Ratnapura
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Ratnapura
රත්නපුර இரத்தினபுரி Mini Pura, Ruwan Pura, Manikya Pura, city of Gems | |
---|---|
City | |
Ratnapura | |
Municipal Council | |
• Mayor | Tiron Hirantha Aththanayake |
Area | |
• Total | 20 km2 (8 sq mi) |
Elevation | 130 m (430 ft) |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 165,998 |
Demonym | Ratnians |
Time zone | UTC+05:30 (SLT) |
postal code | 70000 |
Website | ratnapura.mc.gov.lk |
Ratnapura (
The name 'Ratnapura' is a
It is the centre of a long-established industry of precious stone mining including
In 1901, the town of Ratnapura had a population of 4,084, and by 2012, it had increased to 46,229, with
each constituting a significant portion of the population.Politics
The city is governed by a municipal council headed by a mayor. The council is elected by popular vote and has 15 seats. There were 29,159 registered voters in the 2006 local authorities elections.[citation needed]
Health
Ratnapura hospital, upgraded to a Teaching Hospital in early 2019, is equipped with three surgical units, three medical units, two orthopedic units, three Obstetrics and gynaecology units, two paediatrics units, an ENT unit, a neurology unit, a neurosurgical unit, a rheumatology unit, a urosurgical unit, a nephrology unit with dialysing facilities, a dermatology unit, a psychiatric unit, an A&E unit, and a cardiology unit. It has theatre facilities for routine surgeries, and for 24/7 casualties. It also has two ICU units catering 12 ICU beds at the moment. It is also a post graduate training center for surgical and paediatric pg trainees. It was upgraded as a teaching hospital, with the establishment of Medical faculty in Sabaragamuwa university.[3]
Economy
Gem trade
The people of the town depend on the gem trade. Gem pits are common sights in the surrounding area. Most of the large-scale gem businessmen of Sri Lanka operate from Ratnapura. There are considerable numbers of foreign gem traders in the city too who have recognised the value of the gems found there. Among the foreign traders, Thai (Thailand) traders are in the majority. Every day, a large number of traders from suburbs and other towns gather in the town centre to sell or buy gemstones. Large-scale merchants collect gemstones from locals and sell them in the international market. Some traders go out of the city to buy gems. This includes neighboring towns like Kalawana, Bogawantalawa, and Ela-era. After the discovery of world-class alluvial sapphire deposits in the valley of Ilakaka in Madagascar, many Ratnapura merchants travel out of the country to Madagascar to buy gems. There are three main Gem market places in Ratnapura: "Abagahamula Gem Market ","Clock Tower Gem Market ","Demuwamawatha Gem Market " These markets operate in different hours in the day
Agriculture
The city's agricultural industry is also well developed. Large plantations of
Transport
Ratnapura city is located in the A4 Highway which connects capital
Climate
Ratnapura features a
Climate data for Ratnapura (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 36.1 (97.0) |
37.3 (99.1) |
38.6 (101.5) |
37.0 (98.6) |
36.1 (97.0) |
35.7 (96.3) |
34.8 (94.6) |
35.0 (95.0) |
36.3 (97.3) |
34.8 (94.6) |
35.1 (95.2) |
34.9 (94.8) |
38.6 (101.5) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.4 (90.3) |
33.7 (92.7) |
34.2 (93.6) |
33.5 (92.3) |
32.0 (89.6) |
30.9 (87.6) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.7 (87.3) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.4 (88.5) |
31.4 (88.5) |
31.9 (89.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.2 (81.0) |
27.9 (82.2) |
28.5 (83.3) |
28.5 (83.3) |
28.1 (82.6) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.1 (80.8) |
26.9 (80.4) |
27.5 (81.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.9 (71.4) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
23.4 (74.1) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.9 (75.0) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.0 (73.4) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.4 (72.3) |
23.1 (73.6) |
Record low °C (°F) | 17.0 (62.6) |
16.7 (62.1) |
18.0 (64.4) |
20.4 (68.7) |
20.1 (68.2) |
20.7 (69.3) |
20.6 (69.1) |
20.5 (68.9) |
20.1 (68.2) |
20.0 (68.0) |
19.6 (67.3) |
16.6 (61.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 124.7 (4.91) |
137.0 (5.39) |
204.1 (8.04) |
366.1 (14.41) |
467.5 (18.41) |
382.1 (15.04) |
282.1 (11.11) |
304.6 (11.99) |
372.1 (14.65) |
467.5 (18.41) |
368.3 (14.50) |
211.7 (8.33) |
3,687.9 (145.19) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.2 | 8.5 | 12.3 | 19.0 | 20.3 | 21.1 | 18.9 | 18.6 | 19.1 | 21.2 | 17.9 | 12.9 | 198.0 |
Source: NOAA[4] |
Floods
Much of the city of Ratnapura is situated in the flood plain of the Kalu River. As a result, it experiences regular floods, usually during the month of May. There are no large-scale dams upstream on the Kalu to control Spring runoff. Proposals to reduce flood risk in the city have yet to reach the feasibility stage.[5] In May 2003, the town experienced the largest flood since the independence of Sri Lanka from Britain in 1947.
Paleontology
Several fossil localities have been reported from the
Balahapuva and Dakaragoda
The paleontological site of Balahapuva was described in detail by Deraniyagala. This site comprises the Ratnapura fauna, made-up of a gem pit bearing sand-encrusted fossils and thick limonite lumps. He described an upper third hippopotamus molar, a Rhinoceros mandibular body, an elephant molar, Axis tooth, two Rusa teeth, and a crystalline scraper as well as two now-defunct hominid species: Homo sinhaleyus (misspelt as sinhalensis[6]) from Dakaragoda and Homopithecus sinhaleyus from Balahapuva.[7]
Homo sinhaleyus was named from a small fragmented skull with a thick brow and small orbits probably contemporary with
Early research by Deraniyagala shows that he once preferred to assign the tooth to
Minor sites
The site of Mallapitiya contains fossils from the Kalu Ganga and
Places of worship
There are a number of places of worship in and around Ratnapura, including:
- Maha Saman Devalaya – a shrine dedicated to the god Saman. The god Saman is (a Buddhist deity) considered to be the guardian of Ratnapura. When the Portuguese captured Ratnapura, the ancient shrine that stood at this location was destroyed and a Portuguese church was constructed on top of it. When the Kandyan kingdom recaptured Ratnapura, the Portuguese church was destroyed and the shrine was rebuilt. Although there is no direct evidence to support the existence of the old shrine, indirect evidence supports the existence of a shrine that looked like a Hindu temple at the current location before Portuguese times. Currently this shrine is a very important place for Buddhists.
- Saints Peter and Paul's Cathedral – The history of Catholics in Ratnapura begins with Portuguese rule in Ratnapura. Very few Catholics lived in the town in the 17th century. Many of them are the descendants of Portuguese and locals that they married. There is evidence to suggest that the Portuguese built a church on top of a destroyed Buddhist temple. That Portuguese church was destroyed when the Kandyan kingdom recaptured Ratnapura from the Portuguese. The current church was built in a different location along the main street of Ratnapura (inside the town). The Church building being used now is said to be inspired by St. Joseph Vaz (Apostle of Ceylon) during the 17th century when he visited Ratnapura as a part of his apostolic mission to Sabaragamuwa. After Sabaragamuwa became a diocese on 2 November 1995 SS. Peter-Paul's Church was raised to the status of the Cathedralof the diocese.
- Pothgul Viharaya - Rathnapura Pothgul Rajamaha Viharaya (පොත්ගුල් විහාරය) is a picturesque cave temple built on top of a hill believed to be built by king Vatta Gamini Abhaya better known as king Walagamba (89-77 BC) in the 1st century. It had been renovated during the days of King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747 – 1781) of the Kandy period. There are two temples belonging to these two periods within the Pothgul Viharaya.
- St. Luke's Church (Church of England)
- Siva Temple (Hindu)
Sri Pada (Adam's Peak)
Ratnapura is the starting point for the 'classic' or hard route up Adam's Peak, via the Gilimale and Carney Estates. The pilgrimage season starts on Poya (full moon) day in December and runs until the start of the south-west monsoon in April. It has been a pilgrimage centre for over 1,000 years. King
Religion
Ratnapura town has a Buddhist majority (52.88%) and a significant Muslim population (33.52%) .[12]
Education
Schools in Ratnapura include:
- Convent of Infant Jesus
- Dharmapala Maha Vidyalaya
- Ferguson High School
- St.John's National College Rakwana
- Kalawana National School
- Malwala Navodya School
- Mihindu Vidyalaya
- Prince College, Ratnapura
- Rambuka eVillage School
- Sivali Central College
- St. Aloysius College
- St. Luke's College
- Sumana Balika Vidyalaya
- Sumana Central College
- Sumana Saman Maha Vidyalaya
- Sussex College
- Lyceum Ratnapura
- Ratnapura Tamil Maha Vidyalayam
- Sri Sumana Maha Vidyalaya. Ratnapura.
- Gallella Maha Vidyalaya.Gallella. Ratnapura.
- Siduhath Vidyalaya. Galaboda, Ratnapura.
Attractions
Waterfalls
- Katugas Ella (කටුගස් ඇල්ල) – a 6-metre-high (20 ft) waterfall, located at Mahawalawatta, 3 km (1.9 mi) away from Ratnapura.
- Kirindi Ella (කිරිඳි ඇල්ල) – a 116-metre-high (381 ft) waterfall (the seventh highest in Sri Lanka), located 4 km (2.5 mi) away from Ratnapura, on the Ratnapura – Pelmadulla road.
- Rajanawa Ella (රජනෑ ඇල්ල) – a 12-metre-high (39 ft) waterfall located adjacent to the Ratnapura–Kalawana road, at the village of Marapana. The scenery around the waterfall has been captured in several Sinhala films.[citation needed]
Gem mines
There are numerous gem mines located around the area, especially in paddy fields on lower ground. The mines are generally around 10 m (33 ft) to 50 m (160 ft) deep. Portable hand operating tools used for the mining process, include shovels, picks, pans (specially made from bamboo) and cradles. Once the soil is extracted from the mine, water is used to wash the dirt and mud away using pans and any gemstones, which heavier than normal stones, will remain at the bottom of the pan.
Local heroes
Ehelepola Nilame
In the time of the Last king of Sri Lanka "Sri Vikrama Rajasinha",
The portrayal of Ehelepola as a hero is quite controversial. Once he conspired with British and betrayed the Kandy king. The King ordered the execution of his family unless Ehelepola surrendered to the king (according to the prevailing laws). Ehelepola (who was busy planning a attack to dethrone the current Kandy king) became a coward and he let king execute his whole family in Kandy. His younger son became a child hero by bravely facing death by guillotine, while his elder brother was hiding behind his mother (who was drowned).
References
- OCLC 3864935.
- ISBN 978-955-95494-4-4.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "Rathnapura General Hospital (Government Main Hospital)". SriLankaTravelMap. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Ratnapura". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "Flood Hazard Mapping in Ratnapura City" (PDF). International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM). Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 January 2013.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c d Deraniyagala, Paulus Edward Pieris (1960). "Some mammals of the extinct Ratnapura fauna of Ceylon. Part IV". Spolia Zeylanica. National Museums of Ceylon: 1-14.
- ISSN 0002-9483.
- JSTOR 45377705.
- ISBN 978-81-85880-19-8.
- ISBN 978-1-4073-0683-4.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing 2012". statistics.gov.lk. Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. 2012.
- ^ "Sri Lanka Census Map". statistics.gov.lk. Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2023.