Ratnapura

Ratnapura (meaning "The city of gems" in Sinhala) is the chief town in the Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It is the centre of a long established industry in digging for precious stones: rubies, sapphires, cats-eyes, etc., hence its name. There is also much rice and fruit cultivation and planting of tea in the district. The town had in 1901 a population of 4,084 and in the 2001 a population 46,309.