Pottuvil[a] (Tamil: பொத்துவில், romanized: Pottuvil; Sinhala: පොතුවිල, romanized: Potuvil) is a town in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka, located in the Eastern Province on the eastern coast of the Island. It is situated 4 km (2.5 mi) north of the popular tourist destination Arugam Bay.

Pottuvil
பொத்துவில்
පොතුවිල
Pottuvil is located in Sri Lanka
Pottuvil
Pottuvil
Coordinates: 6°52′0″N 81°49′0″E / 6.86667°N 81.81667°E / 6.86667; 81.81667
CountrySri Lanka
ProvinceEastern
DistrictAmpara
DS DivisionPottuvil
Population
 • Total
45,727

Name

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The romanized form Pothuwila and also Pothuvila are also common in English-language writings of Sinhalese writers,[1][2][3] and in many webpages.[4] Most sinhala newspaper articles and Facebook pages refer to "Pothuvila", පොතුවිල.[5][6][7]

History

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This town is mentioned in the Pali Chronicle known as the Cūḷavaṃsa,[citation needed] and the Vanni Raajaavalaiya.[8] "Bodhivāla" is mentioned in the Cūḷavaṃsa (Chapter lvii, 54) in the context of the Ruhuna (see: Principality of Ruhuna campaigns of Vijayabahu I, 11th century CE).[citation needed] Archaeologists like Ellawala Medhananda Thero,[9] and historians[10] have discussed the place name while Linguists[11] recognize the change of "b" to "p" and the clear evolution of the modern name "Pothuvila" from Bodhivāla. "Vāla" means "water" (or also periphery) in compound usage (Pali Text Society dict., p 610)[12] as in "Aalavaala"(Sanskrit), i.e., basin of water found at the root of a tree. "vāla" is also a type of jasmine, Pavonia Odorata grown in temples.[citation needed] "Vaala" also means circumference or periphery (c.f., chakravaala), and "Bodhivaal" could simply mean the region enclosing a Bodhi (c.f. Devaala).[citation needed]

Pottuvil was affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The town's population in 2007 was 33,625.

Demographics

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Pottuvil is a Muslim dominant town. Tamils are the second largest group in the town. Others small groups, Sinhalese and Indian Tamils.

Ethnicity in Pottuvil Town (2012)

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Ethnicity in Pottuvil Town
Population Percent
Muslims
93.10%
Tamils
6.50%
Sinhalese
0.90%
Indian Tamils
0.5%
Others
0.02%

Source:statistics.gov.lk

Economy

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Agriculture is generally seen as the basic economic route of the town. In addition, the town's internal economy is strengthened through animal husbandry, coastal and inland fisheries, small and medium business, tourism, and trade. It is evident that there are plenty of natural resources here. Paddy fields, forests, beaches, mountains and springs are parts of the town's landscape. Paddy is the main crop in the area. However, vegetables, coconuts and fruits are also grown and contribute to the internal livelihood. At the same time, animal husbandry and fisheries also contribute significantly to the economy, and the tourism sector is seen as one of the most important and well-developed sources.

The area is said to be rich in soil as it is home to beaches, rivers and reservoirs. Coconut cultivation is being carried out on a small scale in the coastal villages of Komari, Manarasena, Victor Garden, Hitayapuram, Urani and Ullai. In addition, chilli is the main crop in vegetable cultivation.

The city is also known for its beaches and the world-famous Arugam Bay for surfing. The nearby beaches are also known as Ullai Beach.

Climate

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Pottuvil has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: As)[13] with warm to hot temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall. The climate is characterized by a distinct wet season from October to February. The wet season features cooler temperatures than the rest of the year.

Climate data for Pottuvil (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32.3
(90.1)
33.1
(91.6)
34.8
(94.6)
37.8
(100.0)
38.9
(102.0)
38.3
(100.9)
38.6
(101.5)
38.7
(101.7)
39.0
(102.2)
37.8
(100.0)
34.6
(94.3)
34.2
(93.6)
39.0
(102.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 29.9
(85.8)
30.6
(87.1)
32.0
(89.6)
33.1
(91.6)
34.5
(94.1)
35.0
(95.0)
34.3
(93.7)
34.2
(93.6)
33.8
(92.8)
32.4
(90.3)
30.9
(87.6)
29.9
(85.8)
32.6
(90.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26.0
(78.8)
26.7
(80.1)
27.7
(81.9)
28.8
(83.8)
30.1
(86.2)
30.3
(86.5)
29.7
(85.5)
29.6
(85.3)
29.5
(85.1)
28.3
(82.9)
27.1
(80.8)
26.2
(79.2)
28.3
(82.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 22.1
(71.8)
22.8
(73.0)
23.4
(74.1)
24.5
(76.1)
25.4
(77.7)
25.3
(77.5)
25.1
(77.2)
25.0
(77.0)
24.9
(76.8)
24.2
(75.6)
23.3
(73.9)
22.5
(72.5)
24.0
(75.2)
Record low °C (°F) 8.6
(47.5)
18.1
(64.6)
17.5
(63.5)
17.6
(63.7)
21.2
(70.2)
19.5
(67.1)
22.0
(71.6)
22.8
(73.0)
23.3
(73.9)
20.1
(68.2)
16.9
(62.4)
14.2
(57.6)
8.6
(47.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 263.0
(10.35)
136.8
(5.39)
61.4
(2.42)
68.3
(2.69)
48.2
(1.90)
13.7
(0.54)
17.1
(0.67)
18.8
(0.74)
52.4
(2.06)
134.5
(5.30)
307.6
(12.11)
306.5
(12.07)
1,428.2
(56.23)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 10.1 7.7 5.3 4.9 3.6 2.2 2.1 2.7 4.3 9.0 14.6 13.3 79.9
Source: NOAA[14]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Also spelled Pothuvil, Poththuvil or Pothuwila

References

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  1. ^ Peiris, Kamalika (9 June 2020). "Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Part 6". Lankaweb. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  2. ^ http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2019/06/24/the-heroic-wadeehasinha-mohottiwatte-migettuwaththe-gunananda-thera/ |downloaded 16-11-20
  3. ^ https://www.yumpu.com/id/document/read/10128036/ys-xld-mcddka-entertainment-home-page |downloaded 16-11-20
  4. ^ e.g., https://dh-web.org/ |downloaded 16-11-20
  5. ^ "පොතුවිල යතුරු පැදි අනතුරකින් අයෙක් මරුට". Lankadeepa. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  6. ^ "පොතුවිල මුස්ලිම් පල්ලියක් පිටුපස ජංගම දුරකථන පිලිස්සූ පිරිසක් අත්අඩංගුවට". CitizenPost. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  7. ^ facebook: https://m.facebook.com/digamadullabuddhistheritage/posts/517862621938944/ |downloaded 16-11-20
  8. ^ https://biblio.co.nz/book/vanni-rajawaliya-vanni-royal-lineage-gananatha/d/125756652 |downloaded 16-11-20
  9. ^ Pācīna passa-uttara passa năgenahīra paḷāta hā utura paḷātē Siṃhala Bauddha urumaya. (English: Buddhist Heritage in the Eastern province) Colombo, Sri lanka : Dayawansa Jayakody & Co., 2005
  10. ^ , Kamalaika Peiris, op. cit.
  11. ^ A. M. Gunasekera, A comprehensive Gramamar of the Sinhala Language, 1891, Reprinted: Godage International Publishers, Colombo. 2008
  12. ^ PTS Dictionary, https://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/ |downloaded 16-11-20
  13. ^ "Table 1 Overview of the Köppen-Geiger climate classes including the defining criteria". Nature: Scientific Data. 23 October 2023.
  14. ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Pottuvil". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 20 January 2024.

6°52′N 81°49′E / 6.867°N 81.817°E / 6.867; 81.817