Chilaw

Chilaw (හලාවත/Halāvata in Sinhala and சிலாபம் /Cilāpam in Tamil) is a large town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It's governed by an urban council.

The visit of Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi, the 'Father of India,' visited Chilaw in November 1927 on his first and only journey to Sri Lanka when it was called Ceylon. This was a historic visit - Gandhi was invited to Chilaw by the freedom fighters Charles Edgar Corea and his brother Victor Corea who lived in the town. The brothers founded the Chilaw Association and the Ceylon National Congress and campaigned hard for the independence of Ceylon. The Corea family have had a strong link with Chilaw. There is a saying in Sri Lanka that Chilaw is well known for the three 'C's' - Crabs, Coconuts and Coreas.

Chilaw Cathedral Our Lady of Mount Carmel

This is the cathedral of Chilaw Diocese. This cathedral has a history of more than two centuries. There is a legend about the cathedral's statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. This incident happened more than 200 years ago. At that period most of the area of Chilaw Town was covered by the forest. A woman went in search of firewood and she heard a sound of a lady speaking, "Please take me". She stopped her work and went in search of the amazing sound. A statue of Mother Mary was on a tree. She took the statue and handed over it to the parish priest. He recognized the statue and it was a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a miraculous statue. It is believed that it is the same statue which is now in the cathedral. The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated in July annually. During feast season of Our Lady Of Mount Carmel the town is fully decorated as a homage given to Mother Mary. Everyone in the town gets together to celebrate the feast in harmony.