Batticaloa is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the Batticaloa District. The city is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka and is a major commercial centre. It is on the east coast, 111 kilometres (69 mi) south of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island. Pasikudah is a popular tourist destination situated 35 km (22 mi) northwest with beaches and flat year-round warm-water shallow-lagoons.
The Eastern Province is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of the country. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but did not have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. Between 1988 and 2006 the province was temporarily merged with the Northern Province to form the North Eastern Province. The capital of the province is Trincomalee. Kalmunai is the largest and most populous city of Eastern Province.
Arugam Bay, known locally as "Arugam Kudah", is situated on the Indian Ocean in the dry zone of Sri Lanka's southeast coast, and a historic settlement of the ancient Batticaloa Territory. The bay is located 117 kilometres (73 mi) south of Batticaloa, 320 kilometres (200 mi) due east of Colombo, and approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of the market town of Pottuvil. The main settlement in the area, known locally as Ullae, is predominantly Muslim, however there is a significant Sri Lankan Tamil and Sinhala population to the south of the village, as well as a number of international expatriates, largely from Europe and Australia. While traditionally fishing has dominated the local economy, tourism has grown rapidly in the area in recent years. Arugam Kudah's literal Tamil translation is "Bay of Cynodon dactylon". Tourism in Arugam Bay is dominated by surf tourism, thanks to several quality breaks in the area, however tourists are also attracted by the local beaches, lagoons, historic temples and the nearby Kumana National Park.
The Eastern University Sri Lanka is a public university in Vantharumoolai, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. It was established on 1 October 1986. The university was preceded by the Batticaloa University College established on 1 August 1981 which was started in the buildings of the Vantharumoolai Madya Maha Vidyalayam.
Batticaloa District is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The capital of the district is the city of Batticaloa. Ampara District was carved out of the southern part of Batticaloa District in April 1961.
Valaichchenai is a town in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. It could also be spelled as Valaichenai or Valachchenai. The world-famous Pasikudah Beach is located about 3 km east of Valaichenai along the Indian Ocean. Pasikudah beach is famous for shallow and calm sea water.
Nilaveli is a coastal resort town and suburb of the Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka located 16 km northwest of the city of Trincomalee. A historically popular Tamil village and tourist destination of the district alongside the nearby Uppuveli, the numbers of visitors declined following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Sri Lankan Civil War, but have risen again since 2010. Pigeon Island National Park, one of the two marine national parks of the region is situated 1 km off the coast of Nilaveli, its many species of vegetation, coral and reef fish contributing to Nilaveli's rich biodiversity.
Pasikudah or Pasikuda (Tamil: பாசிக்குடா; Sinhala: පාසිකුඩා; is a coastal resort town located 35 kilometers northwest of Batticaloa, Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka. Historically a small Tamil hamlet alongside nearby Kalkudah, it used to be a popular tourist destination, however suffered huge devastation following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the Sri Lankan Civil War. Foreign travel to Pasikudah has recently increased due to growth in investment and development. It is home to the Pasikudah Mariamman temple. Pasikudah is easily accessible from the cities of Trincomalee and Batticaloa. The nearest airport to Pasikudah is Batticaloa Airport, which has scheduled flights operating from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport.
The Battle of Vavunathivu took place during the Sri Lankan Civil War. It occurred on 7 March 1997 in which the LTTE militants attacked and overran the Sri Lanka Army military camp at Vavunathivu off Batticaloa.
Kalkudah Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Kalkudah in Batticaloa District, Eastern Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Kalkudah electoral district was replaced by the Batticaloa multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections, the first under the PR system, though Kalkudah continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.
Ahmed Hussain Macan Markar was a Ceylonese lawyer, politician and philanthropist. He was a former Member of parliament and a deputy mayor of Colombo.
The Batticaloa Fort was built by the Portuguese in 1628 and was captured by the Dutch on 18 May 1638. From 1795, the fort was used by the British.
Deshamanya Kanapathipillai William "Bill" Devanayagam was a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, politician, government minister and Member of Parliament.
Vallipuram Nalliah was a Ceylon Tamil teacher, politician, Member of Parliament and government minister.
Ashley Nimalanayagam Soundaranayagam was a Sri Lankan Tamil teacher, politician and Member of Parliament.
The 1978 Sri Lanka Cyclone was one of the most destructive tropical cyclones to strike Sri Lanka since modern records began. The cyclone formed on November 17, 1978, and attained peak intensity on November 23, 1978, right before making landfall in Batticaloa. Sri Lanka's eastern province was heavily affected by the cyclone.
Valaichchenai Lagoon is an estuarine lagoon in Batticaloa District, eastern Sri Lanka. Batticaloa district has three lagoons, such Valaichchenai Lagoon, Batticaloa Lagoon and Vakari Lagoon. Valaichchenai lagoon is situated in populated areas of Valaichchenai, Oddamavadi
Oddamavadi or Oddamavady is a town in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. Twelve villages are located in Oddamavadi which administered under the Koralai Pattu West Divisional Secretariat
The Kalkudah Polling Division is a Polling Division in the Batticaloa Electoral District, in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka.
