Pottuvil

The romanized form Pothuwila and also Pothuvila are also common in English-language writings of Sinhalese writers,^[1][2][3] and on many webpages.^[4] Most Sinhala newspaper articles and Facebook pages refer to "Pothuvila", පොතුවිල.^[5][6][7]

This town is mentioned in the Pali Chronicle known as the Cūḷavaṃsa,^{[citation needed]} and the Vanni Raajaavalaiya.^[8] "Bodhivāla" is mentioned in the Cūḷavaṃsa (Chapter lvii, 54) in the context of the Principality of Ruhuna campaigns of Vijayabahu I.^{[citation needed]} Archaeologists like Ellawala Medhananda Thero,^[9] and historians^[10] have discussed the place name while linguists^[11] recognize the change of "b" to "p" and the clear evolution of the modern name "Pothuvila" from Bodhivāla. "Vāla" means "water" (or also periphery) in compound usage^[12]: 610 as in "Aalavaala" (Sanskrit), a basin of water found at the root of a tree. "vāla" is also a type of jasmine, Pavonia odorata grown in temples.^{[citation needed]}

Pottuvil was affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The town's population in 2007 was 33,625.

Pottuvil is a Muslim majority town. Tamils are the second largest group in the town. Other smaller groups are the Sinhalese and Indian Tamils.

Agriculture is generally seen as the basic economic route of the town, as well as animal husbandry, coastal and inland fisheries, tourism, and trade. It is evident that there are plenty of natural resources here. Paddy fields, forests, beaches, mountains and springs are parts of the town's landscape. Paddy is the main crop in the area. Coconut cultivation is carried out on a small scale in the coastal villages of Komari, Manarasena, Victor Garden, Hitayapuram, Urani and Ullai. In addition, chilli is the main vegetable crop.^{[citation needed]}

The city is also known for its beaches and the world-famous Arugam Bay for surfing. The nearby beaches are also known as Ullai Beach.

Pottuvil has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: As)^[13] with warm to hot temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall. The climate is characterized by a distinct wet season from October to February. The wet season features cooler temperatures than the rest of the year.

• Pottuvil massacre
• Muhudu Maha Viharaya