Hikkaduwa: History
In the 19th century, during the British Ceylon period, Hikkaduwa region was "the great resort of picnic parties from Galle" (Galle was the largest city in southern Ceylon). Its economy was based on fishing and coconut cultivation, which was replaced by tourism when its golden sandy beaches were widely discovered.
In the 1960s, many hippies came to live in Hikkaduwa, which was nicknamed Hippiduwa.
The largest rail disaster in history has been caused in Hikkaduwa by the 2004 tsunami. A wall of water slammed an eight-carriage train in Peraliya in Hikkaduwa.