Ratnapura
Sign in to saveRatnapura (, ; , ) ("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.
OverviewAI-generated
Ratnapura is a human settlement located in the Ratnapura district of Sri Lanka. It serves as the capital of both the Ratnapura district and the Sabaragamuwa Province. The area covers 20 square units and is situated at an elevation of 130 meters above sea level. The settlement operates within the UTC+05:30 time zone.
The location is described in the Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition. A residential area named Mudduwa Road is situated within Ratnapura, specifically in the Sabaragamuwa Province. The settlement is referenced by 301 other encyclopedia articles.
Synthesized by Vinony from 37 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, Open Meteo, Openweathermap, OpenStreetMap, GeoNames, Vinony graph, Geo. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
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Place details
- Locality
- Ratnapura
- Region
- Sabaragamuwa Province
- Country
- Sri Lanka
- Population
- 47,832
- Timezone
- Asia/Colombo
via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames
Key facts
- Settlement.name
- Ratnapura
- Settlement.official_name
- Ratnapura
- Settlement.other_name
- Mini Pura, Ruwan Pura, Manikya Pura, city of Gems
- Settlement.settlement_type
- City
- Settlement.image_skyline
- Ratnapura Clock Tower.jpg
- Settlement.image_caption
- Ratnapura Clock tower
- Settlement.pushpin_map
- Sri Lanka
- Settlement.pushpin_label_position
- Location of Ratnapura within Sri Lanka
- Settlement.subdivision_type
- Country
- Settlement.subdivision_name
- Sri Lanka
- Settlement.subdivision_type1
- Province
- Settlement.subdivision_type2
- District
- Settlement.subdivision_name1
- Sabaragamuwa
- Settlement.subdivision_name2
- Ratnapura
- Settlement.government_type
- Municipal Council
- Settlement.leader_title
- Mayor
- Settlement.leader_name
- K.A.D.R.I. Katugampala (NPP)
- Settlement.postal_code_type
- postal code
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human settlement
- Country
- Sri Lanka
- Located in
- Ratnapura district
- Area
- 20
- Elevation
- 130
- Time zone
- UTC+05:30
- Capital of
- Ratnapura district
- Official website
- jaffna.mc.gov.lk/en/other_mc.php
- Image
- Ss Peter Paul Catholic Cathedral.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- Commons category
- Ratnapura
- topic's main category
- Category:Ratnapura
- described by source
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
via Wikidata · CC0
Travel guide
Get in
Public (SLTB) buses leave from Colombo regularly, taking around 4 hours. Bus routes 67 & 98 leave from Colombo Fort and routes 99 & 122 leave from Pettah. Bus route 122 for example departs 3-4 times per hour between 04:00 and 19:00 daily. However these are basic public buses. Travellers wanting a bit of comfort can take a private bus. Superline runs luxury buses each night at 22:00 and 23:00 from Pettah to Ratnapura for Rs 2260, but the arrival time is around 02:00.
See
thumb|300px|Road through Udawalawe National Park, near Ratnapura
Do
Visit some of the showrooms where you can purchase local gems Arrange a visit to some gem mines through some of the local guesthouses Visit local gem market most mornings except "poya" days in Newitigala (40 minutes drive away) up to 15:00.
Eat
Local specialties include a type of palm candy.
Go next
Newitigala, 40 minute drive away
Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)
~14 min read
Encyclopedic overview
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.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ratnapura” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
On the map
2 mapped locations