Nuwara Eliya

About Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya was home away from home for the british colonialist in the 19th century. This city with an elevation of 6200 meters is the highest in Sri Lanka (Ceylon).

Hemmed in by three of the highest mountains in the country; Piduruthalagala, the Great Western and Hakgala, the city looks very isolated. Yet it's just a four hour drive from Colombo.

The Nuwara Eliya golf links, is said to be one of the finest golf courses in the asia pacific region. Other recreation activities include horse riding, fishing, camping and of course trekking. Thanks to the cool climes this is one city where you can never work up a sweat.
The higher elivations are covered with lush green forests - rapidly being destroyed by combination of selfish politician ans ignorant citizens of Nuwara Eliya itself.

The lower elevations are covered with what seems at first site to be a plush green carpet. On closer inspection these turns out to be thousands of tea bushes freshly plucked. For this is the tea growing country, and the land of elegent plantation bungalows.
Travellers from the UK will be particularly attracted by the architechture which is decidedly Victorian. Even modern buildings are build in the same fashion to preserve Nuwara Eliya's unique atmosphere

A short glance - History of Nuwara Eliya

Situated at around 2000m above sea level and surrounded by lush tea plantations. Nuwara Eliya is the main hill resort of Sri Lanka and the heart of the tea industry. This city with an elevation of 6200 meters is the highest in Sri Lanka. Once a pleasure retreats of the European planters the town is still very much an English town with many English style bungalows and buildings.

History says Nuwara Eliya is discovered by a hunting party led by Dr. John Davy in 1818. The British governor at the time, Sir Edward Barnes, was told about this and subsequently decided to take residence there, soon creating a health resort, which soon became internationally renown.

Nuwara Eliya is decidedly English in someway (houses, gardens and places names) and was actually planned to be an English village by a pioneering Englishman, Sir Samuel Baker in the mid 19th Century.

Travellers from the UK will be particularly attracted by the architechture which is decidedly Victorian. Even modern buildings are build in the same fashion to preserve Nuwara Eliya's unique atmosphere.
Nuwara Eliya was home away from home for the British colonialist in the 19th century.


History of Nuwara Eliya in Detail

Ramayana, the Indian epic tells us how Rawana, King of Lanka, robbed Rama of his wife Sita and brought her to Sri Lanka. The people of Sri Lanka believe that Rawana had his capital in Nuwara-Eliya ("The glade with the city"). He is believed to have kept Sita captive in Sita Eliya. ("The glade of Sita"). Today there is a Hindu temple on the spot (The famous Haggala Botanical Garden is situated closer by this temple). The story tells that the monkey army of Rama has come to save Sita. Ravana has punished Hanuman - the leader of the monkey force, by placing fire on his tail. It is said Hanuman have burnt the entire Nuwara-Eliya with his tail. Legend has it that the black soil, which forms a top layer here, consists of the ashes of the city of Rawana, burnt down by Hanuman.

Kotmale Valley not far from Nuwara-Eliya city had been inhabited during the Anuradhapura Period and Gamunu, the son of King Kavantissa who ruled Ruhuna, when King Elara ruled from Anuradhapura, had taken refuge in Kotmale to escape the wrath of his father. However, little is heard of this area till the Kandyan period.

The ancient Emperors of the Sri Lanka have not known the economical value of Nuwara-Eliya. But they were aware that this is the place that water is produced. So they have kept and protected Nuwara-Eliya as a treasure. They did not even built Palaces in Nuwara-Eliya to not to harm the natural beauty of this area. They believed that;
'If the Nature treasure is protected the Water treasure will be protected. And if the Water treasure is protected the Paddy fields will be protected.'

In 1815's - the time of Kings and Emperors in Sri Lanka no one have used Nuwara-Eliya to living purposes. But people have visited Nuwara-Eliya through the footpath from Ruhuna to collect materials to produce arms and to search for Gem stones.