Description
Ratnapura (Sinhala: රත්නපුර; Tamil: இரத்தினபுரி) (“City of Gems” in Sinhala and Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka, the capital of Sabaragamuwa Province. It is situated on the Kalu Ganga (Black River) in south-central Sri Lanka, approximately 101 km (63 mi) southeast of the country's capital, Colombo. Ratnapura is also spelled Rathnapura. The name "Ratnapura" is a Sanskrit word meaning "city of gems," from the Sanskrit words pura (city) and ratna (gem). More than 2,000 years ago, when the first Buddhist monks arrived here from the northeastern provinces of India, namely Bodh Gaya, Varanasi, and Pataliputra, they not only brought the Buddhist religion with them, but since their teachings were primarily in Sanskrit and Pali, they also influenced the local language. Although sweets made from the jaggery palm are traditionally known in this region as ratnapura, it is more likely that the sweets were named after the place, not the other way around.
