| Official Name: | Kaduwela |
| Native Name: | කඩුවෙල கடுவெலை |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | Sri Lanka Colombo District |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Sri Lanka |
| Subdivision Name1: | Western Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Colombo District |
| Area Total Km2: | 87.71 |
| Population As Of: | 2009 |
| Population Total: | 244679 |
| Timezone: | Sri Lanka Standard Time |
| Utc Offset: | +5:30 |
| Coordinates: | 6.9356°N 79.9839°W |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 10640 |
| Website: | www.kaduwela.mc.gov.lk |
Kaduwela (si|කඩුවෙල, ta|கடுவெலை) is the largest city in Sri Lanka by land area, covering .[1] The city is composed of three divisions called Kaduwela, Battaramulla and Athurugiriya and is located in the Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka.[2] Kaduwela Town (located in Kaduwela Division) is located about 16km (10miles) from the Colombo city centre on the Colombo - Avissawella Old Road (Low Level Road) and about 18km (11miles) from Kollupitiya on the New Kandy Road from Ethulkotte to Kandy.
Kaduwela was originally Kadudevola, a compound of Kadu (sword) and Devola (shrine). It was the location of a shrine of the goddess Pattini, linked to a golden sword used in the 'water cutting' ritual. The shrine is called the Purana Rankadu Pattini Maha Devale (ancient great shrine of the golden-sword Pattini).
In another possibility Kaduwela simply means the jungle paddy field. Kadu means jungle (Sorata Thera's Sinhala–Sinhala dictionary) and wela means paddy field. There is also another Kaduwela in the Ukuwela division of Matale district
According to Robert Percival of the 19th Regiment of Foot, during the Revolt of 1797 against the Dutch, the Sinhalese threw up earthworks and established a fort here.
After the British defeat in the 1st Kandyan War, Kaduwela was occupied by a small force of British sepoys and lascoreens. They were later reinforced by a mixed force of European troops and sepoys under Captain Charles Wilkinson Mercer of the 51st Regiment, prior to the Battle of Hanwella.
See main article: Kaduwela Municipal Council.
Kaduwela Municipality area is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious urban centre. According to the census of 2012 the demographics by ethnicity and religion is as follows:.
| 2012 | Percentage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buddhist | 227,954 | 90.44% | ||
| Roman Catholic | 12,520 | 4.97% | ||
| Other Christian | 3,879 | 1.54% | ||
| Islam | 3,735 | 1.48% | ||
| Hindu | 3,524 | 1.40% | ||
| Other | 445 | 0.18% | ||
| align=left style="background: #99CCFF;" | Total | 252,057 | 100.00% | |
| Sinhalese | 241,104 | 95.65% | ||
| Sri Lankan Tamil | 4,605 | 1.83% | ||
| Sri Lankan Moor | 2,011 | 0.80% | ||
| Burgher | 1,194 | 0.47% | ||
| Other | 1,164 | 0.46% | ||
| Malay | 1,106 | 0.44% | ||
| Indian Tamil | 740 | 0.29% | ||
| Sri Lankan Chetty | 82 | 0.03% | ||
| Baratha | 51 | 0.02% | ||
| align=left style="background: #99CCFF;" | Total | 252,057 | 100.00% |