Welioya

The Welioya Brigade Headquarters is located near the ruins of the historic stone bridge over the Pandaradhana Oya in the Panchayats which flows into the Kokilai Lagoon, which is called Ma Oya at the exit of the Padaviya Lake. Access to Welioya is through this headquarters. For that you have to come from Anuradhapura and pass Medawachchiya Kebithigollewa Padaviya and Parakannaramapura.

Receiving the Name

Padaviya Wewa has been constructed by crossing Ma Oya or Mora Oya. The overflow of Padaviya tank is carried to Kokilai lagoon through the lower part of Ma Oya. Welioya, Ma Oya and Manal Aru are very fertile lands that are fed by two river valleys. Manal Aru or Manalaru joins the sea from the Nayaru Lagoon. Hence the river Manalaru is also known as Nayaru. Based on this river, this area has been named as Welioya. Manal in Tamil means 'sand'. Aru means 'you'. Hence Manalaru (Manal + Arue) means Welioya in Sinhala.

Introduction

To the north of Sri Lanka, the Divisional Secretariat has assigned Divisional Secretariat Divisions to the Anuradhapura District which consists of 09 divisions of Gannarama Officers which have been started by adding parts of the above mentioned districts except Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Thandarikunamalai and Anuradhapura Districts. Closest to sea level, this area is a fertile land of historical archeological remains and red soil, rich in mountains, streams and forests.

Coming To The Present

Looking at recent history, the last few years of the 1950s and the early years of the 1960s can be traced back to the beginning of the Welioya movement. However, it was not until 1984 that the people of the Padavi movement came to the fore as Welioya. The process of transforming the Welioya movement, which started informally, into a formal colonial movement can be analyzed in two significant cases.