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Badulla ( si, බදුල්ල, ta, பதுளை) is the capital and the largest city of Uva Province situated in the lower central hills of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of
Uva Province Uva Province ( si, ඌව පළාත, Uva Paḷāta, ta, ஊவா மாகாணம், Uvā Mākāṇam) is Sri Lanka's second least populated province, with 1,259,880 people, created in 1896. It consists of two districts: Badulla and M ...
and the
Badulla District Badulla District ( si, බදුල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික්කය ''badūlla distrikkaya''; ta, பதுளை மாவட்டம் ''Patuḷai māvaṭṭam'') is a district in Uva Province, Sri Lanka. The entire land area ...
.


Geography

Badulla is located in the southeast of Kandy, almost encircled by the Badulu Oya River, about above sea level and is surrounded by tea plantations. The city is overshadowed by the Namunukula range of mountains (highest peak above sea level). It was a base of a pre-colonial Sinhalese local prince (regional king) who ruled the area under the main King in Kandy before it became part of the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
. Later, it became one of the provincial administrative hubs of the British rulers. The city was the terminus of upcountry railway line built by the British in order to take mainly tea plantation products to Colombo.


History and present day

Badulla was an isolated village until the British built roads from Kandy and Nuwara Eliya in the mid 19th century, as part of the growing plantation economy. By the 20th century Badulla had become a regional hub, with the British establishing it as the capital of Uva Wellassa, now known as the
Uva Province Uva Province ( si, ඌව පළාත, Uva Paḷāta, ta, ஊவா மாகாணம், Uvā Mākāṇam) is Sri Lanka's second least populated province, with 1,259,880 people, created in 1896. It consists of two districts: Badulla and M ...
. Badulla still has a number of British colonial buildings existing, including the
Badulla railway station Badulla railway station (බදුල්ල දුම්රිය ස්ථානය) is the last station on the Main Line, and is away from Colombo. It is located above mean sea level and from Badulla, the capital city of Uva Province. The ...
, St Mark's Church and the Old Welekade Market. Badulla district is one of the leading tea producing districts, second only behind the Nuwara-Eliya District. The town has grown steadily since the country's independence from approximately 13,000 in 1946, to 38,000 in 1977 and 47,587 in 2011. Badulla is a multi-national city with the ancient Muthiyangana Temple situated in its heart. The
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
has a
diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
headquartered here.


Transport


Road

Badulla is about away from Colombo towards the eastern slopes of the central hills of Sri Lanka. There are multiple routes to Badulla from Colombo, Kandy and Galle. From Colombo, one can travel via
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 o ...
,
Balangoda Balangoda is a large town in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an urban council located away from Colombo and from Ratnapura on Colombo - Batticaloa Highway(A4). It is one of the largest towns of the Sabaragamuw ...
,
Haputale Haputale ( si, හපුතලේ; ta, ஹபுதலே) is a town of Badulla District in the Uva Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. The elevation is 1431 m (4695 ft) above the sea level. The area has a rich bio-dive ...
,
Bandarawela Bandarawela ( Sinhala : බණ්ඩාරවෙල, pronounced ; Tamil: பண்டாரவெல) is the second largest town in the Badulla District which is away from Badulla. Bandarawela is away from Colombo and about away from Kand ...
and
Hali Ela Hali may refer to: * Hali I of the Maldives (died 1268), Sultan of Maldives from 1266 to 1268 * Hali II of the Maldives (died 1288), Sultan of Maldives from 1278 to 1288 *a medieval Latinisation of Arabic Ali (also ''Haly'') ** Haly Abenragel, c ...
along A4 and A16 to Badulla, which may take 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 Matara, Hambantota, Wellawaya, Ella, Demodara and Hali Ela (route A2). All routes are scenic and one can see splendid views of the geography, which changes while travelling. Badulla and its surroundings are highly recommended for eco-tourists as
Horton Plains National Park Horton Plains National Park ( si, හෝර්ටන් තැන්න ජාතික උද්‍යානය, Hortan Thanna Jathika Udyanaya) is a national park in the central highlands of Sri Lanka that was designated in 1988. It is locate ...
and the
Knuckles mountains The Knuckles Mountain Range lies in central Sri Lanka, in the Districts of Matale and Kandy. The range takes its name from a series of recumbent folds and peaks in the west of the massif which resemble the knuckles of clenched fist when viewe ...
are a few hours away.


Rail

Badulla
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
is the last station on the Main Line and is away from
Colombo Fort Station Fort railway station is a major rail hub in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The station is served by Sri Lanka Railways, with many inter-city and commuter trains entering each day. Fort Station is the main rail gateway to central Colombo; it is the terminus ...
. The line was constructed by the British to transport tea collected from the Badulla district to Colombo.


Tourist attractions

* Muthiyangana temple is an ancient Buddhist temple located in the middle of Badulla. It is regarded as one of the
Solosmasthana 'Solosmasthana' are 16 sacred places in Sri Lanka, believed by Buddhists to have been hallowed by visits of Gautama Buddha. These places of worship are among the most important religious locations in Sri Lanka, and are located throughout the country ...
, the sixteen sacred places in Sri Lanka, believed by
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
s to have been visited by
Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
. * Badulla Kataragama Devalaya is an ancient devalaya, situated in Badulla town. It is one of shrines dedicated to Sinhalese deity
Kataragama deviyo Kataragama deviyo (also called: Skanda Kumara, Kartikeya, si, කතරගම දෙවියෝ) is a guardian deity of Sri Lanka. A popular deity who is considered to be very powerful, shrines dedicated to Kataragama deviyo are found in many ...
. * Old Welekade Market is a historic colonial building, situated in middle of the Badulla town. It was built in 1889 by
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
. * Dunhinda Falls, a high waterfall, is located north of Badulla. This is one of the most popular waterfalls of Sri Lanka, mentioned in several famous songs and works of literature. It draws many local and foreign tourists to the region. * Bogoda ancient wooden bridge is one of the oldest surviving wooden bridges in the country (being over 400 years old) and is located south of Badulla, close to the town of Hali-ela. * Demodara railway station is between Ella and Udoowara railway stations. Demodara railway station is famous because the railway turns from the platform, and then goes under the railway station in the tunnel. * St Mark's Church, built in memory of Major Thomas William Rogers, Assistant Government Agent of
Uva Province Uva Province ( si, ඌව පළාත, Uva Paḷāta, ta, ஊவா மாகாணம், Uvā Mākāṇam) is Sri Lanka's second least populated province, with 1,259,880 people, created in 1896. It consists of two districts: Badulla and M ...
, who died 7 June 1845 after being struck by lightning at the Sherwood Estate in
Haputale Haputale ( si, හපුතලේ; ta, ஹபுதலே) is a town of Badulla District in the Uva Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. The elevation is 1431 m (4695 ft) above the sea level. The area has a rich bio-dive ...
. It was the first church to be consecrated (25 April 1857) by the first
Bishop of Colombo Bishop of Colombo may refer to: * Anglican Bishop of Colombo The Anglican Bishop of Colombo is the ecclesiastical head of the Anglican Diocese of Colombo, a diocese in the Church of Ceylon which is part of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican ...
Rev. James Chapman.


Demographics


See also

* List of cities in Sri Lanka * List of Archaeological Protected Monuments in Badulla District


References


External links


Office of the Governor - Uva / ඌව පලාත් ආණ්ඩුකාරවර කාර්යාලය

Provincial General Hospital - Badulla / පළාත් මහ රෝහල - බදුල්ල

A school in Badulla District



Detailed map of Badulla vicinity and Sri Lanka
{{Authority control Provincial capitals in Sri Lanka Populated places in Uva Province Grama Niladhari divisions of Sri Lanka