| Matara මාතර மாத்தறை |
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| — City — | |
| Matara Railway Station | |
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Matara
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Southern |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Upul Nishantha |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,283 km2 (495.4 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1,270 km2 (490.3 sq mi) |
| • Water | 13 km2 (5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2 m (7 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 76,254 |
| • Density | 59.4/km2 (153.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30) |
| Postal code | 81xxx |
| Area code(s) | 041 |
Matara (Sinhala: මාතර, Tamil: மாத்தறை) (originally Mahathota) is a city on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, 160 km from Colombo. It is one of the largest cities in Sri Lanka.[1] It was deeply affected by the Asian tsunami in December 2004.
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Matara historically belongs to the area called Ruhuna, one of the three kingdoms in Sri Lanka (Thun Sinhalaya). The temple in the middle of the town is also built by ancient kings and now it is a very popular sacred place among the Buddhists in the area. In 16th and 18th centuries Matara was ruled by Portuguese and Dutch respectively. The culture and architecture can be still seen in the area. The popular light house in Point Dondra was built by the Dutch and it is considered as one of the most beautiful and oldest light houses in Sri Lanka. The two fortresses built by Portuguese and Dutch can be found inside the city of Matara. Other important works done by Dutch are the St. Marie's church and the market place in Nupe junction.
Most famous intellects lived in the area are Kumaratunga Munidasa and Gajaman Nona. The ethnic majority of Matara is Sinhala, during 16th and 17th centuries Moors arrived into the area as traders from Arabia, and today their descendants coexist with Sinhalese peacefully as an ethnic minority.
*Sri Mihidu Daham Pasala Kirimatimulla *sri rewatha daham pasala medagoda
Matara is the terminus of Sri Lanka Railways' Coast line, though an extension to Kataragama is under construction.
Matara is served by the A2 highway, which runs through the city. It is also planned to be the southern terminus of stage 2 of the E01 expressway.
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