Badulla බදුල්ල | |
|---|---|
 Badulla clock tower | |
  Badulla | |
| Coordinates:6°59′5″N81°3′23″E / 6.98472°N 81.05639°E /6.98472; 81.05639 | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Uva Province |
| District | Badulla |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 10 km2 (3.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 680 m (2,230 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 47,587 |
| • Density | 4,387/km2 (11,360/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone) |
Badulla (Sinhala:බදුල්ල,IPA:[bəd̪ulːə];Tamil:பதுளை,IPA:[bɐðuɭɐi̯]) is the capital and the largest city of Uva Province situated in the central hills ofSri Lanka. It is the capital city ofUva Province and theBadulla District.
Badulla is located in the southeast of Kandy, almost encircled by the Badulu Oya River, about 680 m (2,230 ft) above sea level and is surrounded by tea plantations. The city is overshadowed by theNamunukula range of mountains (highest peak 2,016 m (6,614 ft) above sea level). It was a base of a pre-colonialSinhalese local prince (regional king) who ruled the area under the main King in Kandy before it became part of theBritish 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 has atropical monsoon climate (Köppen:Am)[1] characterized by mild temperatures (18 °C-26 °C) and a significant amount of rainfall. Badulla has awet season from October to January, and has cooler temperatures in December to February compared to the rest of the year.
| Climate data for Badulla, elevation 670 m (2,200 ft), (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 31.2 (88.2) | 32.8 (91.0) | 34.8 (94.6) | 36.2 (97.2) | 35.2 (95.4) | 35.1 (95.2) | 35.3 (95.5) | 35.5 (95.9) | 36.0 (96.8) | 35.2 (95.4) | 31.7 (89.1) | 30.5 (86.9) | 36.2 (97.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.5 (77.9) | 27.2 (81.0) | 29.7 (85.5) | 30.6 (87.1) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.2 (88.2) | 30.7 (87.3) | 29.2 (84.6) | 27.2 (81.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 29.2 (84.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.6 (70.9) | 22.3 (72.1) | 23.7 (74.7) | 24.9 (76.8) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.0 (77.0) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.1 (75.4) | 23.1 (73.6) | 22.1 (71.8) | 23.9 (75.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.7 (63.9) | 17.5 (63.5) | 17.7 (63.9) | 19.3 (66.7) | 19.6 (67.3) | 19.2 (66.6) | 18.9 (66.0) | 18.7 (65.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 18.9 (66.0) | 19.1 (66.4) | 18.6 (65.5) | 18.7 (65.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10.4 (50.7) | 8.0 (46.4) | 9.7 (49.5) | 13.2 (55.8) | 12.6 (54.7) | 15.1 (59.2) | 15.2 (59.4) | 14.4 (57.9) | 14.4 (57.9) | 12.7 (54.9) | 13.7 (56.7) | 10.8 (51.4) | 8.0 (46.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 183.6 (7.23) | 102.3 (4.03) | 87.6 (3.45) | 183.5 (7.22) | 120.0 (4.72) | 51.6 (2.03) | 54.0 (2.13) | 72.2 (2.84) | 106.7 (4.20) | 242.1 (9.53) | 285.7 (11.25) | 269.9 (10.63) | 1,759.1 (69.26) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 11.7 | 8.1 | 7.2 | 12.8 | 10.1 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 6.4 | 8.8 | 15.1 | 18.7 | 17.0 | 125.9 |
| Source:NOAA[2] | |||||||||||||
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 theUva Province. Badulla has a number of British colonial buildings, including theBadulla railway station,St Mark's Church and theOld Welekade Market. Badulla district is one of the leading tea producing districts, second only behind the Nuwara-Eliya District.
The town has grown steadily since the country's independence from approximately 13,000 in 1946, to 38,000 in 1977 and 47,587 in 2011.[3]
Badulla is a multi-national city with the ancientMuthiyangana Temple situated in its heart. TheCatholic Church has adiocese headquartered here.
Badulla is about 230 km (140 mi) away from Colombo towards the eastern slopes of the central hills of Sri Lanka. There are multiple routes to Badulla from Colombo, Kandy and Galle. From Colombo, one can travel viaRatnapura,Balangoda,Haputale,Bandarawela andHali Ela along A4 and A16 to Badulla, which may take 5–6 hours. From Kandy there are two routes: either via "Victoria-Randenigala Raja Mawatha" or via Nuwara Eliya (route A5). From Galle, the best route is via Matara, Hambantota, Wellawaya, Ella, Demodara and Hali Ela (route A2).
Badullarailway station is the last station on theMain Line and is 292.3 km (181.6 mi) away fromColombo Fort Station.
| Ethnicity | Population[4] | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Sinhalese | 52,546 | 70.02 |
| Sri Lankan Moors | 7,031 | 9.37 |
| Sri Lankan Tamils | 3,729 | 4.97 |
| Indian Tamils | 10,980 | 14.63 |
| Other (includingBurgher,Malay) | 756 | 1.01 |
| Total | 75,042 | 100 |
Provincial capitals of Sri Lanka | ||
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