Kotahena



Kotahena is a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and is known as Colombo 13.

Places of worship
Kotahena is the location of some places of worship:
 * Dipaduttamarama, where in 1885 for the first time the Buddhist flag was shown and where some jewels found in the Buddha stupa in Piprahwa and were enshrined in the Ratna Chetiya in 1908.
 * Sri Ponnambalavaneswarar Temple, Colombo
 * St. Lucia's Cathedral (1881) this is called a cathedral because it holds the chair of the bishop of the diocese in this case the Archbishop's chair. The cathedral, one of the largest churches in the entirety of Sri Lanka, is also the first bishop's house in Colombo, Bishop Bonjeen. St Benedict's College was formed by de Lasale brothers and Good Shepherd Convent was formed by Good Shepherd sisters with the invitation of Bishop Bonjeen St Lucias College was a government school but now under the Archbishop.
 * St. Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade, Kotahena (not to be confused with the town of the same name Kochchikade, Negombo), a famous shrine.
 * Gunananda Viharaya (Udaha Pansala) (Deepaduptharama Viharaya)
 * Paramananda Vihara (Pahala Pansala)
 * St. Thomas' Church (Ginthupitiya) - Some scholars are of the opinion that Thomas the Apostle, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles also visited Sri Lanka and preached on the hillock or plain of St. Thomas or Santhumpitiya on which St. Thomas Church, Gintupitiya now stands.
 * Wolvendaal Church, a Christian Reformed Church which was originally called Dutch Reformed Church. In 2008 the Dutch Reformed Church changed its name to the Christian Reformed Church in Sri Lanka. The church, the oldest protestant church in Sri Lanka, was built from 1749-1756. It houses the oldest organ of the country as well as several tombstones of Dutch officials and merchants and panel paintings with Dutch inscriptions. During the Dutch colonial period, several large chairs with wood carvings which are well preserved were reserved for the Dutch governor and his officials. Before the church was built a Portuguese church named  "Igreja da Agua de Lupo" occupied the space. Today Wolfendahl Church is the best preserved Dutch building in Sri Lanka. There are services in Sinhalese and English.

Sports venues
Kotahena is also home to the Sugathadasa Stadium, the country's national athletics stadium.

Schools

 * Cathedral mix School
 * Good Shepherd Convent
 * Good Shepherd Girls Maha Vidyalaya
 * Kotahena Muslim Vidiyalaya
 * St. Anthony's Boys College
 * St. Benedict's College
 * St. Lucia's College
 * Vivekananda College
 * Wolvendhal Girls High School