Haputale (; ) is a town of

Badulla District Badulla District ( ''badūlla distrikkaya''; ''Patuḷai māvaṭṭam'') is a Districts of Sri Lanka, district in Uva Province, Sri Lanka. The entire land area of the Badulla district is and has a total population of 871763 as of 2024. The d ...

in the

Uva Province, Sri Lanka The Uva Province (, , ) is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. The province has an area of 8,500 km2 and a population of 1,266,463, making it the 2nd least populated province. The provincial capital is Badulla. Uva is bordered by the Easte ...

, governed by an

Urban Council The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Services ...

. The elevation is 1431 m (4695 ft) above the sea level. The area has a rich bio-diversity dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Haputale is surrounded by hills covered with

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...

s and tea plantations. The town has a cooler climate than its surroundings, due to its elevation. The Haputale pass allows views across the Southern plains of Sri Lanka. The South-West boundary of Uva basin is marked by the Haputale mountain ridges, which continue on to

Horton Plains Horton Plains National Park () is a national park in the central highlands of Sri Lanka that was designated in 1988. It covers an area of 31km² and borders Thotupalakanda Nature Reserve. It is located at an elevation of and encompasses montane ...

and

Adam's Peak Adam's Peak is a conical sacred mountain located in central Sri Lanka.Capper, Daniel (2022), ''Roaming Free Like a Deer: Buddhism and the Natural World,'' Cornell University Press. It is well known for the ''Sri Pada'' (; ), a rock formati ...

to the west. CNN in 2010 named Haputale as one of Asia's most overlooked destinations.

Transport

Roads

** A16 highway ( Beragala-Hali Ela) a part of the

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

Badulla Badulla (, ; ,) is the capital and the largest city of Uva Province situated in the central hills of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Uva Province and the Badulla District. Geography Badulla is located in the southeast of Kandy, almost enci ...

road. (Route 99) ** B147 (Haputale-Dambetenna) road. ** Haputale-

Welimada Welimada (වැලිමඩ)is a town in the Badulla District of the Uva Province of Sri Lanka. Administration The Welimada town is now administered by the Welimada Divisional Council. Notable government institutions include: * Divisional Secre ...

road. (Via

Boralanda Boralanda (බොරලන්ද in Sinhala language) is a rural town in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the ...

) ** Haputale-

Diyatalawa Diyatalawa (), (), meaning ) is a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is situated at an altitude of and has become a popular destination for local holiday makers. It is home ...

road. (via Yahalabedda) ** Haputale-Wellawaya road. (Via

Beragala Beragala is a small town in Sri Lanka. It is located in Badulla District of Uva Province, Sri Lanka. It is located away from Colombo along the A4 Highway. The area is known for its natural environment, as well as for landslides. Attractions * ...

and Koslanda)

Rail

Haputale railway station Haputale Railway Station (, ) is the 69th station on the Main Line (Sri Lanka), Main Line. The station is located between Idalgashinna railway station, Idalgashinna and Diyatalawa railway stations in Badulla District, Uva Province. It is loca ...

is the 69th station on the Main Line. The station opened on 19 June 1893, following the extension of the main line from

Nanu Oya railway station The Nanu Oya List of railway stations in Sri Lanka by line#Kandy to Badulla, railway station is the 63rd station on the Main Line (Sri Lanka), Main Line, and is away from Colombo Fort Station, Colombo. All trains including Podi Menike and Udara ...

to Haputale.

Population

Source Religious composition in Haputale DS Division according to 2012 census data is as follows Buddhists 26,212-52.64%,Hindus 17,312-34.76%,Islam 3,665-7.36%,Roman Catholics 2,025-4.07%,Other Christians 574-1.15%,Others 10-0.02%.

Places of interest

Horton Plains National Park Horton Plains National Park () is a national park in the central highlands of Sri Lanka that was designated in 1988. It covers an area of 31km² and borders Thotupalakanda Nature Reserve. It is located at an elevation of and encompasses montane ...

Via

* Adisham Bungalow *Lipton's Seat * St. Andrew's Church *

Diyaluma Falls Diyaluma Falls is high and the second highest waterfall in Sri Lanka and 619th highest waterfall in the world. It is situated away from Koslanda in Badulla District on Colombo-Badulla highway. The falls are formed by Punagala Oya, a tributary o ...

Bambarakanda Falls Bambarakanda Falls (also known as Bambarakele Falls) is the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka. With a height of , it ranks as the 461st highest waterfall in the world. Situated in Kalupahana in the Badulla District, this waterfall is away from the ...

* Soragune Devalaya *

Haldummulla Haldummulla () is a town in the Badulla District, Uva Province, Sri Lanka. The town suffered significant damage from a landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may inc ...

town *

Gap * Dambetenna *

Idalgashinna Idalgashinna (, ) is a small village in the Badulla District, Uva Province, Sri Lanka. Situated at an elevation of about above sea level, it is located in the Haputale-Namunukula mountain range. The area is home to the Idalgashinna Estate, with th ...

*Thangamale Sanctuary (

Protected areas of Sri Lanka Protected areas of Sri Lanka are administrated by Department of Forest Conservation and Department of Wildlife Conservation of Sri Lanka.There are 501 protected areas in Sri Lanka. The protected areas that fall under supervision of the Department o ...

)

Adisham Bungalow

Adisham Bungalow is a nineteenth-century British period building, which was modelled on Leeds Castle in Kent, England. Sir Thomas Villiers, a distinguished British resident in Sri Lanka in the early 20th century, used it as his country house. Later it became a Benedictine monastery. The Thangamale Bird Sanctuary is located next to the bungalow.

Lipton’s Seat

The Lipton’s Seat is located at Dambetenna in the Haputale Mountain region. This place was a favourite look-outpoint for

Sir Thomas Lipton Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton, 1st Baronet (10 May 18482 October 1931) was a Scotsman of Irish parentage who was a self-made man, as company founder of Lipton Tea, merchant, philanthropist and yachtsman who lost 5 straight America's Cup races. ...

. The point has a fabulous view over Uva, Southern, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Eastern provinces.

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as

subtropical highland An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

(Cfb).

Government institutions

* Police Station * Government Hospital * Haputale Divisional Education Office * Main Post Office * Urban Council Offices

Members of Parliament

The constituency has been represented in Parliament by: * J. A. Rambukpota 1947–1952 *Wilfred A. Ratwatte 1952–1956 1952 GENERAL ELECTION
* W. P. G. Ariyadasa 1956–1977 *

W. J. M. Lokubandara Wijesinghe Jayaweera Mudiyanselage Lokubandara (5 August 1941 – 14 February 2021: ), was a Sri Lankan politician who was Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Parliament of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2010 ...

1977–1988

References

{{Municipalities and Urban areas of Sri Lanka Towns in Badulla District