Diyatalawa Town

Diyatalawa Diyatalawa Diyatalawa

Diyatalawa (meaning “the watered plain”) is a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is situated at an altitude of 1,281 m (4,203 ft) and has become a popular destination for local holiday makers. It is home to the Diyatalawa Garrison of the Sri Lanka Army, which includes the Sri Lanka Military Academy, officer training centre of the army; SLAF Diyatalawa, the Sri Lanka Air Force's ground combat training centre; and facilities of the Sri Lanka Police.

Fox Hill, Diyatalawa is the venue for the annual Fox Hill Motor Cross organised by the Sri Lanka Military Academy, one of the premier motor racing events in the country.

Fox Hill (Nariya Kanda in Sinhalese) was named after the engraving of the whole slope facing the railway station of Diyatalawa, by the British soldiers at the canteen town, with an image of a fox carved in with hundreds of rough rocks of quartz that were once lying scattered all over the hill. Stag Hill (Gona Kanda in Sinhalese) also named following the same style of rock art on hill similar to Fox Hill.

Due to the high altitude,the garrison town of Diyatalawa located between the hill station retreats of Haputale and Bandarawela of central highlands has a much cooler climate than the lowlands of Sri Lanka, with a mean annual temperature of 19 °C. In the winter months it is quite cold at night, and there can even be frost.

Diyatalawa Diyatalawa Diyatalawa

  • Muthiyanganaya Raja Maha Viharaya lies in the centre of the city of Badulla. The History of this temple goes back to the time of Buddha but this area around Badulla goes way back in to the time of 19th -18th century BCE.

    Muthiyangana Raja Maha Vihara 
  • Dowa Raja Maha Viharaya (Dowa Cape Temple) lies few kilometres away from the Bandarawela town on the Bandarawela – Badulla Road. This temple is thought to be done by King Walagamba in the in first century BC.

    Dowa Raja Maha Viharaya 
  • The Bogoda Wooden Bridge was built in the 16th century during the Dambadeniya era. This is said to be the oldest surviving wooden bridge in Sri Lanka. The bridge is situated at 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of Badulla.

    Bogoda Wooden Bridge 
  • Dunhinda Falls is situated about 5 km away from Badulla town. It is 63 meters high and is considered to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Sri Lanka. The falls gets its name dew to the smoky dew drops spray.

    Dunhinda Falls 

Badulla District

Badulla is the capital of Uva Province in Sri Lanka. Badulla is located on the southeast of Kandy, almost encircled by the Badulu Oya , about 680 meters (2200 ft) above sea level and is surrounded by tea plantations. The town is overshadowed by the Namunukula range of mountains. Badulla is about 230km away from Colombo towards the eastern slopes of central hills of Sri Lanka.

Badulla and surroundings are highly recommended for eco-tourists as Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles mountains are few hours away.

Uva Province

The Uva Province is Sri Lanka's second least populated province, with 1,187,335 people, created in 1896. It consists of two districts called Badulla and Moneragala The provincial capital is Badulla. Uva is bordered by Eastern, Southern and Central provinces. Its major tourist attractions are Dunhinda Falls, Diyaluma Falls, Rawana Falls, the Yala National Park (lying partly in the Southern and Eastern Provinces) and Gal Oya National Park (lying partly in the Eastern Province). The Gal Oya hills and the Central Mountains are the main uplands, while the Mahaweli and Menik rivers and the huge Senanayake Samudraya and Maduru Oya Reservoirs are the major waterways in Uva province.