Ratnapura

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Coordinates: 6°41′N 80°23′E


Ratnapura (රත්නපුර in Sinhala; இரத்தினபுரி in Tamil) ("City of Gems" in Sinhala & Tamil) is the name of the provincial capital of Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka and the district in which the town is situated. The modern name is derived from the Portuguese name Rapadura for jaggery, the palm candy produced traditionally in this region. Located some 101 km south east of Colombo, it is the centre of a long-established industry of precious stone mining including rubies, sapphires, and other gems, hence its name. Apart from gem mining, the town is known for rice and fruit cultivations. Large plantations of tea and rubber surround the town. Tea grown in this region is called low-country tea. There is a well-established tourism industry in Ratnapura. Sinharaja rain forest, Uda Walawe National Park, Kitulgala, and Sri pada are especially popular among tourists. In 1901, the town of Ratnapura had a population of 4,084, and in 2001, it had increased to 46,309. The population of the Ratnapura district was 1,008,164 in 2001, and this consisted of 86.42% Buddhists and 9.88% Hindus, with the rest of the population being Christians and Muslims.

Contents

[edit] Political

The town is ruled by a municipal council headed by a mayor. The council is elected by popular vote and has 15 seats. There were 29159 registered voters in the 2006 local authorities elections. In addition to the municipal council, the Ratnapura district is divided into the following local authorities:

  • Balangoda Urban Council
  • Embilipitiya Urban Council
  • Ratnapura Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Eheliyagoda Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Pelmadulla Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Kuruwita Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Imbulpe Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Godakawela Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Kahawatta Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Balangoda Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Weligepola Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Nivitigala Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Ayagama Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Kalawana Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Embilipitiya Pradeshiya Sabha
  • Kolonna Pradeshiya Sabha

[edit] Economy

[edit] Gem Trade

The of the town depends on the gem trade. Gem pits are a common site in the surrounding area. Most of the large-scale gem businessmen of Sri Lanka operate from Ratnapura. There are considerable numbers of foreign gem traders in town too. Among the foreign traders, Thai (Thailand) traders are in the majority. Every day, large number of traders from suburbs and other towns gather in the town centre to sell or buy gemstones. Large-scale merchants collect gemstones from locals and sell them in the international market. Some traders go out of the city to buy gems. This includes neighboring towns like Kalawana, Bogawantalawa, and Ela-era. After the discovery of world-class alluvial sapphire deposits in the valley of Ilakaka in Madagascar, many Ratnapura merchants travel out of the country to Madagascar to buy gems.

[edit] Agriculture

The town's agricultural industry is also well developed. Large plantations of tea and rubber surround the town. Although rice fields also used to be a common sight around the town, rice cultivation presently faces an uncertain future in Ratnapura because many farmers are giving up their rice cultivation and switching to gem mining which is a more productive way of earning money. If many farmers give up on agriculture, it would be harder for farmers to harvest enough food for them and to trade in the markets. Many delicious fruits like mango and papaya) and vegetables are grown as market products.

[edit] Weather

Ratnapura is located in the south-western part of Sri Lanka, the so-called wet zone. The town receives rainfall mainly from south-western monsoons from May to September. During the remaining months of the year, there is also considerable precipitaion due to convective rains. The average annual precipitation is about 4,000 to 5,000 mm. The average temperature varies from 24 to 30 °C, and there are high humidity levels.

[edit] Floods

The town of Ratnapura is situated in the flooding plain of the river Kalu. The town experiences regular floods usually in the month of May. There is no large dam across the Kalu, so this leaves the city at the mercy of nature's forces every year. Several proposals have been made to reduce the flood risk in the town, but none has reached the feasibility stage. In May 2003, the town experienced the largest flood since the independence of Sri Lanka from Britain in 1947.

[edit] Places of worship

There are many places of worship in and around the city. Buddhist places of worship are more in number, which is to be expected since Buddhists constitute the great majority in the area. Nevertheless, there are plenty of places of worship in the town related to other religions. The following are some important examples:

  • Maha Saman Devala (Buddhist)
  • St. Peter-Paul (Catholic Church)
  • St. Lucks (Church of England)
  • Siva Temple (Hindu)
  • Jumma Mosque (Islam)
  • Diva Guhava (Buddhist)

[edit] Maha Saman Devala

This is a shrine dedicated to the god Saman. The god Saman is (a Buddhist deity) considered to be the guardian of Ratnapura. When the Portuguese captured Ratnapura, the ancient shrine that stood at this location was destroyed and a Portuguese church was constructed on top of it. When the Kandyan kingdom recaptured Ratnapura, the Portuguese church was destroyed and the shrine was rebuilt. Although there is no direct evidence to support the existence of the old shrine, indirect evidence supports the existence of a shrine that looked like a Hindu temple at the current location before Portuguese times. Currently this shrine is a very important place of worship for Buddhists.

[edit] Peter-Paul Church

The history of Catholics in Ratnapura begins with Portuguese rule in Ratnapura. Very few Catholics lived in the town in the 17th century. Many of them are the descendants of Portuguese and locals that they married. There is evidence to suggest that the Portuguese built a church on top of a destroyed Buddhist / Hindu temple. That Portuguese church was destroyed when the Kandyan kingdom recaptured Ratnapura from the Portuguese. The current church was built in a different location (inside the town). The current Church is said to be inspired by Joseph Vaz the Apostle of Ceylon during the 17th century when he visited Ratnapura as a part of his apostolic mission to Sabaragamuwa.

[edit] Place to visit

[edit] Waterfalls

[edit] Lakes

[edit] Bopath waterfall

Situated at Kuruvita, few miles away from Colombo Ratnapura high level road and very easy access via a vehicles. Both waterfall attract visiters from all over the country to Ratnapura. You are allow to bath in this waterfall, but warning for flash flood may cold appear in mater of minutes. Despite is danger the buty of this place is a gem to ratnapura

[edit] Rajana waterfall

Situated next to Ratnapura Kalawana main road in Marapana village, this beautiful seenary been captured in few famous Sinhala films.

[edit] Local Heroes

[edit] Ehelepola Nilame

In time of Last king of Sri Lanka “Sri Vikrama Rajasinha”, the Ehelepola Nilame sent to Ratnapura for bulilt a water canal to support local rice farms. The works of this heroes’ still visible around Ratnapura area and local people benefiting from his works even today. His house today stituated middle of Ratnapura city and it’s the Local museum building.

[edit] References



Main Cities Of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka National Flag
Colombo | Trincomalee | Jaffna | Kandy | Anuradhapura | Polonnaruwa | Galle | Batticaloa | Sri Jayewardenapura | Kurunegala | Badulla | Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia | Moratuwa


Provincial Capitals Of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka National Flag
Colombo | Kandy | Galle | Jaffna | Trincomalee | Kurunegala | Anuradhapura | Badulla | Ratnapura
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