ratnapura

Ratnapura district is situated in Sabaragamuwa province in Sri Lanka. Balangoda, Embilipitiya, Ratnapura, Eheliyagoda, Kuruwita, Kalawana, Panamure,Pelmadulla are some cities and among them Ratnapura is the capital. Ratnapura is known as ‘City of Gems’. It is engaged in gem trading.Hence, Gem mines include the villages surrounding the towns of Kuruvita, Opanayake, Rakwana, Kahawatte and Eheliyagoda, all in this district. Sapphires and rubies are taken special place in traditional gem trading. Also the sapphires obtained from the Sri Lankan gem mines, comes in many different hues from cornflower blue to purple, green, orange and yellow etc. Throughout history, Sri Lanka has been known as a land of gems. Therefore, since ancient time all over the world people called sri lanka to ‘Rathnadeepa’ instead of calling Ceylon. Further, international market has proper value to Ceylon gems. Not only gems, paddy, rubber and tea plantations are other major industries in Ratnapura. The Ratnapura lies on 28m above sea level and the rainfall  is significant.

The average annual temperature in Ratnapura is 27.1 °C | 80.9 °F. The rainfall here is around 3679 mm | 144.8 inch per year. By the way, January is the coldest month of the year and April is the hottest month. The most visited waterfalls at Ratnapura are Bopath Ella Falls in the village of Kuruvita and Katugas Ella Falls in the village of Mahawelawatta and also the Kirindi Ella Falls. Ratnapura is also one of the starting point for the route up Adam’s Peak. Buddhists call the mountain Sri Pada (the sacred footprint), or Samanalakande (Butterfly Mountain) and believe the Lord Buddha has visited the mountain and set his sacred footprint.Sinharaja rainforest which is a great part of eco-tourism is a hotspot of biodiversity. This forest has an amazing variety of flora and fauna. Most of scienticts as well as nature lovers love to explore this natural wonder to quench their thirst of exploratory. Udawalawa national park is an another major destination among all locals and foreign travellers. Here, Udawalawe national park safari provides a great experience for who are interested in seeing large number of flora and fauna.Furthermore, Kithulgala in Ratnapura is perfect for those who enjoy adventure sports. Inasmuch, many people are coming to Kithulgala to water rafting.