Kotmale ( si, කොත්මලේ, translit=Kotmalē; ta, கொத்மலை, translit=Kotmalai) is a village in
Sri Lanka in
Central Province. Kotmale forms part of a mountainous region that the Sinhalese kings left forested to generate sufficient rainfall for rice cultivation in the valleys below.
The Sinhalese prince
Dutugamunu
Dutugamunu the Great (, , also spelled as ''Dutthagamani''), also known as Dutthagamani Abhaya ("fearless Gamini"), was the greatest king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for reuniting the whole island ...
is said to have taken refuge in Kotmale to escape the wrath of his father, King
Kavantissa. Kotmale is also where the
Kandyan Kings hid the
sacred tooth relic
The relic of the tooth of Buddha (Pali ''danta dhātuya'') is venerated in Sri Lanka as a sacred cetiya relic of Lord Buddha, who is the founder of Buddhism, the fourth largest religion worldwide.
History The relic in India
According to Sri Lanka ...
during periods of political instability, the last occasion being during the British occupation in 1815.
Attractions
*
Kotmale Dam
The Kotmale Dam is a large hydroelectric and irrigation dam in Kotmale, Sri Lanka. The dam generates power from three turbines, totalling the installed capacity to , making it the second largest hydroelectric power station in Sri Lanka. Constru ...
, a high hydroelectric and irrigation dam. Construction of the dam commenced in 1977 and was completed in 1995.
*
Kotmale Mahaweli Maha Seya, a high
stupa, with a diameter, overlooking the
Kotmale Dam
The Kotmale Dam is a large hydroelectric and irrigation dam in Kotmale, Sri Lanka. The dam generates power from three turbines, totalling the installed capacity to , making it the second largest hydroelectric power station in Sri Lanka. Constru ...
. It is the largest stupa constructed in the country in over 1,300 years. It serves as a reminder of the eighteen shrines/temples that were submerged with the construction of the Kotmale reservoir. It cost approximately
Rs.
Rupee is the common name for the currencies of
India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
300 million to build.
* Kotmale Hanging Bridge, a wooden suspension bridge. The bridge spans over the
Mahaweli River
The Mahaweli River ( si, මහවැලි ගඟ, literally "Great Sandy River"; ta, மகாவலி ஆறு 'mahawali gangai'', is a long river, ranking as the longest river in Sri Lanka. It has a drainage basin of , the largest in the ...
.
See also
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Upper Kotmale Dam
*
List of towns in Central Province, Sri Lanka
Further reading
*
References
Populated places in Nuwara Eliya District
{{NuwaraEliyaDistrict-geo-stub