Ampara

Ampara (Sinhala: අම්පාර, Tamil: அம்பாறை) is the main town of Ampara District, governed by an Urban Council.

Ampara අම්පාර அம்பாறை
Town
Ampara Clock Tower
Ampara
Coordinates: 7°17′0″N 81°40′0″E
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Eastern
District	Ampara
Government
• Type	Urban Council
• Chairman	M. A. Chaminda Sugath (UPFA)
Population  (2012)
• Total	43,829[1]
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone)

It is located in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, about 360 km (224 mi) east of Colombo and approximately 60 km (37 mi) south of Batticaloa.

History

This was a hunters' resting place during British colonial days (late 1890s and early 1900). During the development of the Gal Oya scheme from 1949 by the Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake, Ampara was transformed into a town.^[2] Initially it was the residence for the construction workers of Inginiyagala Dam. Later it became the main administrative town of the Gal Oya Valley.

Religious composition in Ampara DS Division according to 2012 census data is as follows Buddhists 42,584-97.16%, Roman Catholics 537-1.23%, Islam 322-0.73%, Other Christian 237-0.54%, Hindus 145-0.33%, Others 4-0.01%.