Travel to the Gem City.

Ratnapura (City of Gem) is a major city in Sri Lanka. it is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa province. some say the modern name is derived from the Protuguese name "rapadra" for :jaggery", the plam candy produced traditionally in this reagion, but the more common explanation in Sri Lanka is that is comes from the Sinhala "ratna" meaning "gems" and "pura" meaning city. Ratnapura located some 101Km south east of capital Colombo. Come to the Ratnapura and get feel about traditional life style and unique nature of the area. and other hand plenty of tourist hot-spots are available to visit around the Ratnapura area.

Gems

Most of the people in Ratnapura have connection with the Gem trade, in its many factors, either mining cutting, Polishing and making jewellery. At the center of this, quite the most beautiful of industries. Hear, you will found stone of excellent quality, Luster and variety, sapphires, rubies, amethysts, topaz, garnets, tourmaline, cat's eyes, star rubies and the mysterious moonstones, to name a few. Craftsmanship of high quality, all cutting and polishing is being done the traditional way by hand. 

Bopath Ella Waterfall.

Bopath Ella Waretfall

Bopath Ella is one of the most picturesque water falls in the country which is 30 meters in height. The waterfall arises from the waters of Kuru Ganga, a tributary of Kalu Ganga. The name ‘Bopath’ is derived from two words Bo (Bot tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment) and Path (leaf). The water fall is divided in to three cascades giving a rounded shape that resembles to the shape of the Bo-tree leaf. There are several pools with cool water between the stream and the water falls that are ideal for refreshing bath. The waterfall can be easily accessed by a vehicle and it is several kilometers before the city on the main road from Colombo.

Maha Saman Devalaya.

Elephant at the Saman Devala

Entrance of the Devala

Maha Saman Devala is by far the most sacred instituting in the city.  The temple is dedicated to God Saman and it is located 2 kilometer from Ratnapura on the Main road of Panadura – Ratnapura. The temple is dating back to 1270 AD and built by king Parakramabahu 2. Historical evidences suggest that its glory was intact throughout the present day since its origin. It was renovated by king Parakramabahu 5^th in 15^th century. The Portuguese plundered the temple in 1618 and built a church at the site. Under the King Rajasinghe 2 the site was rescued by the Sinhalese forces and rebuilt the Saman Devala at the original location.

National Museum

Ehelepola Walawwa

 Ehelepola Walawwa (Ehelepola mansion), which was the mansion of famous Ehelpola, who lived in 19^th century, has been turned to the national museum of Ratnapura. It houses valuable fossils found in the area in the gem pits, among the noteworthy pre-historic fossils are elephant, rhinoceros and hippopotamuses fossils. There are artifacts of local art and culture such as musical instruments, masks, costumes, jewelry, textiles and flags.

Pothgul Viharaya.

Pothgul Viharaya.

Pothgul Vehera is one of the most historical sites in Ratnapura, which dates back to 1^st century BC. The temple was constructed under the patronage of King Walagambahu of Anuradhapura. There are several cave paintings, representing several Buddhist stories and a reclining Buddha statue. One sculpture shows an incident in that took place on one his 550 lives, in which Buddha jumped in to the mouth of a devil. Devotees need to climb a flight of steps with more than 400 steps.

Sinharaja Rain Forest.

Visiting this last remaining primeval rain forest definitely would be one of the most fascinating experiences of the tour to Ratnapura. The forest is a bio-diversity hot spot in the world and houses large number of endemic fauna and flora species. It is one of the 166 global natural UNESCO world heritage sites.

Sri Paada

Ascending the sacred mountain starts in Ratnapura and it is reputed being the best place for view s of the holy mountain.

Udawalawa National Park

Elephants in the Park.

Udawalawa is the ideal location for people who love some adventure on the tour. The Udawalawa national park is inhabited by large number of wild elephants. The drive from Ratnapura to Udawalawa takes around 2 hours. A Part of the Udawalawa national park is consisting of dry zone forest while the other part mainly consists of wet zone forest.

Wawlpane Cave.

wawlepane Cave

Waulapane lime stone cave is a famous site among the adventure holiday makers and being used for caving. The cave is situated 300 meters above the sea level in the Sabaragamuwa province. Cave is the living habitat for thousands of bats and the name ‘Waulapane’ derived from the Sinhalese name for bats ‘Waula’.

Maduwanwela Walawwa.

Maduwanwela Walawwa

Entrance to the Walawwa.

Maduwanwela walauwa (mansion) was inhabited by Maduwanwela clan and it is known as Burutha Maligarwa (‘Castle of satinwood’) as well. It was built by Maduwamwela Maha Mohottala during the Dutch colonial time. It was the living quarters for six generations of the Maduwanwela family.




Visit Ratnapura (Gem City) and add memorable experiences to your life.