Solo Explorer: Rathnapura, Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

Rathnapura

Rathnapura, Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

Ratnapura in Sinhalese : රත්නපුර (Rathnapura), came to be known as the "City of Gems". It's one of the major cities in Sri Lanka: The capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province & The Rathnapura District. The Rathnapura is the Center of Sri Lankan gem trade. It is situated 130M (426 Ft) above the sea level and 101 Km (63) southeast of the Colombo city center. One of the Sri Lankan major rivers of the Kalu Ganga (Black River) also flows which passes through Rathnapura Town.

The name 'Ratnapura' is a Sinhalese word meaning "City of Gems", The name comes with the combination of the Sinhala words Pura (town) and Ratna (gemstone).

It is the center of a long-established industry of precious Gem mining comprising Sapphire, rubies and other gems too. Apart from gem mining, the city is known for the production of rice & fruits. Large plantation of tea & rubber surrounds the city. Tea grown in this region is mentioned as Low-country tea.

Brief Information About the Historical And Beautiful Place in Rathnapura:

Ø The Pothgul Ancient Buddhist Temple - This Temple is located 7 km (4.3Mi) away from the Rathnapura city. The Rathnapura Pothgul Rajamaha Viharaya is a cave temple that was built on top of a hill. Far often it is believed that it was built by King Walagamba (89-77 BC) in the 1st century. The reclining Buddha statue across the image house is carved out of the natural rock. At the end of the compound is the Bo tree including a well known is a natural well known as ‘Daru Pokuna’ (Child Pond). There is a belief that the water of the pond has medicinal properties. The ceiling of the cave is covered with beautiful frescoes. It is said that after Thripitakaya was documented in Pali at Matale Alu Viharaya during the time of King Walagamba more copies were sent to this temple for distribution thus later it got divulged as Pothgul (library) Viharaya.

Ø The Delgamuwa Ancient Buddhist Temple - This Temple is situated around 10.6 Km (6.6Mi) away from the Rathnapura town. This is the sacred place where the Lord Buddha's tooth relic was hidden to protect everyone from the Portuguese under a huge stone grinding stone. The written history of Delgamuwa Vihara goes back to the period of Sitawaka Kingdom & the Earliest name was Saparagamu Viharaya. With the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505 and the death of the King Bhuwanakabhany VII of Kotte Kingdom, a political turmoil was caused in the country. This was intensified with the embracement of Catholicism by succeeding King Don Juan Dharmapala. This incident then led the Diyawadana Nilame Hiripitiye Divana Rala, The custodian of the tooth relic, to move the relic from the Kotte Kingdom to King Mayadunne of Sitawaka for safekeeping in 1549. With the guidance of King Mayadunne, the tooth relic was brought to the Delgamuwa Vihara for further safekeeping and then it was kept it in a Kurahan (Eleusine Coracana) grinding stone at the Vihara premises.

Ø The Batatotalena (Batadombalena) Cave - The Batabombalena is a cave system in Sudagala which is 14 Km (8.7 Mi) away from the Rathnapura town. The Batadombalena Cave is an archaeological site situated in Rathnapura District. This archaeological site contains evidence of habitation from 8,000 years BCE which then began the home of the “Balangoda Man”.

The cave measures approximately 15 m (49 ft) high, 18 m (59 ft) wide and 25 m (82 ft) in length, summoing up the internal cave area to 6,800 m3 (240,000 cubic ft). To access the cave, the cave involves a 400 m (1,300 ft) hike from Sudagala and an additional 50 m (160 ft) climbs to reach the cave entrance. Surprisingly, 30 m (98 ft) from the cave is another partially submerged cave that is accessible after a 20 m (66 ft) swim.

Ø Sri Sumana Saman Devalaya - Maha Saman Devalaya or the Great Saman Temple (also termed as Sumana Saman Devalaya) is a shrine dedicated to deity Saman, situated at Rathnapura, Sri Lanka who is known to be the presiding deity of the Sri Padaya Mountain, called Samanthakuta that means: The mountain of Saman. Here it is believed to have the left foot impression of Lord Buddha which he kept in his visit to Sri Lanka.

Ø The Rathnapura National Museum - The Beautiful building known as "Ehelepola Walawwa" located at Rathnapura - Colombo main road. This chateau was opened for the public as a museum on 13th May 1988. The museum includes exhibitions on prehistoric archaeological inventions, natural heritage, geological, anthropological, zoological, artifacts, and models relating to the Sabaragamuwa province. The weaponry on display includes Sinhala swords of the late medieval Era, consisting a sword alleged to be belonged to Ehelepola and a collection of old guns including a Vickers machine gun used during the First World War. The cooking utensils of the region include a tripod pan with three molds for preparing rice cakes known as 'Kiri Roti'. The traditional Kandyan jewellry includes necklaces, bangles, anklets, and earrings. The grounds of the museum contain a palaeobiodiversity park with life-sized animal sculptures of species that were believed to exist in the region.

Climate:

The Ratnapura features a tropical rainforest climate. The city is located in the southwestern part of Sri Lanka and the western part of the Sri Lankan Hill Country. That area is located in the Sri Lankan wet-zone. The town receives rainfall mainly from southwestern monsoons from May to September and having possibilities to hit the rain each month of the year. The average annual rainfall of the Rathnapura is around 5,000 mm. The average temperature varies from 24° C (75.2° F) to 35 °C (95° F).

How To Reach Rathnapura:

The Rathnapura is located 101 Km (63Mi) southeast of Colombo city.

By Train

Unfortunately, there is no train service available since 1973. But if you still wish to travel to Rathnapura by train, then you need to catch a train from the Kelani Valley train line to reach Awissawella. From Awissawella you have to find a bus or hire a vehicle to reach Rathnapura.

By Road

From Colombo you can find few options to reach Rathnapura, the most famous road is the Colombo-Batticaloa road (high-level Road) (A04 road). This road takes approximately 3 hrs to reach Rathnapura.

The Second best option is to use Colombo - Batticaloa road (High-level Road) (A04 Road) till Homagama highway, then you can take Matara entrance and exit at Gelanigama Exit. After then turn right and take Panadura - Rathnapura Road (A08 Road) to reach Rathnapura.

(NOTE: This road is narrow and it has so many bends on this road).

This road approximately takes 2 hrs and 45min to reach Rathnapura.

Things To Do In Rathnapura:

The Rathnapura National Museum - If you are a keen lover of seeing old stuffs with other unique things, then this is one of the best places to see the prehistoric archaeological inventions, natural heritage, geological, anthropological, zoological, artifacts and models relating to the Sabaragamuwa province, Sri Lanka.

Bath In Bopath Falls - This waterfall is situated 12.6 Km (7.8Mi) away from the Rathnapura town. The height of this waterfall is approximately 30 m and It's a very famous tourist destination on the island. Also, many people come here to enjoy their free time and take a bath. But be careful with the water at this place and make sure the place is safe for you to take a bath.

Worship at Sumana Saman Devalaya - Sumana Saman Devalaya is a shrine dedicated to deity Saman, situated at Rathnapura, Sri Lanka known to be the presiding deity of the Sri Padaya Mountain. This is one of the sacred places to worship at Rathnapura city premises.

Hike Of The Batatotalena (Batadombalena) Cave And See The Prehistorical Site - It is more strenuous than the 30-minute climb to the Batatotalena cave temple and it is necessary to trek a 1.6km (1mi) through the rainforest. At the end, you can also see various skeletal remains, ancient paintings along with the breathtaking view of nature.

Worship at Delgamuwa Ancient Buddhist Temple - This is a sacred place and historic Buddhist temple nearby the Rathnapura. Generally, Buddhist temples are calm places, this temple is also a good place to do your Buddhist practice and relax your mind.

Places to Visit In Rathnapura:

· Batadombalena Cave

· Beruwatta Waterfalls

· Bopath Waterfalls

· Dehena Waterfalls

· Delgamuwa Ancient Buddhist Temple

· Dumpus Waterfalls

· Katugas Waterfalls

· Kirindi Waterfalls

· Madanagiri Waterfalls (Mohini Waterfalls)

· Manam Waterfalls

· Mapalana Waterfalls

· Marakkala Waterfalls (Kaluwala Waterfalls)

· Minee Waterfalls

· Miniran Waterfalls

· Pothgul Ancient Buddhist Temple

· Rathnapura National Museum

· Sri Sumana Saman Devalaya

· St. Luke's Church

· St. Peter & Paul's Cathedral

· Thepulangoda Waterfalls

Batadombalena Cave

Batadombalena Cave

Batadombalena Cave

Batadombalena Cave

Batadombalena Cave

Batadombalena Cave

Batadombalena Cave

Batadombalena Cave

Batadombalena Cave

Batadombalena Cave

Beruwatta Waterfalls

Beruwatta Waterfalls

Beruwatta Waterfalls

Bopath Waterfalls

Bopath Waterfalls

Bopath Waterfalls

Bopath Waterfalls

Dehena Waterfalls

Dehena Waterfalls

Dehena Waterfalls

Dehena Waterfalls

Delgamuwa Ancient Buddhist Temple

Delgamuwa Ancient Buddhist Temple

Delgamuwa Ancient Buddhist Temple

Delgamuwa Ancient Buddhist Temple

Delgamuwa Ancient Buddhist Temple

Delgamuwa Ancient Buddhist Temple

Dumpus Waterfalls

Dumpus Waterfalls

Katugas Waterfalls

Katugas Waterfalls

Katugas Waterfalls

Kirindi Waterfalls

Kirindi Waterfalls

Kirindi Waterfalls

Kirindi Waterfalls

Manam Waterfalls

Manam Waterfalls

Manam Waterfalls

Manam Waterfalls

Manam Waterfalls

Mapalana Waterfalls

Mapalana Waterfalls

Mapalana Waterfalls

Mapalana Waterfalls

Marakkala Waterfalls

Minee Waterfalls

Minee Waterfalls