Pettah (Sinhala: පිටකොටුව (Piṭakoṭuva), Tamil: புறக்கோட்டை (Puṟakkōṭṭai)) is a neighbourhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka, located east of the city centre Fort, and behind the Colombo Port. The Pettah neighborhood is famous for the Pettah Market, a series of open air bazaars and markets. It is one of Sri Lanka's busiest commercial areas, where a huge number of wholesale and retail shops, buildings, commercial institutions and other organisations are located.[2]

Pettah
Pettah Floating Market at dusk
Pettah Floating Market at dusk
Pettah is located in Central Colombo
Pettah
Pettah
Pettah is located in Colombo District
Pettah
Pettah
Pettah is located in Sri Lanka
Pettah
Pettah
Coordinates: 6°56′12″N 79°50′59″E / 6.93667°N 79.84972°E / 6.93667; 79.84972
CountrySri Lanka
ProvinceWestern Province
DistrictColombo District 11
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone)
Postal Code
01100 [1]
Websitepettah.lk

The main market segment is designed like a gigantic crossword puzzle, where one may traverse through the entire markets from dawn till dusk, but not completely cover every part of it.[3]

Pettah is derived from Tamil: Pettai, an Anglo-Indian word used to indicate a suburb outside a fort. Today, the Sinhala phrase, pita-kotuwa (outside the fort) conveniently describes the same place.[4]

Demographics

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Pettah is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic area. Moors, Bohras and Memons are the predominant ethnic group found within Pettah, however an average amount of Sinhalese and Tamil populations also exist. There are also various other minorities, such as Burghers, Malays and others. Religions include Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and various other religions and beliefs to a lesser extent.

Buildings and landmarks

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Notable landmarks in the neighborhood include:

References

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  1. ^ "Pettah Post Office - Sri Lanka Postal Codes". Mohanjith. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  2. ^ "Sri Lanka - Travel Information - Colombo Pettah". Lankainfo.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  3. ^ "Colombo, The Famous Business Hub of Sri Lanka – Stories & Advice". Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  4. ^ "A Walk Through Pettah". Sunday Observer. 18 March 2007. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.