| Nawala | |
| Native Name: | නාවල நாவல |
| Motto: | Nawala Annasi |
| Pushpin Map: | Sri Lanka |
| Leader Name: | Madura Vithanage |
| Leader Party: | SLPP |
| Utc Offset: | +5:30 |
| Coordinates: | 6.9°N 79.8833°W |
Nawala is an up-market residential suburb of Colombo, within the Kotte municipality in the western province of Sri Lanka, and is approximately 6 km south of Colombo City.[1]
Nawala lies between the commercial capital Colombo and the administrative capital of Kotte. It is considered to be a part of Rajagiriya and is bordered by Nugegoda to the south and Narahenpita to the west. It comprises two wards of the Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte Municipal Council area:
Nawala is currently the ceramic capital of Sri Lanka. During the past couple of years, the number of ceramic stores has increased rapidly and is still counting. However, today Nawala is a cosmopolitan town, encompassing all facilities. Supermarkets, restaurants, banks, fuel stations, book shops, grocery shops, hardware shops (Aroosia Stores) and many retailers of upmarket brands have made Nawala a landmark town.
However, the old village of Nawala, which until the 1920s was mainly uninhabited, was bounded by the Diyawanna Oya to the south and east, the Heen Ela to the west, and Koswatte to the North. Its main feature was the ammunition dump, the bunkers of which are still visible in the Nawala Cemetery. Decades before the modern era, when there was mass migration from villages to suburbs, Nawala was said to house large plant nurseries. Nawala came into prominence after the opening of the economy in 1977 and is today a very popular residential/commercial town in Colombo.
Apart from hundreds of ceramic retail establishments today, Nawala is home to a notable list of restaurants. Steamboat restaurant and chopsticks and crossroads restaurants are prominently located near the junction. From the junction, turn right on the left. Sen-Sal Nawala, yet another popular restaurant cum bakery. Further down towards Nugegoda passing, The Open University of Sri Lanka, (OUSL) on the right is Sovereign German Restaurant popular for German cuisine. Kandawatte Road, located opposite the Wetland park, Nawala houses the famous Thiru Murugan's Food Waves serving vegetarian Indian cuisine.Nawala is next to Rajagiriya.