Belihuloya is a
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
in the
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 L ...
,
Sabaragamuwa Province of
Sri Lanka. It is approximately south-east of
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 m ...
and is situated at an elevation of above sea level. This hillside location is a climatically transitional area, linking both the dry and wet zones and the hill and low country. Belihuloya, is derived from the Belih Oya ("Oya" being the
Sinhala word for river), which flows through the area.
Transport
It is located on Colombo Batticaloa Hwy.
Natural attractions
The area around Belihuloya contains a number of
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...
s, including:
Pahanthuda Ella(also known as Galagama Ella) - The base of this waterfall is shaped like an oil lamp. The name Pahanthuda is derived from the Sinhala word “pahana” for lamp. It is located approximately from Belihuloya.
*
Bambarakanda Ella (also known as Bambarakele Ella) - The highest waterfall in Sri Lanka, it is in height and ranks as the 299th highest waterfall in the world.
It is located approximately from Belihuloya.
*
Surathalee Ella - It is not actually a waterfall but a water-slip. The water, slides down along a rock wall on the eastern slope of Mt Ellamana for approximately , forming this water-slip. It is located from Belihuloya.
* Brampton Falls - The tributary of Weli Oya flows down the eastern slopes of Mt Papulagala (1530m) forming several cascades among the trees of the surrounding monsoon forest. This fall is approximately in height and is located amongst several other smaller falls. It is located about from Belihuloya.
* Papulagala Ella - Located in the Brampton Estate (Tea Plantation) on the slopes of Mt. Papulagala. During the rains a brook forms this waterfall, which is about high. It is located east of Belihuoya at Lower Hiralouvah
Hirikatuwa Oya- It is located about from Belihuloya. Along the road to Non-Perial state about 2 km, car park for this popular bathing place found.
Physical attractions
* Samanala Dam is the second-largest
hydroelectric scheme in Sri Lanka, generating 405
GWh of energy annually. The dam is located south of Belihuloya.
Education
The
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 ...
is located from the Pambahinna Junction, on the
A4 highway which runs through Belihuloya. Administratively the university belongs to the Imbulpe Divisional Secretariat and to the Rathnapura District in Sabaragamuwa Province.
References
Populated places in Sabaragamuwa Province
{{SabaragamuwaLK-geo-stub
