Udappu

Udappu
City
The main deity at the Draupadi Amman Temple, Udappu
Coordinates: 7°45′0″N 79°48′0″E / 7.75000°N 79.80000°E / 7.75000; 79.80000Coordinates: 7°45′0″N 79°48′0″E / 7.75000°N 79.80000°E / 7.75000; 79.80000
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	North Western Province
Time zone	Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30)

Udappu or Udappuwa (Tamil: உடப்பு) is a traditional Tamil fishing and shrimp farming village. situated 65 miles (105 km) north of Colombo the capital of Sri Lanka in the North Western Province. It is situated few miles north of Chilaw city and Munneswaram temple.

It is a coastal village bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean and on the south by Andimunai sand dunes a noted tourist attraction. It also has the Mundal Lagoon to east of the village.

The estimated population of the village is 15,000 people. The people of the village are Hindu Tamils and are generally considered to be Karaiyar caste. And other castes like Mukkulathor, Ambalavanar and Asary(goldsmith). There are also Parayars, Sakiliyars, Chettis. and practice their unique brand of Hinduism; their culture and lifestyle are notably different from other people engaged in fishing along the coast of Chilaw. Most of their neighboring villages belonging to the kindred Karave caste and are Catholics or Buddhists and identify themselves as Sinhalese.

Due to the continuing effects of the Sri Lankan civil war, there are also a number of Tamil refugees from rest of the country living in the village, specifically from the eastern Trincomalee district. People in the village are adversely affected by the effects of the civil war.