Puttalam Lagoon
Puttalm lagoon extends to the north over 30 km at a stretch separated from the Indian ocean by a peninsular land mass of low dunes. The lagoon is continuous with the Portugal bay and the Dutch bay via which it opens to the Indian Ocean. Puttalam lagoon was identified, as a wetland    Read more...

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in the Directory of Asian wetlands (1989) thus, attaining the unofficial status of a wetland of international importance. Puttalam lagoon, Dutch bay & Portugal bay form the largest inland brackish to saline water body in Sri Lanka.

Kalpitiya - Karaitivu
Kalpitiya–Karaitivu area is a coastal wetland complex lying in the North Western outskirts of the island. It forms a part of the Puttalam lagoon, which was identified, as a wetland in the Directory of Asian wetlands (1989) thus, attaining the unofficial status of a wetland of international importance.

Kalpitiya and Karaitivu lagoons branch off respectively to the east and west from the main Puttalam lagoon near its mouth at the Dutch bay.

Kalpitiya – Karaitivu area was the setting for many legends. First records of Kalpitiya referred to as “Arasadi” come from the “Mahabharatha” an epic written in India between 3000-1500 B.C., and subsequently in “Ramayanaya” a mastery literary work by Valmiki. It is said in the epics that the Puttalm lagoon referred to as the “Puttalam Lake” and its associated islands were remnants of a mighty flood dated around 2400 B.C. The floods have submerged an extensive strip of the North Western coast of the country leaving “Arasadi” a huge Ficus tree standing on a narrow spit of land.

Kudremalai Point
Most intriguing of all is the legend of the origin of “Sinhalese Civilisation”, Kalpitiya being the stage for the opening act. According to the ”Mahawamsa” the historical chronicle of Sri Lanka Prince Vijaya the founder of the Sinhalese dynasty and his associates from India landed at Kudremalai Point. They called the island “Thambapanni” the island of copper coloured soil. Providing living proof copper coloured sand cliffs still stand tall at Karaitivu.

During the times of foreign invasions and after, the area has functioned as a main trading centre, where names of the wetland complex still stand as evidence. E.g.Dutch bay, Portugal bay (CEA 1994 as in Brohier 1973).

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