Gampaha

WHAT

Gampaha is the 4th largest urban area in the Western Province. The word gampaha literally means five villages – Ihalagama, Pahalagama, Medagama, Pattiyagama and Aluthgama. This city was called Henarathgoda in the past. Gampaha used to be a big forest until 1815. But after building Henarathgoda railway station in 1864, Gampaha people started to populate it. The points of interest in the Gampaha area are the first rubber tree of Sri Lanka that was planted in Henarathgoda Botanical Garden, the Moragoda Catholic Church, which was built by the British in 1828, and one of the famous Buddhist sacred temples Kelaniya Temple.