Wellawatte

Wellawatta is a neighbourhood of Colombo, Sri Lanka. It lies immediately south of Bambalapitiya and is classified as zone 6 within the Colombo Municipal region. The town begins at the old Dutch canal just before the Savoy Cinema and extends south to the same canal that reaches the sea just before the junction at Hospital Road where Dehiwela begins. It is bounded on the west by the waters of the Indian Ocean and extends to Pamankada where Havelock Road forks and meets the Sri Saranankara Road bridge, which stretches over the Dutch canal, extending towards Kohuwala-Hospital Road junction on Dutugemunu Street.

Wellawatta වැල්ලවත්ත வெள்ளவத்தை
Suburb
Wellawatta Location in Colombo District Show map of Colombo District Wellawatta Wellawatta (Sri Lanka) Show map of Sri Lanka
Coordinates: 6°52′29″N 79°51′38″E
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Western Province
District	Colombo District
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone)
Postal Code	00600

The name Wellawatta means 'Sandy Garden' in Sinhalese. This has been mutated by the area's large Tamil migrant population to Wellawathai, meaning 'White Garden' in Tamil.

During the colonial period, much of present day Wellawatta was made of coconut estates owned by European families, particularly that of Charlemont Jonathan Gauder. Many of the roads and place names bear the names of the Gauder family including Charlemont, Frederica, Collingwood, Alexandra and Frances. The landmark Savoy cinema was built by CV De Silva in the 1940s. In the 1980s, the area drew many Tamils fleeing the civil war from the north of the country. Today, Wellawatta is a built up commercial and residential area with a small amount of light industry. Posh new apartment complexes coexist with slums particularly along the Canal areas.