Nuwara Eliya

For the district, see Nuwara Eliya District.

Nuwara Eliya නුවරඑළිය (Sinhala) நுவரேலியா (Tamil)
Nuwara Eliya
A tea plantation near Nuwara Eliya
Nickname(s): Little England
Nuwara Eliya Map of Sri Lanka showing the location of Nuwara Eliya.
Coordinates: 6°58′0″N 80°46′0″E / 6.966667°N 80.766667°E / 6.966667; 80.766667Coordinates: 6°58′0″N 80°46′0″E / 6.966667°N 80.766667°E / 6.966667; 80.766667
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Central Province
District	Nuwara Eliya District
Government
– Mayor	D G Mahinda Kumara (United National Party)
Elevation	1,868 m (6,128 ft)
Time zone	Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30)
Postcode	22200
Area code(s)	052
Vehicle registration	CP XX XXXX
Twin Cities
– Yongzhou	China

Nuwara Eliya (Sinhala: නුවරඑළිය [nuːrɛliːjə]; Tamil: நுவரேலியா), meaning "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light", is a town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka with a picturesque landscape and temperate climate. It is located at an altitude of 1,868 m (6,128 ft) and is considered to be the most important location for Tea production in Sri Lanka. The town is overlooked by Pidurutalagala, the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka.

History

A waterfall located in the surroundings of Nuwara Eliya

The city was founded by Samuel Baker, the discoverer of Lake Albert and the explorer of the Nile in 1846. Nuwara Eliya's climate lent itself to becoming the prime sanctuary of the British civil servants and planters in Ceylon. Nuwara Eliya, called Little England then, was also a hill country retreat where the British colonialists could immerse in their pastimes such as fox hunting, deer hunting,elephant hunting, polo, golf and cricket.

Although the town was founded in the 19th century by the British, the whole district is today visited by native travelers, specially during the month of April, the season of flowers, pony races, go cart races and auto rally.

Many of the buildings retain features from the colonial period such as the Queen's Cottage, General's House, Grand Hotel, Hill Club, Town Post Office and even new hotels are often built and furnished in the colonial style. Anyone who visits the city can wallow in its nostalgia of bygone days by visiting these landmark buildings. Many private homes still maintain their old English-style lawns and gardens.

Climate

Due to the high altitude, Nuwara Eliya has a much cooler climate than the lowlands of Sri Lanka, with a mean annual temperature of 16 °C. But the temperature changes and sometimes it can be as low as 3°C. In the winter months it is quite cold at night, and there can even be frost. although it rapidly warms up as the tropical sun climbs higher during the day.

Climate data for Nuwara Eliya
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	26 (79)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	23 (73)	26 (79)
Average high °C (°F)	19 (66)	21 (70)	22 (72)	22 (72)	21 (70)	19 (66)	18 (64)	19 (66)	19 (66)	20 (68)	20 (68)	20 (68)	22
Average low °C (°F)	8 (46)	7 (45)	8 (46)	9 (48)	12 (54)	13 (55)	13 (55)	12 (54)	12 (54)	11 (52)	11 (52)	2 (36)	7
Record low °C (°F)	−3 (27)	−2 (28)	0 (32)	3 (37)	1 (34)	7 (45)	7 (45)	7 (45)	5 (41)	5 (41)	1 (34)	−1 (30)	−3 (27)
Precipitation mm (inches)	170 (6.69)	43 (1.69)	109 (4.29)	119 (4.69)	175 (6.89)	277 (10.91)	300 (11.81)	196 (7.72)	226 (8.9)	269 (10.59)	241 (9.49)	203 (7.99)	2,328 (91.65)
Source: BBC Weather [1]

Demographics

Nuwara Eliya is the only district in the country where the Indian Tamils form the majority with 50.6% of the population. The Sinhalese (40.2%), Tamils (6.5%) and the Moors come next respectively. Many tea plantation workers are whose ancestors were brought over to Sri Lanka by the British in the 19th century.

Language

Sinhala and Tamil are the two major languages spoken in Nuwara Eliya. English is also widely used by the locals.

Festivals

Nuwara Eliya Town Square

The town really comes alive in April for the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year, and it is difficult to find accommodation as Sri Lankans holiday in the region during this period. The festive season starts on April 1 annually in a ceremonial manner. The ceremony consists mainly of a band show in which all the local school bands participate.

Main attractions during April season include the numerous motor racing and horse racing events. Motor racing comes alive with the Mahagastotte and Radella Hill Climbs, the former being run since 1934. The Nuwara Eliya Road Race and the 4X4 Lake Cross on edge of Lake Gregory attract a fair share of enthusiasts. Parties are held nightly in the hotels, and the season culminates in the nine furlong (1811 m) Governor's Cup, Golf Tournaments and the flower show at the end of the month.

Attractions

Victoria Park.

The town's attractions include the golf course, trout streams, Victoria Park, and boating or fishing on Lake Gregory. Victoria Park is an attractive and well-used oasis. It is popular with birdwatchers at quieter times because of the good opportunities it gives to see various species, particularly the Indian Blue Robin, Pied Thrush or Scaly Thrush lurking in the denser undergrowth. The Kashmir Flycatcher is another attractive bird species found in the park. Galway's Land Bird Sanctuary, close to Lake Gregory, is another wildlife site of 0.6 km².

The town is a base for visits to Horton Plains National Park. This is a key wildlife area of open grassy woodland. Species found here include the Leopard, Sambar, and the endemic Purple-faced Langur. Endemic highland birds include the Dull-blue Flycatcher, Sri Lanka White-eye, and Yellow-eared Bulbul. The plains also has a well-visited tourist attraction at World's End, a sheer precipice with a 1050 m drop. The return walk passes the scenic Baker Falls. Early morning visits are best, both to see the wildlife, and to view World's End before mists close in during the later part of the morning.

One of the distinctive features of Nuwara Eliya's countryside is the widespread growing of vegetables, fruit and flowers usually associated with temperate Europe. This "Little England" is covered with terraces growing potatoes, carrots, leeks, and roses, interspersed with tea bushes on the steeper slopes.

The slow-growing tea bushes of this highland region produce some of the world's finest Orange Pekoe tea, and several tea factories around Nuwara Eliya offer guided tours and the opportunity to sample or purchase their products.

Other interesting places

A temple to Hanuman near Nuwara Eliya

One is a grave stone of one British governor located in the very corner of the golf grounds. He was famous for elephant hunting and it says that he killed thousands of elephants. Folklore in Nuwara Eliya says that every year his gravestone is struck by lightning for the great sin that he did. At present this place is not open for the visitors.

Another place related to folklore is the Hindu Temple called "Seetha Kovil" (Hanuman Kovil). It is found on the way to Badulla from Nuwara Eliya before reaching the Hakgala Botanical Garden. The temple is located in the village called "Seetha Eliya". The area is related to the Ramayana story in Hinduism. Folklore says that the mighty king Ravana kidnapped princess Seeta who was the queen of Rama and hid her in the place where the temple now is.

There is also a Church called the Holy Trinity Church on church road, which accommodate an old graveyard and most of the grave stones have British names engraved on them.

Transportation

There is no train service to Nuwara Eliya nor does it have a station; the nearest one is located in Nanu Oya, about 8 km away. Scheduled air taxi from Lake Gregory Waterdrome links Nuwara Eliya to Colombo.^[2]

Sister cities

Country	City	State / Region	Since
China	Yongzhou[3]	Hunan	2009
Japan	Uji[4]	Kansai	1986

See also

• Lake Gregory Waterdrome
• List of cities in Sri Lanka

References

1. ^ "Average Conditions Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka". BBC Weather. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT002820. Retrieved Semptember 24, 2010. 
2. ^ Nuwara Eliya new air link to Colombo
3. ^ Rajaratnam, P. (September 24, 2009), "Nuwara Eliya strengthens ties with Chinese Yongzhou city", Daily News, http://www.dailynews.lk/2009/09/24/news31.asp, retrieved 6 September 2010 
4. ^ International Exchange: List of Sister Cities, http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/en/01-04-03.html 

External links

• - Peaceful Nuwara Eliya