How Did Panadura Get Its Name?

Panadura a vibrant City in the close vicinity of Colombo and it needs no introduction it has been in the news for many different reasons. Panadura is a well-known player in the history of Sri Lanka. One reason for that is it has been known for the historic Panadura Debate.

The Story As to how Panadura got its name

The below story was told to us by an elderly teacher from Panadura and that was the only source we could get hold of, But the story sounds true and reasonable.

A very long time ago pandura was a fishing village; during the pre-British era, the people in the area, and their lives were highly attached and influenced by the ocean. Fisherman used to go out to sea and as a signal back home people in the area had lit a  lamp on a rock that was located close to the vicinity of the land. This lamp (Pahana) on the rock was a trail back home to the fisherman.

People in the area made sure that the lamp would always burn for the safety of their family who had wandered into the mighty ocean. This was passed down from generation to generation.

It is reported as time passed due to the sea erosion the rock that had the lamp (Pahana) moved further away from land. So people generally started referring to the area as "Pahana-Dura" in Sinhala which translates into "the far away lamp". As time passed on Pahana-Dura late became known as Panadura.

We Tried to Find The Rock

Prior to publishing this blog we had a stroll on the Panadura beach trying to find the historic Rock. But we could not find a significant sized rock. But then we realized that the present-day Panadura beach that has a beautiful park along is simply a small part of the Panadura sea coast.

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