SRI JAYAWARDENAPURA KOTTE

Jayawardenapura-Kotte was the capital of Sri Lanka at the time of the arrival of the Portuguess. The fortress at Kotte was erected by the Minister Alakeswara during the reign of Vickremabahu III (1356-1370 AD). From that time Kotte was the capital of the island for about two centuries. The first king who made Kotte his capital was Parakkramabahu IV (1410-1467 AD). After Don Juvan Dharmapala this city fell into the hands of the Portuguese who destroyed the buildings in the city. A beautiful King’s Palace and a temple of the Scred Tooth had been at the city. The rampart wall and the moat which girt the city once can be noticed in places here and there.

Kotte was renamed Sri Jayawardanepura when it was declared the official capital of Sri Lanka in 1982.