Sammanthurai

Sammanthurai සම්මාන්තුරෛ சம்மாந்துறை
Town
Sammanthurai සම්මාන්තුරෛ சம்மாந்துறை
Coordinates: 7°22′0″N 81°48′0″E / 7.36667°N 81.80000°E / 7.36667; 81.80000Coordinates: 7°22′0″N 81°48′0″E / 7.36667°N 81.80000°E / 7.36667; 81.80000
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Eastern
District	Ampara
DS Division	Sammanthurai Divisional Secretariat
Population	60,596
Government
• Type	Pradeshiya Sabha
• Chairman	A. M. M. Naushad (UPFA)
Demonym	Sammanthuraiyan (in Tamil: சம்மாந்துறையான்)
Time zone	Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30)
Postal code	32200
Area code(s)	067
Website	Sammanthurai Local Government website

Sammanthurai (Tamil: சம்மாந்துறை), Sinhalese: සම්මාන්තුරෛ ), often known by its initials STR, is a town in Ampara District of Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. Sammanthurai, at 7°22′0″N 81°48′0″E / 7.36667°N 81.80000°E / 7.36667; 81.80000,^[1] is 4.8 km west of the Bay of Bengal coast. It lies between the towns of Ampara and Karaitivu along the A31 road. It is surrounded by paddy fields and It's renowned for its rice paddies and its inner harbour from ancient times.

Sammanthurai is the birthplace of M. H. M. Ashraff, known as "the kingmaker"^[2] and the founder of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress political party.

History

Sammanthurai is an important and historical place. It was the first place where Dutch people arrived in Sri Lanka. Sammanthurai derives its name from ‘sampan,’ the vessel, and ‘Sammankaran’ who were Muslims from India who came to Sammanthurai during the Portuguese period.

Demographics

Sammanthurai is a sizable town, by Sri Lankan standards. It has a population of 60,596, with a majority of Sri Lankan Moors (Muslim) ethnicity. There is a small Sri Lankan Hindu Tamil minority, particularly in the Veeramunai area. The majority is Tamil speaking Muslims and a sizable numbers speak English and a few speak Sinhala. Sammanthurai is home to many victims of the tsunami of 2004.^[3]

Ethnicity	Population[4]	% of Total
Sri Lankan Moors	53,114	87.51
Sinhalese	297	0.49
Sri Lankan Tamils	7,178	12
Burgher	1	0.002
Others (Including Malay)	6	0.01
Total	60,596	100

Climate

Being close to the equator, Sammanthurai enjoys a tropical wet and dry climate. Summer prevails in the months of May, June, July and August. Days in June are the hottest period, with temperatures regularly reaching 30 °C.^[5] Monsoons occur in November, December and January. Sammanthurai receives most of its rainfall from the Northeast Monsoon.

Education

Sammanthurai has a number of post-secondary institutions. In addition to the Faculty of Applied Science campus of the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka, there are two colleges granting diplomas and certificates in Sammanthurai: Technical College^[6] and Vocational Training Center.^[7] The town is also home to an Arabic college:^[8] (Sammanthurai Thableekul Islam Arabic College)

The Sammanthurai Zonal Education Office (STRZEO) operates 65 public schools in an area of 257 sq km.^[9] The Main Amir Ali Public Library has two branches in the town.

Economy

Traditionally Sammanthuraiyans (natives of Sammanthurai) rely on farming. Agriculture is the most important source of income for the townsfolk and paddy is the major crop cultivated in 55,000 acres. Other sources of revenue include the service sector and small businesses. The oil boom opened new vistas: In the late 1970s Sammanthuraiyans went to the Arab countries in Arabian Peninsula for work.

Culture

Sammanthurai culture is strongly influenced by Islamic thoughts. Life in Sammanthurai revolves around the prayer calls (Adhan). The people, particularly women, heavily depend on Adhan to keep their regular activities on track. The Adhan for early morning prayer well before sunrise acts as a wakeup alarm. It is followed by four prayer calls throughout the day. Friday is observed as spiritual day and the month of Ramadan (month of fasting) is observed as a spiritual month in Sammanthurai like in any Muslim country. Eid Al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are the two festivals celebrated here.

White or colored lungi are widely used as men's clothing. Professionals and students wear pants. Muslim women observe hijab.

Islam and the people

As many as 45 Masjids are in this town. Sammanthurai houses two religious institutions: the Thablighul Islam Arabic College and a Hifz Madrasa.

Despite its strong Islamic heritage, reception of dowry is increasing. Few young grooms have started voicing against it. The usual form of dowry includes a compulsory house to be gifted to the bride by her father, as well as jewels of gold, land and money. A small number of people here believe that Islam does not stipulate this kind of dowry and that it is against Islam.

Notable people born in Sammanthurai

• M. H. M. Ashraff, Politician
• M. A. Abdul Majeed, Politician
• A._M._M._Naushad, Politician
• M.I.Anvar Ismail (LLB),Politician
• M.M.Mansoor (min),Politician

Transport and communication

This town is well connected via road and rail with major towns and cities in Sri Lanka. A31 road runs through Sammanthurai. Frequent bus service is available to the nearby cities of Kalmunai, Ampara and Batticaloa. There are 14 private omnibuses with daily night services for passengers as well as freight to Colombo. The state-owned Sri Lanka Transport Board provides regular passenger services.

Road accidents rose in recent years due to driver negligence. In 2012 the Sammanthurai police division has recorded the highest number of road accidents in the country.^[10]

Katunayake Airport is the nearest international airport, around 343 km from Sammanthurai. Auto rickshaws act as a major mode of private transportation for short distances. For long travels, people prefer private taxis.

Sammanthurai has a good mobile phone network. Operators like Airtel, Dialog, Mobitel, Etisalat and Hutch provide services. Airtel also provides landline phones and broadband internet connection to its subscribers. In addition, the town has a number of internet browsing cafes.

Approximate distance from other cities and towns

City	Distance (in km)
Anuradhapura	248
Batticaloa	49
Colombo	343
Galle	323
Hambantota	209
Jaffna	415
Kandy	195
Nuwara Eliya	214
Polonnaruwa	149

Infrastructure

Sammanthurai houses a government hospital along with private hospitals/clinics. The police station serves the town as well as the surrounding villages. Government establishments like the post office, magistrates' court,^[11] Pradeshiya Shaba, Ceylon Electricity Board, Sri Lanka Transport Board Bus Depot, Rice Research Station^[12] and Divisional Secretariats of Sri Lanka are based in the town.

In addition, Group Action For Social Order (GAFSO) and Centre for Peace Studies (CPS) Sri Lanka are the national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) headquartered in Sammanthurai.^[13]

The town also has five ATMs from the Bank of Ceylon, the Seylan Bank, the People’s Bank, the National Savings Bank and the Hatton National Bank. Amana Bank serves as an interest-free bank.^[14]

There are two major food supermarkets: Cargills Ceylon PLC's food city^[15] and the Sammanthurai Hijra Supermarket offer fresh seafood, poultry, meat, fruits, vegetables, and other groceries. These busy markets serve the town and its neighboring communities. Sammanthurai has four petrol filling stations.

Sports

Sammanthurai is home to a sports complex,^[16] a public playground and many public school playgrounds. Cricket is the most popular sport as it is the most popular sport in the country; many play cricket. Soccer is played widely in Sammanthurai, with many local clubs and many compete in the national league.

Environmental issues

The post-tsunami and post-war development activities and subsequent resettlement programs have contributed to air pollution in this area. In addition, solid waste generation, contaminated water and mosquito breeding, have caused much damage to peoples’ health.

Air pollution is a threat which contributes to illnesses and has an adverse impact on peoples’ respiratory systems. Accordingly, the spectrum of human health has a close relationship with dust exposure. It has been identified that a majority of those who are sick have respiratory diseases which are mainly caused by their dusty environment. The dusty air with bad odor has become a major threat to the daily lives of inhabitants of Sammanthurai.^[17]

References