Sammanthurai is an important and historical place of Sri Lanka. It was the first place where Dutch people arrived in Sri Lanka. Sammanthurai derives its name from ‘Sampan,’ the vessel, Thurai, the Harbor or port and the sailor of Sampan called as 'Hambankaraya' or ‘Sammankaran’ who were Muslims from India who came for the trade.
Demographics
Sammanthurai has a population of 70,601, Islam is the dominant religion in the town. There is a small Hindu minority, particularly in the Veeramunai area, Small number of Christian and Buddhist are also there. The majority are Tamil speaking Muslims and a few speak Sinhala and English. Sammanthurai is home to many victims of the Tsunami of 2004. Source:
Climate
Being close to the equator, Sammanthurai enjoys a tropical wet and dry climate. Summer prevails in the months of May, June, July, and August. Days in June are the hottest period, with temperatures regularly reaching 30 °C. Monsoons occur in November, December and January. Sammanthurai receives most of its rainfall from the Northeast Monsoon.
Education
Sammanthurai has a number of post-secondary institutions. In addition to the Faculty of Applied Science campus of the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka, there are two colleges granting diplomas and certificates in Sammanthurai: Technical College and Vocational Training Center. The town is also home to two Arabic colleges: Sammanthurai Thableekul Islam and Markaz Darul Iman. The Sammanthurai Zonal Education Office operates 70 public schools in an area of 257 km2 and there are 26039 students attending school the Sammanthurai sub zone have 36 Schools and there are two 1 AB Schools in Sammanthurai. Str/ Sammanthurai Muslim Madya Maha Vidyalaya, STR/Al -Marjan Muslim Ladies College, STR/ Dharussalam Maha Vidyalaya and STR/Al-Arsath Maha Vidyalaya are the four major School where the students populations is over 1000. There are four public libraries are running under the local government. Main Amir Ali Public Library has more than 10,000 books and journals.
Economy
Traditionally Sammanthuraiyans rely on farming. Agriculture is the most important source of income and paddy is the major crop cultivated in 55,000 acres. Other sources of revenue include the service sector and small businesses.
Culture
Sammanthurai culture is strongly influenced by Islamic thoughts. Life in Sammanthurai revolves around the prayer calls. The people, particularly women, heavily depend on Adhan to keep their regular activities on track. The Adhan for early morning prayer well before sunrise acts as a wake-up alarm. It is followed by four prayer calls throughout the day. Friday is observed as spiritual day and the month of Ramadan is observed as a spiritual month in Sammanthurai like in any Muslim country. Eid Al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are the two festivals celebrated here.
As many as 45 Masjids and 6 Shrines are in Sammanthurai. Sammanthurai houses two religious institutions: the Thablighul Islam Arabic College, HifzMadrasa and a Markaz Darul Iman
Transport and communication
This town is well connected via road with major towns and cities in Sri Lanka. A31 road runs through Sammanthurai. Bus service is available to the nearby cities of Kalmunai, Ampara and Batticaloa. The state-owned Sri Lanka Transport Board provides regular passenger services.
The post-tsunami and post-war development activities and subsequent resettlement programs have contributed to air pollution in this area. In addition, solid waste generation, contaminated water and mosquito breeding, have caused much damage to peoples’ health. The dusty air with bad odour has become a major threat to the daily lives of inhabitants of Sammanthurai.
