Ella, Sri Lanka

Place in Uva Province, Sri Lanka

Ella ඇල්ල எல்ல
Ella Railway Station
6°52′31″N 81°2′18″E / 6.87528°N 81.03833°E / 6.87528; 81.03833
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Uva Province
District	Badulla District
Elevation	1,041 m (3,415 ft)
Population (2012)
• Total	44,763^[1]
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+6 (Summertime)
Post Code	90090
Website	www.ellaguide.com.

Ella (Sinhala: ඇල්ල, lit. 'fall'; Tamil: எல்ல) is a small town in the Badulla District of Uva Province, Sri Lanka governed by an Urban Council. It is approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) east of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 1,041 metres (3,415 ft) above sea level.^[2] The area has a rich bio-diversity, dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Ella is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests and tea plantations. The town has a cooler climate than surrounding lowlands, due to its elevation. The Ella Gap allows views across the southern plains of Sri Lanka.^[3]

Transport

Road

Located on the Colombo-Badulla railway line, and the A16 highway (Beragala-Hali Ela) a part of the Colombo-Badulla road.

Rail

Ella railway station is the 75th station on the Main Line and is located 271.03 km (168.41 mi) from Colombo. The station has one platform and all trains running on the Main Line stop at the station. The station opened in July 1918.^[4]

Facilities

Notable government institutions are :

Police station
Railway station
Main post office

Attractions

Dhowa temple, a 2,000-year-old rock temple, is located on the Badulla-Bandarawela Road. It contains a 12 metres (39 ft) unfinished Buddha statue carved into the surrounding rock.
Bambaragala Peak
Ella Rock, a lookout point
Little Adam's Peak, a 1,141 m (3,743 ft) pyramidal-shaped hill, located to the southeast of the town. Named after the larger Adam's Peak.
Ravana Ella Falls, a 25 m (82 ft) waterfall, located approximately 6 km (4 mi) away from the town
Nine Arches Bridge, Demodara
Diyaluma Falls, a 220 m (720 ft) waterfall
Yahalamadiththa temple
Ravana cave
Nildiya pokuna

Demographics


Ethnicity	Population^[5]	% Of Total
Sinhalese	29,822	66.62
Indian Tamils	12,084	27
Sri Lankan Tamils	802	1.8
Sri Lankan Moors	1,994	4.45
Other (including Burgher, Malay)	61	0.14
Total	44,763	100

References

^ Brinkhoff, Thomas (13 October 2012). "Ella (Divisional Secretariat)". City Population. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
^ "Ella". Sri Lanka Heritages Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
^ Cook, Elsie Kathleen (1953). Ceylon: Its Geography, Its Resources and Its People. MacMillan. p. 90.
^ Perera, G. F. (1925). The Ceylon Railway: The Story of Its Inception and Progress. Ceylon Observer. p. 284.
^ "Population by ethnicity and district according to Divisional Secretary's Division, 2012" (PDF). Department of Census and Statistics - Sri Lanka. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2016.