Sri Jayewardenepura, also known as Kotte, is the legislative capital of Sri Lanka. It is located at 6° 54' north, 79° 54' east, in the southern suburbs of the business capital Colombo. The Parliament of Sri Lanka has been based here since the formal inauguration of its new building on 29 April 1982.
Kotte has been the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kotte from 13th to 16th centuries. Situated in a marshland, it was founded on the banks of the Diyawanna Oya river as a fortress against South Indian invaders in the 13th century by a provincial ruler named Alagakkonara. Later the city became the capital of the island, and was renamed Sri Jayewardenepura, meaning "the great city of victory." The Portuguese arrived on the island in 1505 and had control of the city by 1565. Failing to withstand repeated assaults by the forces of the neighbouring kingdom of Sitawaka (Avissawella), the city was abandoned by the Portuguese, who made Colombo their new capital.
The urbanization of Kotte restarted in the 20th century. After being chosen as the new capital by the new government of 1977, a massive lake was formed by dredging the marshlands around the city. The new parliamentary buildings were built on an island created in the center of the lake. The process of relocating the government institutions from the former capital of Colombo is still in progress. The population of the city now stands at about 110,000 (2001 census).