Athurugiriya
Athurugiriya is a suburb of Colombo city in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. It is situated on the Kotte-Bope Road (B 240) about 15 km away from the centre of the commercial capital Colombo. This suburb is a highly sought after residential center in Colombo city.
Athurugiriya අතුරුගිරිය அத்துருகிரிய | |
|---|---|
| Motto(s): | |
  Athurugiriya Location of Athurugiriya in Colombo District | |
| Coordinates: 6°53′32″N 79°56′34″E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Western Province |
| District | Colombo District |
| Elevation | 30 m (100 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Suburb | 84,278 |
| • Urban | 5,799 |
| • Metro | 78,479 |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (SLT) |
| Postal Code | 10150 [1] |
History
History of the area dates back to at least 212 BC. Historic cave temple complex Korathota Raja maha Vihara located 3 km north from the city centre.
Brahmi inscriptions on the cave temple mention a dedication from the daughter of King Walagamba and a local official. This temple has two important historical inscriptions, which says this temple was offer to Maha Sanga by a daughter of Mahachula Mahatissa. Second one says one cave offered to Maha Sanga by a provincial leader call Sumana.[2]
Transport
Athurugiriya has one of the interchanges of Outer Circular Expressway, which is located at Pore, about 1km from the city center.
The following are the major bus routes serving Athurugiriya:
- 190 - Meegoda / Godagama - Pettah
- 170 - Athurugiriya - Pettah
- 17/255 - Panadura - Kandy
- 697 - Kaduwela - Homagama
- 138/4 - Athurugiriya - Pettah
As a residential area
Athurugiriya is a highly sought after residential area in Colombo. Many important government office complexes; such as Sethsiripaya, Suhurupaya, Isurupaya and many other government institutions in Denzil Kobbekaduwa Mawatha; are situated within 10km distance from Athurugiriya.
Upper-middle class housing complex Millennium City is located within 1km from Athurugiriya.