Godavaya

Godavaya or Godawaya is a small fishing hamlet located at the mouth of the Walawe river, between Ambalantota and Hambantota in the Hambantota District in southern Sri Lanka. It received its name, originally Goda Pavata Pattana or Gota Pabbata Pattana (meaning 'small rock harbour') from a huge rock overlooking the Indian Ocean, at the foot of which it is situated. The original harbour town was an entrepot on the Maritime Silk Road from at least the 2nd century CE. It has been the site of extensive excavations by German and Sri Lanka Archaeologists since 1994. Godavaya is also the site if a wildlife sanctuary. The beach is important for nesting leatherback turtles.