Bandarawela (Sinhala : බණ්ඩාරවෙල, pronounced [ˈbandarawela]; Tamil: பண்டாரவெல) is the second largest town in the Badulla District which is 28 km (17 mi) away from Badulla. Bandarawela is 200 km (120 mi) away from Colombo and about 125 km (78 mi) away from Kandy, the two largest cities of Sri Lanka. Thanks to its higher altitude, compared to surrounding locations, Bandarawela has milder weather conditions throughout the year making it a tourist destination for locals. Bandarawela is within hours reach of surrounding towns and cities by both road and rail. The town is influenced by its colonial history and rests among dense, lush forestation occupying a niche among visitors as a base for tourism.
Politics
The town is governed by a municipal council and headed by a mayor. The council is elected by popular vote and has nine members. There were 16,673 registered voters in the 2011 local authorities elections.[2]
The area outside the municipality is governed by the "Pradeshiya Saba" which is similar to the urban council. The Pradeshiya Saba is elected by popular vote and has 10 members. In the 2006 local authorities election there were 37,972 registered voters.[3]
Heritage
The ancient Dhowa Buddhist rock temple is one of the well-known heritage sites in this region. Other historic areas of interest include the Roman Catholic St. Anthony's Church and a local Methodist church.
The ancient Dhowa Rock Temple was founded by King Walagamba in the first century B.C.E. (1 B.C.E.) and is located beside Badulla-Bandarawela highway, 6 km (3.7 mi) from Bandarawela. The temple contains a 12 m (39 ft)-high Buddha image sculpted from rock and paintings depicting Jataka stories belonging to the Kandyan era.
Ancient buddha statue at Dhowa temple
Geography and climate
Bandarawela is located at a high altitude and surrounded by a large number of mountains in Uva and the Central Province.The highest Mountain in the local area is Nayabedda peak, which lies 6,375 ft (1,943 m)above mean sea [4]
According to the local climatic zone classifications, Bandarawela is classified under Up Country Intermediate Zone (UCIZ) which is spread over the Badulla and Monaragala Districts. The average elevation above sea level at Bandarawela is 4,242 ft (1,293 m).The elevation of Bandarawela ranges between3,110 ft (950 m) and 6,375 ft (1,943 m),[5] the annual average rainfall is 1,652 mm (65.0 in) and the monthly average temperature is between 18.9 °C (66.0 °F) (in January) and 22.4 °C (72.3 °F) (in May). The average annual temperature in Bandarawela is 21.0 °C (69.8 °F).[6] The Bandarawela area consists mainly of red yellow Podzolic soil, which is strongly acidic and favourable for tea plantations.The
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as Tropical rainforest (Af)[7] bordering with a subtropical highland (Cfb) climate at Haputale .[8][9]
Bandarawela is a Sinhala majority town. There are sizable communities belonging to other ethnic groups such as Indian Tamils, Sri Lanka Moors and Sri Lanka Tamils.
Locals depend primarily upon agriculture and livestock farming to make a living.[12] Many people are directly involved in vegetable cultivation and some work as laborers in tea estates, mainly Indian Tamils. There are a large number of tea plantations managed by both private and government run businesses that produce good quality tea for the world market.
Tea Estate in Bandarawela
Many types of vegetables are grown in this area throughout the year, such as leek, carrot, beet root, cauliflower and cabbage.. The mean monthly income in Badulla district was 66,413LKR in 2019, slightly lower than the national average.[13]
Tourism is a major source of income in Bandarawela which boasts many holiday resorts, cottages and hotels.
Porawagala, BandarawelaFront view of the Adisham Bungalow
Porawagala, elevation 1,330 metres (4,360 ft), is a viewing point overlooking the town about 3 km (1.9 mi) east of Bandarawela railway station and bus stand.[16][17]
Ravana Falls (25 m (82 ft) in height) and Diyaluma Falls (191 m (627 ft) in height) are notable waterfalls in this region. Rawana Ella is situated in Ella near the Ella-Wellawaya main road(A23) and Diyaluma is situated near the village of Koslanda, on the Colombo-Batticaloa highway.
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