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Concept
Negombo
Summary
Negombo (මීගමුව, நீர்கொழும்பு) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in the Western Province, from Colombo via the Colombo–Katunayake Expressway.
Negombo is one of the major commercial hubs in the country and the administrative centre of Negombo Division. Negombo has a population of about 142,136 within its divisional secretariat division. Negombo municipal boundary is fully extended throughout its Divisional Secretariat area.
Negombo is known for its long sandy beaches and centuries old fishing industry. Negombo has a large bilingual (Sinhala/Tamil) population with a clear Roman Catholic majority.
The name "Negombo" is the Portuguese corruption of its Tamil name Neerkolombu.
The Sinhala name Migamuva means from Old-Tamil Naval terminology Meegaman Pattinam. Meegaman denotes Naval Captain, where the local Karava population's long association of Naval and Fishing connections. Later, "Village of the honeycomb", gaining its name from a legend mentioned in Rajaveliya. The army of King Kavantissa found bee honey in a canoe near the seashore, for Viharamahadevi who was pregnant with the prince Dutugamunu. Because of this, the place was named "Mee-Gomuwa".
The shallow waters of the Negombo Lagoon provided safe shelter for seafaring vessels and became one of the key ports along with Kalpitiya, Puttalam, Colombo, Kalutara and Galle, from which the Sri Lankan kingdoms conducted external trade.
The regional Jaffna kings, who controlled small parts of the northwest coast of Sri Lanka, built fortifications at Negombo, Colombo and Chilaw. The language used in and around Negombo was Tamil when the Portuguese colonisers arrived in the 16th century.
Negombo also served as a shelter for Arabic vessels, whose descendants are the Sri Lankan Moors. Negombo was a major port known for its trading activity and was well known for its cinnamon cultivation. The cinnamon trade was controlled by the Sri Lankan kings and later by the Sri Lankan Moors.
Official source
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