Seenigama is a small village, part of the the Totagamuwa complex. The main road junction on the Galle Road is located near the 96th kilometre-post. Seenigama has a railway station, which is used as a stop by slow trains only.
Seenigama Temple Road (Vinod Moonesinghe)
Seenigama Railway Station (Vinod Moonesinghe)
The main cult centre of the God-Demon Devol, the Seenigama Devol Devale, is located here. There is also a monastery about one km inland.
Before the Boxing Day Tsunami, the hamlet had 324 houses and a population of 1,467. Most of the houses were destroyed by the Tsunami and 142 were killed or went missing. Many residents were saved when they took refuge in the Seenigama monastery, which is built on a low hill.
Entrance to the Seenigama Monastery (Vinod Moonesinghe)
Before the Tsunami, the main industry was lime making, which involved mining coral from the offshore reef and burning it. This led to the destruction of the reef, making the progress of the tsunami far easier.Reference Since then, the number of lime kilns has been reduced considerably, the ones remaining burning coral mined from the nearby inland wetland.
The other major industry was rope-making using coconut fibre (coir), mainly done by women. This continues, but more and more people are seeking employment elsewhere, particularly abroad.
There is a large community centre, run by the Foundation of Goodness, a charity which has helped rebuild much of Seenigama.
- Vinod Moonesinghe