It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade.

It is located on the Kalu Ganga (Black River) in south-central Sri Lanka, some 101 km (63 mi) southeast of the country's capital, Colombo.

[1] Over 2000 years ago, when the first Buddhist monks arrived here from the north eastern provinces of India namely Bodh-Gaya, Varanasi and Pataliputra, they not only brought with them the Buddhist religion, but since their teachings were mainly in Sanskrit and Pali they also influenced the local language.

[2] It is the centre of a long-established industry of precious stone mining including rubies, sapphires, and other gems.

Nearby Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Udawalawe National Park, Kitulgala, and Adam's Peak are especially popular among tourists.

Ratnapura city is located in the A4 Highway which connects capital Colombo to Kalmunai in the Eastern Province.

Another Highway A8 connects the town with Panadura in the western coast of Sri Lanka.

The city is located in the south-western part of Sri Lanka, the so-called wet zone.

Overall, Stegodon insignis and Palaeoloxodon namadicus are known from Varanasi and Allahabad; Elephas antiquus and Rhinoceros are known from the lower Ganga alluvium.

This site comprises the Ratnapura fauna, made-up of a gem pit bearing sand-encrusted fossils and thick limonite lumps.

He described an upper third hippopotamus molar, a Rhinoceros mandibular body, an elephant molar, Axis tooth, two Rusa teeth, and a crystalline scraper as well as two now-defunct hominid species: Homo sinhaleyus (misspelt as sinhalensis[8]) from Dakaragoda and Homopithecus sinhaleyus from Balahapuva.

Homopithecus sinhaleyus is based upon a badly worn upper left first incisor (Ratnapura Museum No.

[10] Early research by Deraniyagala shows that he once preferred to assign the tooth to Pithecanthropus sinhaleyus.

[11] Later investigation by Seth (1993) discovered that the tooth of Homopithecus was likely a large ungulate or gaur, and the crystal was not a tool;[12] the skull of Homo sinhaleyus was determined to be a young woman exhibiting dolichocephaly of unknown geological age and having attribution to Homo sapiens.

[13] The site of Mallapitiya contains fossils from the Kalu Ganga and Hangamu rivers and supports a similar fauna to Balahapuva: three elephant molars and an incomplete limb, a bovine tooth, two fragmented hippopotamus limbs, and a fossilized Paludomus shell cast.

Portable hand operating tools used for the mining process, include shovels, picks, pans (specially made from bamboo) and cradles.

He built a small reservoir and water canal to support local rice farms.

His house which is situated in the middle of Ratnapura city is now being used as the national museum building.

His younger son became a child hero by bravely facing death by guillotine, while his elder brother was hiding behind his mother (who was drowned).