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Colombo City Council History
Surrounded by blue waters of the Indian
ocean, roadways lead by greenary, and warm hospitality of
the natives, Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka, formaly
known as Ceylon.It is the financial and commercial capital
of Sri Lanka.
In an article of the Royal Asiatic Society, Ceylon branch,Julius
de Lanerolle points out that,"Kolamba" (Anglicised
"Colombo") is a Sinhalese word; meaning port,
ferry, harbour or haven.
Colombo was ruled by the
Portuguese, Dutch and British.When the Portuguese arrived
in 1505, Colombo was spread round the bay, which was not
more than three fathoms in depth where it was deepest. Portuguese
were compelled to reinforce the garrison to resist attacks
by Mayadunne and Vidiya Bandara,then native rulers of the
Ceylon.
The Portuguese occupation of Colombo ended with the siege
of 1656 when the Dutch captured the city.
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The
Dutch occupied Colombo and other parts of the coastal Ceylon
from 1656 to 1796, a period of 140 years. The British captured
Colombo in 1796 but it was not until 1815 that it became
the capital city of the whole island.
The administration of the city was in charge of a Collector
and John Macdowell of the Madras Service was the first to
hold office. After 1833 the Government Agent of the Western
Province administered the city until the Municipal Council
was established in January 1866.
The Legislative Council of Ceylon, by a Bill constituted
the Colombo Municipal Council in 1865 and Council met for
the first time on the 16th January 1866. The establishment
of the Colombo Municipal Council was perhaps the first substantial
step taken by the rulers to give the Ceylonese as a whole
the feeling that Colombo was their city and capital.
At the time of the establishment of the Municipal Council,
the population was in the region of 80,000.
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