Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, << sree JY uh wuhr duhn uh PUR uh KOH tay >> (pop. 107,508), also called simply Kotte, is the capital of Sri Lanka. It lies about 7 miles (11 kilometers) southeast of Colombo, the country’s largest city and former capital. Sri Jayewardenepura means city of victory in Sinhala, the language of most Sri Lankans.
Sri Lanka’s Parliament building stands on an island in Kotte’s Lake Diyawanna. Many government ministries and agencies still have their offices in Colombo.
Kotte was founded in the 1300’s. The great kingdom of King Parakramabahu VI, who ruled from 1411 to 1466, was based in Kotte. Sri Lanka’s Parliament moved from Colombo to Kotte in 1982.
