Badulla Badulla is the Capital City of the Uva Province (Sinhalese - Uva Palatha) in Sri Lanka. It is located on the southeast of Kandy, almost encircled by the Badulu Oya River, about 680 metres (2200 ft) above sea level and is surrounded by tea plantations. The town is overshadowed by the Namunukula range of mountains (highest peak 2,016 metres above sea level). It was the base of Sinhalese princes who ruled the area under the king in Kandy before it became part of the British Empire. Later, it became the administrative hub of the British rulers. The city was the end point of upcountry railway line built by the British in order to take plantation products to Colombo.
Badulla is about 230km away from Colombo towards the eastern slopes of central hills of Sri Lanka. There are multiple routes to Badulla from Colombo, Kandy and Galle. From Colombo, one can travel via Ratnapura, Balangoda, Haputale, Bandarawela and HaliEla along A4 and A16 to Badulla which may take about 5-6 hours. From Kandy there are two routes. Either via "Victoria-Randenigala Raja Mawatha" or via Nuwara Eliya (route A5). From Galle, the best route is via Marata, Hambantota, Wellawaya, Ella, Demodara and HaliEla (route A2).All routes are scenic and one can get splendid views of geography changes while travelling. Badulla and surroundings are highly recommended for eco-tourists as Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles mountains are few hours away.
The main heritage sites in and around Badulla are ancient Muthiyangana (Buddhist) temple, Dhowa temple, Bogoda ancient wooden bridge and Buddhist temple. The Muthiyangana temple is located in one end of the Badulla town, Dhova ancient temple is located by Badulla-Bandarawela road whereas Bogoda wooden bridge and temple is close to Hali-ela town.
Ancient Rawana buddhist temple also famous among the tourists who visit Rawana water fall in Ella.
Area -
Total 2,861 km2 (1,104.6 sq mi) -
Land 2,827 km2 (1,091.5 sq mi) -
Water 34 km2 (13.1 sq mi)
Population (2001) -
Total 780,000 -
Density 276/km2 (714.8/sq mi)
Time zone Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30)
Uva Province (Uva Palatha)
Uva Province (Sinhala: Uva Palata) is Sri Lanka's second least populated province, with 1,187,335 people, created in 1896. It consists of two districts: Badulla and Moneragala. The provincial capital is Badulla. Uva is bordered by Eastern, Southern and Central provinces. Its major tourist attractions are Dunhinda falls, Diyaluma Falls, Rawana Falls, the Yala National Park (lying partly in the Southern and Eastern Provinces) and Gal Oya National Park (lying partly in the Eastern Province). The Gal Oya hills and the Central mountains are the main uplands, while the Mahaweli (Sinhalese: great-sandy) and Menik (Sinhalese: gemstone) rivers and the huge Senanayake Samudraya and Maduru Oya Reservoirs are the major waterways.
Uva Province's symbolic mountain is Namunukula which stands tallest among the mountain range surrounding the Badulla town. One can get spectacular views of Welimada basin, Katharagama and Hambantota beach from Namunukula peak on a clear day. The views of sun rise and sun set are magnificent too.
Uva Province's symbolic mountain is Namunukula which stands tallest among the mountain range surrounding the Badulla town. One can get spectacular views of Welimada basin, Katharagama and Hambantota beach from Namunukula peak on a clear day. The views of sun rise and sun set are magnificent too.
Haputale mountain range has its tallest, peak Kirigalpottha. Haputale-Beragala gap gives a splendid view of the Southern and Sabaragamuwa provinces on a clear day.
The provincial history records an 1818 uprising against the British colonial government which had been controlling the formally independent Udarata (Sinhalese: Up-Country), of which Uva was a province. The uprising was led by Keppetipola Disawe - a leader that the Sinhalese celebrate even today - who was sent initially by the British Government to stopthe uprising. The rebels captured Matale and Kandy before Keppetipola fell ill and was captured - and beheaded by the British. His skull was abnormal - as it was wider than usual - and was sent to Britain for testing. It was returned to Sri Lanka after independence, and now rests in the Kandiyan Museum.
Area
Ranked - 4th
Total - 8,488 km²
Percentage - 12.92 %
Population (2001)
Total - 780,000
Density - 276/km2 (714.8/sq mi)
