![Balangoda Nature](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Balangoda_Nature_.jpg)
Balangoda is a large town in
Ratnapura District
Ratnapura ( Sinhala: රත්නපුර දිස්ත්රික්කය, Tamil: இரத்தினபுரம் மாவட்டம்) is a district of Sri Lanka in the Sabaragamuwa Province.
The gem-mining centre of Sri La ...
,
Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka
The Sabaragamuwa Province ( si, සබරගමුව පළාත ''Sabaragamuwa Paḷāta'', ta, சபரகமுவ மாகாணம் ''Sabaragamuwa Mākāṇam'') is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrati ...
, governed by an urban council located away from
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
and from
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 Colombo - Batticaloa Highway(A4). It is one of the largest towns of the
Sabaragamuwa Province
The Sabaragamuwa Province ( si, සබරගමුව පළාත ''Sabaragamuwa Paḷāta'', ta, சபரகமுவ மாகாணம் ''Sabaragamuwa Mākāṇam'') is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrati ...
. According to the 2001
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
, Balangoda has a
population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
of 16,875 and area of .
Balangoda is notable due to the discovery of skeletal
Hominini
The Hominini form a taxonomic tribe of the subfamily Homininae ("hominines"). Hominini includes the extant genera ''Homo'' (humans) and '' Pan'' (chimpanzees and bonobos) and in standard usage excludes the genus ''Gorilla'' (gorillas).
The t ...
remains from the late
Quaternary
The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ...
period (the earliest reliably dated record of anatomically modern humans in
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
).
The town is also the birthplace of
Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero
Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero ( si, අග්ග මහා පණ්ඩිත බලංගොඩ ආනන්ද මෛත්රෙය මහා නා හිමි;23 August 1896 – 18 July 1998; was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk who was on ...
and
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සිරිමා රත්වත්තේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சிறிமா ரத்வத்தே டயஸ் பண்டாரநாயக்கே; 17 April 191 ...
(the world's first female
head of government
The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...
) the
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
The Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head and most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's executive branch behind the president, wh ...
(1960–65, 1970–77 and 1994–2000).
Balangoda is situated in the hilly central region of central Sri Lanka on Sabaragamuwa Mountain Range. The main livelihoods of this region are farming (vegetables, fruits, and spices), rice cultivation for mainly local consumption, tea cultivation for international markets as a commercial crop and gem mining.
Education
Universities
Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka
The Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා සබරගමුව විශ්වවිද්යාලය, ta, சபரகமுவா பல்கலைக்கழகம்) is a public university in Belih ...
Schools
The main schools in the area are:
* Balangoda Ananda Maithreya National School
* Vidyaloka Central College
* R/B/C.C.Tamil Maha Vidyalyam
* Meddakanda Maha Vidyalaya
* Jeilani Central College
* Sri Buddha Jayanthi Central College
*
Sri Shariputhra Maha Vidyalaya
Sri Shariputhra Maha Vidyalaya ( Sinhala: ශාරිපුත්ර මහා විද්යාලය) is a secondary school in Imbulpe, Balangoda, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. It was established in the 19th century. At present, mo ...
(The school is located in Imbulpe Divisional Secretariat which is adjoining to Balangoda Divisional Secretariat.)
* St Agnes Balika Maha Vidyalaya (St. Agnes Convent)
* Udagama Maha Vidyalaya
* Walagamba Maha Vidyalaya-Weligepola
See also
*
Balangoda Man
Balangoda Man refers to hominins from Sri Lanka's late Quaternary period. The term was initially coined to refer to anatomically modern ''Homo sapiens'' from sites near Balangoda that were responsible for the island's Mesolithic 'Balangoda Cultu ...
References
Populated places in Sabaragamuwa Province
{{SabaragamuwaLK-geo-stub