Bentota is a historical location that is mentioned in old messenger poems. The region is home to a group of five ancient temples. One of which is the Galapatha Viharaya. The Portuguese constructed a small fort in the 17th century. Which was referred to in Sinhala as Parangi Kotuwa, which translates to “the fort of the Portuguese.” The river marked the southernmost point of Portuguese-controlled Sri Lankan territory. After that, the Dutch allowed the fort to deteriorate and turned one of the fort’s large buildings into a colonial rest house for Dutch officers traveling between Galle and Colombo.
The rest house was then turned into a coastal sanatorium by the British. According to Sir James Emerson Tennent (1804-1869), the colonial secretary of Ceylon from 1845 to 1850, in his book Ceylon, An Account of the Island (1859), the rest house at Bentota is one of the coolest and most agreeable in Ceylon. It is located on the point of the beach where the river meets the sea and is deep and shady by tall Tamarind trees. The British built a permanent bridge (Bentota Palama) to cross the river at the beginning of the 19th century to transport coconut products from the deep south to the capital.

Bentota is situated on the Seaside or Southern Rail Line. However, Bentota End is just a little rail line station with most trains halting at Aluthgama. It is 2.5 kilometers north of Bentota. It is situated on the A2 interstate, interfacing Colombo to Wellawaya, around 8 kilometers south of Beruwala. Access is conceivable from the Southern expresway Welipenna exit and just 10 km from the exit.

Galapatha Raja Maha Vihara Buddhist sanctuary is situated in Bentota. That contains stone engravings, stone carvings, support points, lakes, and boxes from the archaic period.
Richy Skylark Helipad is a helipad that works helicopter drives around Bentota close to the estuary worked by Skylark Flight Helicopters.

Attractions in Bentota