Trincomalee

Trincomalee (; ; ) also known as Gokanna/Gokarna, is a city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee District and a major port city. The city is on the east coast of the island. It overlooks the Trincomalee Harbour. Trincomalee is north-east of Colombo, south-east of Jaffna and miles north of Batticaloa. It has been one of the main centres of Sri Lankan Tamil language speaking culture on the island for over 2000 years. 99,135 people lived there in 2021. The city is built on a peninsula of the same name. This peninsula divides its inner and outer harbours. People from Trincomalee are known as Trincomalians. The local authority is Trincomalee Urban Council. Trincomalee city is home to the famous Koneswaram temple. It is from this temple that it got its historic Tamil name "Thirukonamalai". The town is home to other historical monuments. These include the Bhadrakali Amman Temple, Trincomalee, the Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall and the Trincomalee Hindu College. The college opened in 1897.