Badulla

Badulla (Sinhala: බදුල්ල, Tamil: பதுளை) 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.

Location

Badulla is about 230 km away from Colombo towards the eastern slopes of the central hills of Sri Lanka.

Badulla is located in the southeast of Kandy, almost encircled by the Badulu Oya River, about 2,230 ft above sea level and is surrounded by tea plantations. The city is overshadowed by the Namunukula range of mountains (highest peak 6,614 ft above sea level).

History

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. 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.

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. Badulla still has a number of British colonial buildings existing, including the Badulla railway station, 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.

Badulla is a multi-national city with the ancient Muthiyangana Temple situated in its heart. The Catholic Church has a diocese headquartered here.