Ratnapura
Ratnapura (, ; , ) ("City of Gems" in Sinhala and Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is located on the Kalu Ganga (Black River) in south-central Sri Lanka, some southeast of the country's capital, Colombo. Ratnapura is also spelled as Rathnapura.
Weather now
cached 22h ago29°overcast clouds
78% 3.2 m/s OpenWeatherMap
7-day forecast
via Open-Meteo
Place details
- Locality
- Ratnapura
- Region
- Sabaragamuwa Province
- Country
- Sri Lanka
- Population
- 0
via · GeoNames
Article
20 sectionsContents
- Politics
- Health
- Economy
- Gem trade
- Agriculture
- Transport
- Climate
- Floods
- Paleontology
- Balahapuva and Dakaragoda
- Minor sites
- Places of worship
- Sri Pada (Adam's Peak)
- Religion
- Education
- Attractions
- Waterfalls
- Gem mines
- References
- External links
Ratnapura (, ; , ) ("City of Gems" in Sinhala and Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is located on the Kalu Ganga (Black River) in south-central Sri Lanka, some southeast of the country's capital, Colombo. Ratnapura is also spelled as Rathnapura.
The name 'Ratnapura' is a Sanskrit word meaning "city of gems", from the Sanskrit words pura (town) and ratna (gemstone). Over 2000 years ago, the Buddhist teachings in Sanskrit and Pali influenced the local language. While candy produced from the jaggery palm is traditionally known in this region as ratnapura, it is more likely that the candy was named for the locale rather than vice versa.