Rathnapura Gems

Sir Lanka has always been famous for its precious stones. Rathnapura is more famous for gems though there are several areas which are also famous for them. In the past traders from overseas visited the island looking for gems. This is still an important export market today.

The gems of Sir Lanka are woven in to his history. The Mahavansa, the ancient chronicle of Sir Lanka too mentioned about gems and jewelery. Indeed, the lord Buddha himself is sad to have had to come to Sir Lanka from India to settle a dispute between two kings, Chulodara and Mahodara, over a throne of gems.

King Solomon is reported to have had gems brought from this island to win the heart of beautiful Queens. The great traveler, Marco Polo, Was said to have been so awe struck by a priceless ruby in the possession of the king of Sir Lanka that he recorded it as been “ span in length, with out a flaw, brilliant beyond compare.

Sir Lanka became known as Ratna Deep(Sir Lanka Gems). Some of the rarest precious stones in the world are found in abundance in the reach earth under our feet and the hills above us. Among the Several world famous gems Sir Lanka blue sapphire Weighing 466 carats.the largest known sapphire in the world. Weighing in at 19kg was also discovered here. Other famous gems include the Blue giant of the Orient, Weighing nearly 500 carats and the bluebell of Asia, which weighs in at 400 carats. The renowned Sir Lankan Star sapphire is on permanent display at the Museum of Natural History in New York, but due to an oversight, the stone has been called the star of India.
he gem-mining center of Sir Lanka is also a major crossroad between southern plains and the hill country to the east. A bustling market city servicing most of the surrounding towns. Many of the prominent gem dealers in Sir Lanka operate from this town. Scenery around the town is excellent and charming.