTTE as part of their Tamil Homeland, Tamil Eelam. The city has witnesses countless murders, rapes, mass massacres and wholesale disappearance of civilians, especially after Black July and the subsequent Sri Lankan civil war. Batticaloa is the primary focus of attention of Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, better known as Karuna Amman, a former LTTE commander who broke away from the main organization in 2004 and currently operates his own political & military group, the Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal which is strongly opposed to the LTTE. The Muslim populations has suffered extensively in the hands of all the warring factions. In July 11, 2007, the Sri Lankan military ousted the Tamil Tigers from their last stronghold of Thoppigala (Batticaloa province) in Eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE defeat is considered to be a major blow to the Tamil Tigers who now control a defacto state over only northern Sri Lanka.

2004 Tsunami

The town was also one of the worst hit during the Tsunami of Dec 26, 2004. The water rose up to 4.7 meters ( 15 feet ) within 90 minutes of the beginning of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

See also

• Portuguese Burghers
• Place names in Sri Lanka

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

• ^ Strategic importance of Pulianteevu (Kotidoova) fort, built by Wimaladharmasuriya, King of Kandy, see Arasaratnam',Ceylon J. History & Social Sciences, vol.6,#1

• ^ History of Batticaloa in Tamil

• ^ Mattakkalappu Poorva Sariththiram History of Batticalao in Tamil

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