Welcome to Gampola City

     Gampola is a beautiful town in situated in Valley Surrounded on all side by hills. Its ancient name was Gangasiripura so called because of the Mahaweli (Mahaweli Ganga) flowing by its side. This region formed part of Maya Ratta and in the present day it falls within Kandy District, Central Province. It is about 470 m above the sea level with a temperature between 18C – 24C it has an annual average rainfall of 1450mm. So, Gampola is town that receives the above mentioned rainfall because of the Monsoon rains. Here land is available.

     The base point for the entire central province is located at the cemetery in Gampola. There fore people in Gampola consider it to have great value.

     Gampola is a Main junction from where people can travel to Hatton, Nuwaraeliya, Kotmale, Colombo, Kandy etc.

History of the Gampola City

     Gampola occupies an important place in CEYLON history as it used to be the seat of government of the Sinhala Kings during the period 1314 – 1415 A.D.

     The circumstances which brought about the establishment of this kingdom are not recorded and the COOLAVANSA dismissed the event by merely stating that after the death of Gampola Kingdom (Gangasiripura). The relationship of the later to the former is a matter for conjecture and the lineage of the first ruler of Gampola is an uncertainty.

     The presence of BRAHMI inscriptions on the drip ledges off caves in the neighborhood of Gampola is sufficient evidence to show that it was on inhabited locality as early as the beginning of the Christian era. NIYANGAMPAYA VIHARAYA , the earliest known shrine to have been erected in the kingdom, has a history extending as far back as the 9th century A.D.

     The latter half of the fourteenth century was a period of insecurity. The Tamil kingdom in the North rose to power and began to be a grave menace to be a grave menace to the Sinhalese people living in the South, causing them to be on the alert at all times to check the invasion occurring at the intervals. At the time of IBAN BATUTA’S visit to Ceylon in 1314 A.D. the kingdom ARYAN CHKKRAWARTHI extended as far South as Puttalam. The presence JAFFINESE tax collectors in the south “Their execution at the hand of ALAGKONNARA and the forty-

     Fifth cation of Kotte against Tamil invasions stand as proof of the general sense of insecurity of the Sinhalese Kingdom in the South. There were temporary Tamil encampments at Colombo, Watthala, Negombo and Chilaw. The expulsion of the Jaffnese by ALAGKONNARA in the reign of VIKKRAMABAHU – III checked the further expansion of the Tamils for a considerable period.

     Roughly Speaking, the Gampola kingdom covered the Central, the South and the South West Ceylon but numerous petty ruler’s wielded independent power owning at times only nominal allegiance to the sovereign in the capital. The Kings of Gampola were generally weak rulers, So their chief ministers assumed supreme power. In the inscriptions of the period which will be dealt with we find instances where the chief minister of the time is spoken of in terms more laudatory that those applied to the reigning monarch. Short intervals of place and prosperity gave an impulse to the advancement of literature and the prosperity gave an impulse to the advancement of literature and the arts. The inauguration of the period was marked by the building of LANKATHILAKA and GADALADENI VIHARAS, two monuments of consider size. This sphere of literature, both poetry and prose. (Four lined) are mentioned as a special feature characteristic of this period, gave a final from the MESSAGE POPEM (SANDESA) which is the period to follow produced a number of lyrical poems of great beauty.

     PARAKRAMABAHU IV was the last important king who ruled from the Kurunegala, The seat of government of VANNI BUWANEKABAHU III and by VIJAYABAHU V respectively. The DALADA SIRITHA a contemporary work in Sinhalies, the date of composition of which was given as the SAKA YEAR 1247 (1325/A.D.), mentioned the king PARAKRAMABAHU IV on the throne at the time. The LANKATHILAKA and GADALADENIYA rock inscription recorded that the SAKA YEAR 1266 (1344 A.D.) was the third year from the date of the accession of BUWANEKABAHU IV of Gampola. Therefore his accession to the throne has to be placed at about the year 1341/2, A.D, assuming that PARAKRAMABAHU IV ascended the throne in 1325/6, A.D. The interval of sixteen years may be set apart for the last three kings of Kurunegala Period. Talking into consideration the details giving in the COOLAWANSA we are led to assume that the reign of PARAKRAMABAHU IV was some length. For our present purpose, suffice it to say that he was on the throne in 1324/5 A.D. and that he creased to reign shortly afterwards. The KARAGALA and VILWA epigraphs refer to the 11th year of the reign of SIRISANGABO VIJAYABAHU MAHARAJA and SIRISANGABO SRI VIJAYABAHU CHKKRAWARTHI respectively. The script of the Karagala record is considered much later than that of the Vivala epigraph that assuming that both refer to VIJAYABAHU V. His reign might have been of at least 11 years duration. Thus the following chronology may be established tentatively.

      The last quarter of 14th century in Ceylon witnessed important political changes which unfortunately are not at all mentioned in the CHOOLAWANSA and other writing WEERABAHU is mentioned as the successor of BUWANEKABAHU V but from the other success we gather that accession of PARAKKRAMABAHU IV (1415/1367 A.D.) was preceded by several rulers answering to the name of ALAHESHVARA. All though the COOLAWANSA mentions the succession of BUWENAKABAHU V as WEERABAHU, The SADDHRMARATHNAKARAYA gives a list of seven rulers.

1. KUMARA LANKESHWARA
2. WEERA LANKESHWARA
3. WEERABAHU EPA
4. VIJAYAEPA
5. TUNAYESA
6. WEERA LANKESHWARA
7. PARAKKRAMABAHU EPA
 

Devoloping be town into Modern City

     Gampola is a multi national and multi religious town. At present it population of 42853 out of which there are 20722 males and 22131 females, according to the distribution of community and religion. The data can be presented as follows;

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