Pottuvil (; ) is a town in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka, located in the Eastern Province on the eastern coast of the Island. It is situated north of the popular tourist destination Arugam Bay.
Name The romanized form Pothuwila and also Pothuvila are also common in English-language writings of Sinhalese writers,http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2019/06/24/the-heroic-wadeehasinha-mohottiwatte-migettuwaththe-gunananda-thera/ |downloaded 16-11-20https://www.yumpu.com/id/document/read/10128036/ys-xld-mcddka-entertainment-home-page |downloaded 16-11-20 and on many webpages.e.g., https://dh-web.org/ |downloaded 16-11-20 Most Sinhala newspaper articles and Facebook pages refer to "Pothuvila", පොතුවිල.facebook: https://m.facebook.com/digamadullabuddhistheritage/posts/517862621938944/ |downloaded 16-11-20
History This town is mentioned in the Pali Chronicle known as the Cūḷavaṃsa, and the Vanni Raajaavalaiya.https://biblio.co.nz/book/vanni-rajawaliya-vanni-royal-lineage-gananatha/d/125756652 |downloaded 16-11-20 "Bodhivāla" is mentioned in the Cūḷavaṃsa (Chapter lvii, 54) in the context of the Principality of Ruhuna campaigns of Vijayabahu I. Archaeologists like Ellawala Medhananda Thero,Pācīna passa-uttara passa năgenahīra paḷāta hā utura paḷātē Siṃhala Bauddha urumaya. (English: Buddhist Heritage in the Eastern province) Colombo, Sri lanka : Dayawansa Jayakody & Co., 2005 and historians, Kamalaika Peiris, op. cit. have discussed the place name while linguistsA. M. Gunasekera, A comprehensive Gramamar of the Sinhala Language, 1891, Reprinted: Godage International Publishers, Colombo. 2008 recognize the change of "b" to "p" and the clear evolution of the modern name "Pothuvila" from Bodhivāla. "Vāla" means "water" (or also periphery) in compound usagePTS Dictionary, https://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/ |downloaded 16-11-20 as in "Aalavaala" (Sanskrit), a basin of water found at the root of a tree. "vāla" is also a type of jasmine, Pavonia odorata grown in temples.
Pottuvil was affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The town's population in 2007 was 33,625.
Demographics Pottuvil is a Muslim majority town. Tamils are the second largest group in the town. Other smaller groups are the Sinhalese and Indian Tamils.
Ethnicity in Pottuvil Town (2012) Source:statistics.gov.lk
Economy Agriculture is generally seen as the basic economic route of the town, as well as animal husbandry, coastal and inland fisheries, tourism, and trade. It is evident that there are plenty of natural resources here. Paddy fields, forests, beaches, mountains and springs are parts of the town's landscape. Paddy is the main crop in the area. Coconut cultivation is carried out on a small scale in the coastal villages of Komari, Manarasena, Victor Garden, Hitayapuram, Urani and Ullai. In addition, chilli is the main vegetable crop.
The city is also known for its beaches and the world-famous Arugam Bay for surfing. The nearby beaches are also known as Ullai Beach.
Climate Pottuvil has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: As) with warm to hot temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall. The climate is characterized by a distinct wet season from October to February. The wet season features cooler temperatures than the rest of the year.
See also Pottuvil massacre Muhudu Maha Viharaya
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