Pettah
Colombo's market district, Sri Lanka


   


Your base for exploring this tourist attraction is the ancient city of Colombo, Sri Lanka. For tourist information about Colombo, go to Colombo Travel Guide. To prepare for a trip to Sri Lanka, read also the Sri Lanka Travel Guide. Looking for budget accommodation there? Use AsiaExplorers Budget Accommodation Guide, the no-frills website to cover your budget accommodation needs.


Pettah is the district in downtown Colombo located immediately east of Fort. Unlike Fort, which has grand colonial buildings as well as gleaming skyscrapers, Pettah is a totally different kettle of fish. This is the market and bazaar district. It is wonderfully colourful, loud and crowded. Pedestrians jostle their way down the narrow shopping streets, hurrying past coolies and wooden carts.



Busy street at Pettah


The name Pettah comes from the Sinhalese words, pita kotuwa, meaning outside the fort. This area is located outside the since demolished fort, and it grew into a bustling district.

I have the opportunity to explore Pettah on foot. I was on the last day of our tour of Sri Lanka, and we had a leisure half day off to explore the city on our own. Pettah on foot provided me the opportunity to be part of the atmosphere that is part of Colombo, and I hope members of AsiaExplorers who has no opportunity to join us will be able to enjoy it through the description on this page.

Pettah Photo Gallery


The colourful stuff on sale here is actually soap powder!



Coolies cooling off on a sidewalk at Pettah.


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How much have you explored Sri Lanka? Through AsiaExplorers, you can now explore these places in Sri Lanka from the comfort of your desk: Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura (Abhayagiri Giant Pond, Abhayagiri Monastery, Dakkhina Stupa, Jetavana Dagoba, Kuttam Pokuna Twin Ponds, Lankarama Dagoba, Ruwanweliseya Dagoba, Sri Maha Bodhi Tree, Thuparama Dagoba, Aukana Buddha), Colombo, (Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple, Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Dutch Period Museum, Fort District, Fort Railway Station, Galle Face Hotel, Independence Memorial Hall, Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque, National Museum, Old Town Hall, Pettah District, Seema Malakaya Meditation Centre, Sri Kailawasanathar Swami Devasthanam Temple, Town Hall, Viharamahadevi Park), Dambulla Cave Temple, Galle Fort, Kandy (Sri Dalada Maligawa, Temple of the Tooth Relic, Kandy Lake, Kohomba Kankariya Folk Dance, Queens Hotel), Mihintale, Negombo, Nuwara Eliya (Tea Factory Hotel, Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, Polonnaruwa (Atadage, Gal Pota, Gal Vihara, Hatadage, Lata Mandapa, Parakrama Samudra, Parakramabahu's Council Chamber, Rankot Vihara, Satmahal Prasada, Shiva Devale, Thuparama Image House, Vatadage, Vijayanta Pasada), Ramboda Falls, Sigiriya, Sri Lanka Durians

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