Matale District (, ) is a
district
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
in the
Central Province of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. It is one of 25 districts of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. The
administrative capital and largest
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
of the district is
Matale.
The district is considered to be the centremost region of the island and has a total area of . It is in the northern part of the
Central Province. Sharing borders with 6 other districts, the Matale district is bordered by
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura (, ; , ) is a major city located in the north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka, North Central Province and the capital of Anuradhapura District. The city lies north of the cur ...
to the north,
Polonnaruwa
Poḷonnaruwa, (; ) also referred as Pulathisipura and Vijayarajapura in History of Sri Lanka, ancient times, is the main town of Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The modern town of Polonnaruwa is also known as New Town, ...
to the northeast,
Badulla
Badulla (, ; ,) is the capital and the largest city of Uva Province situated in the central hills of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Uva Province and the Badulla District.
Geography
Badulla is located in the southeast of Kandy, almost enci ...
and
Ampara
Ampara (, ) is the main town of Ampara District, governed by an Urban Council.
It is located in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, about east of Colombo and approximately south of Batticaloa.
History
This was a hunters' resting place during Br ...
to the east,
Kurunegala
Kurunegala (, ; , ) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of the North Western Province, Sri Lanka, North Western Province and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital for 50 years, from the end of the 13th ...
to the west and
Kandy
Kandy (, ; , ) is a major city located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of ...
to the south.
Ethnicity and religions
Cities
*
Matale (Municipal Council)
Towns
*
Dambulla (Municipal Council)
*
Galewela
*
Naula
*
Pallepola
*
Rattota
*
Ukuwela
*
Yatawatta
Villages
*
Kubiyangoda
*
Gammaduwa
*
Elkaduwa
*
Kaikawala
*
Nalanda
Nalanda (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) was a renowned Buddhism, Buddhist ''mahavihara'' (great monastery) in medieval Magadha (Mahajanapada), Magadha (modern-day Bihar), eastern India. Widely considered to be am ...
*
Palapathwela
*
Sigiriya
Sigiriya or Sinhagiri (''Lion Rock'' , , pronounced SEE-gi-ri-yə) is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is a site of historical and archaeologic ...
*
Wahacotte
*
Wehera
*
Maligatenna
*
Kawatayamuna
*
Kandalama
Heritage sites
*
Sigiriya
Sigiriya or Sinhagiri (''Lion Rock'' , , pronounced SEE-gi-ri-yə) is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is a site of historical and archaeologic ...
*
Dambulla cave temple
Dambulla cave temple (; ), also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla, is a World Heritage Site (1991) in Sri Lanka, situated in the central part of the country. This site is situated east of Colombo, north of Kandy and
north of Matale.
Dambu ...
*
Aluvihare Rock Temple
Tourist attractions
*
Pitawala Pathana
*
Hunnas Falls
*
Sembuwatta Lake
References
External links
Districts of Sri Lanka
Geography of the Kingdom of Kandy
Geography of Matale District
{{MataleDistrict-geo-stub