| Wellawatta | |
| Native Name: | වැල්ලවත්ත வெள்ளவத்தை |
| Settlement Type: | Suburb |
| Pushpin Map: | Sri Lanka Colombo District#Sri Lanka |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Colombo District |
| Coordinates: | 6.8747°N 79.8605°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Sri Lanka |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Western Province |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Colombo District |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Timezone: | Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone |
| Utc Offset: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal Code |
| Postal Code: | 00600 |
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.[1] 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.
The name Wellawatta means 'Sandy Garden' in Sinhalese and '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.