Located in the City of Gems as it is known, the Ratnapura National Museum is housed in the beautiful Ehelepola Walauwa, which is over two hundred years old and was once the residence of the local governor. With Ratnapura being the gem mining capital of the country, exhibits place particular emphasis on the industry with a wide range of traditional tools, mining methods, and old black and white photographs on display. The mining industry also led to the discovery of fossils of elephants, rhinoceros and hippopotamus which are preserved in its galleries with life size sculptures of these in the paeleodiversity park surrounding the building. The museum also has a good display of the rich history and culture of the Sabaragamuwa Province, with exhibits depicting traditional ways of life.

Written by Jonathan Roelofsz for Travel Lanka Compass