Gampaha

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Gampaha is a busy town in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, in Gampaha District. It lies to the northeast of Colombo and is one of the province’s bigger urban areas. The town houses government offices, markets, schools and small industries, and many people work in the surrounding farms and shops.

The name Gampaha means “Five Villages.” The five villages are Ihalagama, Pahalagama, Medagama, Pattiyagama and Aluthgama. Today Pattiyagama’s exact location is still debated. The town was once a dense forest and later became important as a stop on roads to the hill country and for cinnamon trading during colonial times. The Henarathgoda area later became a centre of settlement.

Key historical milestones include the opening of Henarathgoda railway station in 1866, and the planting of Sri Lanka’s first rubber tree in 1867 at the nearby Henarathgoda botanical garden. The town was planned in 1920 with roads, a water supply, a market, a hospital and an electricity generator. Gampaha became an urban council in 1945, gained district status in 1978, and was upgraded to a municipal council in 2002.

Economy and farming are still important. The area grows paddy and rubber, and also pineapple and betel. Small industries such as pottery, tiles, handloom textiles and coconut products are found here.

Climate is tropical rainforest, with rain nearly all year. The driest month is January, with about 60 mm of rain; October is the wettest month, with about 365 mm. Average temperatures are around 27°C, with little variation throughout the year.

Gampaha is also known for education and public services. It hosts important Ayurveda institutions, including the Gampaha Wickramarachchi Ayurveda Institute, which offers medical programs and is connected to the national university system. The town has a railway station on the Colombo–Ambepussa line and many bus routes serve the area.

People in the Gampaha district come from diverse backgrounds, but the area is mainly Sinhalese, with small numbers of Tamils, Muslims and others. The majority religion is Buddhism, followed by Roman Catholicism and other Christian faiths.