Hambantota (Sinhalese: හම්බන්තොට, Tamil: அம்பாந்தோட்டை) is the main town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka.
Hambantota Weather
Hambantota features a tropical wet and dry climate. There is no true dry season, but there is significantly less rain from January–March and again from June–August. The heaviest rain falls in October and November. The city sees on average roughly 1,050 millimetres (41 in) of precipitation annually. Average temperatures in Hambantota change little throughout the year, ranging from 26.3 °C (79.3 °F) in January to 28.1 °C (82.6 °F) in April and May. This makes for lush green vegetation and exciting jungle.
Hambantota Tourist Development
Hambantota is undergoing a number of major tourist and commercial development projects including the construction of a new sea port and international airport. These projects and others such as Hambantota Cricket Stadium are said to form part of the government’s plan to transform Hambantota into the second major urban hub of Sri Lanka, after the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo.
Hambantota District is located close to several tourist attractions, including Arugam Bay, Nuwara Eliya and Yala National Park.
Hambantota District has a population of 596,617 (2011) and is located at Lat 6°15′N Long 81°10′E
Entertainment Island
Sri Lanka has commenced construction of an exclusive entertainment island in the southern Hambantota coast and it will be constructed with rock and soil unearthed from the second phase of the construction of the seaport.The man-made island with an extent of about 48 hectares would be established in Hambantota in close proximity to the Magam Ruhunupura Mahinda Rajapaksa port. Several hotels, restaurants, duty-free shopping malls, recreational and tourism facilities are to be built.
Convention Centre
Magam Ruhunupura International Conference Hall (MRICH), located at Siribopura, was opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in November,2013.The MRICH situated in a 28-acre plot of land in Siribopura, Hambantota is Sri Lanka’s second international conference hall.The main hall has 1,500 seats and there are three additional halls with a seating capacity of 250 each. The conference hall is fully equipped with modern technical facilities and a vehicle park for 400 vehicles and also has a helipad for helicopter landing.The conference hall was constructed by the Urban Development Authority and the Korean international Corporation at a cost of US$15.3 million. The Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) that was held from November 10–14, 2013 was the first international conference held at the venue.
Mattala Airport
Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) (IATA: HRI, ICAO: VCRI) is an international airport serving southeast Sri Lanka. It is located in the town of Mattala, 18 km (11 mi) from Hambantota. Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) is located in the town of Mattala, 18 km (11 mi) north of Hambantota. Opened in March 2013, it is the second international airport in Sri Lanka after Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. flydubai and Rotana Jet fly from MRIA to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Hambantota Transport
The A2 highway connects Colombo with Hambantota town through Galle and Matara.
In support of the new harbour, construction work started in 2006 on the Matara-Kataragama Railway Line project, a broad gauge railway being implemented at an estimated cost of $91 million.
The Southern Expressway from Kottawa to Matara will be connected to Hambantota via Beliatta.
Hambantota Sports
The Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, with a capacity of 35,000 seats, was built for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. The cost of this project is an estimated Rs. 900 million (US$7.86m). It’s located in a beautiful location.
Hambantota Tele-cinema village
A new tele-cinema village is being constructed at Ranmihitenna. It consists of three stages and will be constructed at a cost of 2 billion rupees. The first stage, opened on 30 March 2010 at a cost of 600 million rupees consists of an administration building, accommodation hall (with facilities for 96 individuals), a large studio, 31 sets, three showrooms for costumes, two seminar halls, two libraries, kitchens, back lots, workshops and common facilities.
Ancient Hambantota
Hambantota District is part of the traditional south known as Ruhuna. In ancient times this region, especially Hambantota and the neighboring areas was the centre of a flourishing civilization. Historical evidence reveals that the region in that era was blessed with fertile fields and a stupendous irrigation network. Hambantota was known by many names ‘Mahagama’, ‘Ruhuna’ and ‘Dolos dahas rata’.
About 200 BC, the first Kingdom of Sri Lanka was flourishing in the north central region of Anuradhapura.
After a personal dispute with his brother, King Devanampiyatissa of Anuradhapura, King Mahanaga established the Kingdom of Ruhuna in the south of the island. This region played a vital role in building the nation as well as nurturing the Sri Lankan Buddhist culture. Close to Hambantota, the large temple of Tissamaharama was built to house a sacred tooth relic.
Around the years of 1801 and 1803, the British built a Martello tower on the tip of the rocky headland alongside the lighthouse overlooking the sea at Hambantota. The builder was a Captain Goper, who built the tower on the site of an earlier Dutch earthen fort. The tower was restored in 1999, and in the past, formed part of an office of the Hambantota Kachcheri where the Land Registry branch was housed. Today it houses a fisheries museum.
From 2 August to 9 September 1803, an Ensign J. Prendergast of the regiment of Ceylon native infantry was in command of the British colony at Hambantota during a Kandian attack that he was able to repel with the assistance of the snow ship Minerva. Earlier, HMS Wilhelmina had touched there and left off eight men from the Royal Artillery to reinforce him. This detachment participated in Prendergast’s successful defense of the colony.If the tower at Hambantota was at all involved in repelling any attack this would be one of the only cases in which a British Martello tower had been involved in combat.
Hambantota District is located on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka. It has an area of 2,593 km² and a very dry climate. The district capital is Hambantota town; the administrative headquarters are there as well as the center of salt production. Other prominent towns include Tangalle, Ambalantota, Tissamaharama, and Beliatta.
