North Western Province is a province of Sri Lanka. The districts of Kurunegala and Puttalam formulate Wayamba. Its capital is Kurunegala, which has a population of 28,571. The province is known mainly for its numerous coconut plantations. Other main towns in this province are Chilaw (24,712) and Puttalam (45,661), which are both small fishing towns. The majority of the population of Wayamba province is of Sinhalese ethnicity. There is also a substantial Sri Lankan Moor minority around Puttalam and Sri Lankan Tamils in Udappu and Munneswaram. Fishing, prawn farming and rubber tree plantations are other prominent industries of the region. The province has an area of 7,888 km² and a population of 2,184,136.
Climate
The climate of Wayamba is tropical, with a marked dry season, and temperatures averaging between 20 °C in January to 25°C in March. The south of the province is wetter, with almost 2000 mm of rainfall per year, but the north of the province is one of the driest regions in Sri Lanka, averaging under1100 mm of rain in parts.
Districts
(1) Kurunegala and (2) Puttalam are the two districts that make up the North Western Province.
Roads
The region is served by an extensive rail & road transport system providing linkages to the major cities and ports in Sri Lanka.
Major Agricultural Crops
Wayamba has a highly developed agricultural economy, growing a variety of fruits and vegetables, flowering plants, spices, oil-seeds in addition to the traditional plantation crops such as Coconut, Rubber and Rice. Rich soils and varied climate give Wayamba a potential for growing of virtually any crop.
Paddy is the main agricultural crop in the province. Wayamba is the third largest paddy producing area in Sri Lanka. There are two main cultivation seasons. The Maha Season (October–January) the period with excessive rainfall and the Yala Season (April–August) the drier season. In Yala season, the farmers have to depend on irrigation. More recent times, the paddy farmers during the dry season have opted to cultivate export crops and subsidiary food crops that bring bigger profits.
Coconut – The largest industry in the Wayamba Province. The extent of land under coconut is 48% of the island’s area.
Paddy
Cereals – Kurakkan, maize, green gram, cowpea
Root Crops – sweet potatoes, red onions
Fruits – Pineapples, Mangoes, Papaya, Banana, Avocado
Vegetables – Gherkin, Asparagus, and many local vegetables
Cashew Nut is also cultivated on a large scale in the Wayamba province. Wayamba is a major Cashew exporting region in Sri Lanka. The northern driest region is ideally suited for Cashew cultivation.
Fisheries Industry/ Prawn Farming – The western coast of the North Western region is endowed with rich fisheries and other aquatic resources. The major varieties found in abundance are tuna, prawns, lobsters and cuttlefish. The country’s export-oriented commercial prawn farming industry is concentrated in the coastal areas of the Puttalam district.
Archaeological Sites
The Wayamba province is a treasure house of archaeology having been seat of four medieval kingdoms of Sri Lanka between the mid-12th and mid-14th centuries. Having forced to move capitals due to foreign invasions, Sri Lankan kings nevertheless built magnificent citadels Panduwasnuwara, Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa and Kurunegala. Impressive remains of those citadels, palaces, Buddhist temples and monasteries provide exciting sightseeing to the visitors.
Rock Temples:
Wayamba and Kurunegala are also the home for other ancient Buddhist rock temples, mostly with 1st century B.C roots, with wall and ceiling frescos, colossal Buddha images, stone inscriptions and sculptures dating from early medieval to 18th century period.
Beaches
The sparkling blue surf of the Indian Ocean and scenic tropical lagoons which edge the western shores of the Wayamba province are glided with 240 kilometers of wide, sun drenched beaches. These beaches stretch from Waikkal at its southern end to Dutch Bay in the Puttalam district.
Some of Wayamba’s best resort beaches are at Marawila, Talwila, Kalpitiya and Waikkal. These beaches are often with the bonus of a lagoon or a river front and make excellent bases for stay-put beach holidays. Some of the beach resorts also offer viewing of underwater Coral wonderlands off Kandakuliya and Karaitivu. Many fishing villages dot the coastal areas.
European Colonial Monuments
The well preserved Dutch Fort in Kalpitiya (Puttalam district) dating back to 1670 is an evidence of the Wayamba’s European colonial period. The fort is complete with barracks, store houses and living quarters, Dutch colonial pillars and ancient tombstones. Kurunegala has many 19th century relics of the British colonial period including the government Agent’s residence and the Rajapihilla rest house.
Festivals
The people of Wayamba celebrate many traditional festivals centered on sacred shrines of diverse faith.
All Buddhist temples celebrate the Vesak, Poson and Esela festivals commemorating the events of great importance to the Buddhists. These festivals feature colorful decorations, lanterns, illuminations and pageants where traditional dancing, drumming, costumed dignitaries and elephants are paraded. Two noteworthy colorful Buddhist processions are organized by the Wilbawa Raja Maha Viharaya (Major temple) and Athanda Raja Maha Viharaya and are paraded in the Kurunegala city.
The St Anne’s Roman Catholic Church is located on a magnificent beach stretch in Talawila in the Puttalam district. The church draws thousands of pilgrims for its main festivals in March and July.
The Munneswaram and Udappu Hindu temples are pilgrim centers of many devotees. People gather to worship deities and seek favors. The main temple of God Shiva at Munneswaram, comprises the shrines and has been built according to traditional Hindu style. Munneswaram celebrates its major festival in August where fire-walking is practiced. Udappuwa, a sea side shrine complex of three shrines, also has a colorful festival held in the month of August.
The Ramadan, Haj and Milad-un-Nabi festivals are also celebrated by the minority Muslims of Wayamba especially at historic and famed mosques in Puttalam, Kuruenegala and Chilaw. These celebrations are mainly of religious character, recitations of Koran and distribution of cooked food and sweets.
From – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Western_Province,_Sri_Lanka
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