Puttalam District

Puttalam is a district of Sri Lanka situated near the west coast of the country. The district has an area of 3072 km2. Along with the Kurunegala District, it forms the North Western Province of Sri Lanka. The district capital is Puttalam, which borders the Kala Oya and Modaragam Aru in the north, Anuradhapura District and Kurunegala District in the east, Ma Oya in the south, and the Indian Ocean in the west. Puttalam has lagoons, popular for shallow sea fishing and prawn farming activities.

History
In 1845, North Western Province was created. In 1958, Puttalam district was merged with Chilaw district. There are 548 GN division in the area. These areas are governed by the 16 Divisional Secretary areas.

List of Divisional Secretary areas in Puttlam district

 * Anamaduwa Divisional Secretariat
 * Arachchikattuwa Divisional Secretariat
 * Chilaw Divisional Secretariat
 * Dankotuwa Divisional Secretariat
 * Kalpitiya Divisional Secretariat
 * Karuwalagaswewa Divisional Secretariat
 * Madampe Divisional Secretariat
 * Mahakumbukkadawala Divisional Secretariat
 * Mahawewa Divisional Secretariat
 * Mundalama Divisional Secretariat
 * Nattandiya Divisional Secretariat
 * Nawagattegama Divisional Secretariat
 * Pallama Divisional Secretariat
 * Puttalam Divisional Secretariat
 * Vanathavilluwa Divisional Secretariat
 * Wennappuwa Divisional Secretariat

Religion
Buddhism is the major religion in the district, and has been since the early part of the Anuradhapura Kingdom. The second-most common religion is Roman Catholicism. In addition to two of the above major religions, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam are well established in the area. Munneswaram Hindu Temple and St Anne's Church, Thalawila, are among the historical religious places in the area.

Major cities

 * Puttalam (Urban Council)
 * Chilaw (Urban Council)

Other towns

 * Anamaduwa
 * Battuluoya
 * Dankotuwa
 * Eluvankulam
 * Kalpitiya
 * Madampe
 * Mahawewa
 * Marawila
 * Mundel
 * Nattandiya
 * Nuraicholai
 * Palaviya
 * Thillayadi
 * Wennappuwa
 * Kalladiya
 * Vanathavilluwa
 * Madurankuliya
 * Udappuwa
 * Arachikattuwa
 * Anawilundawa
 * Bangadeniya
 * Nathandiya
 * Nagavillu

Traffic
Puttalam District is served by Puttalam line, a railway line linking Ragama near Colombo to Puttalam. Puttalam Railway Station is 135 km north of Colombo.