Ratnapura: The City of Gems and the Gateway to the Sacred Peak
Ratnapura District stands at the southern edge of Sri Lanka’s central highlands, where rivers, rainforests, mountains, and deep alluvial plains come together to create one of the island’s most resource rich and historically famous regions. Known around the world as the “City of Gems”, Ratnapura has for over two thousand years been at the heart of Sri Lanka’s global reputation as Ratna Dweepa, the Island of Gems.
Today, Ratnapura is both a center of gem mining and trade and a gateway to some of Sri Lanka’s most important natural and spiritual landscapes.
The Land of Precious Stones
Ratnapura is the center of Sri Lanka’s gem industry. The district’s river valleys and alluvial plains have produced sapphires, rubies, cat’s eyes, alexandrites, and many other precious and semi preci...