
- Rawana-Fall-sri-lanka.JPG (28.93 KiB) Viewed 266 times
The
Ravana Falls (popularly known as Ravana Ella in Sinhala) is a popular sightseeing attraction in
Sri Lanka. Although only 9 metres high, the Ravana Ella Falls are nevertheless visually appealing. It currently ranks as one of the widest falls in the country. This waterfall measures approximately 25 m in high and cascade from an oval-shaped concave rock outcrop.
The stream that feeds it, which is a tributary of the Kirindi Oya, plunges over a series of ledges into the valley close to a bend in the A2 between Ella and Wellawaya. Whereas the rock beds of most waterfalls in Sri Lanka consist of gneiss or granite, here it is khondalite, a kind of limestone, which undergoes erosion faster. As a result there are caves near the fall, in one of which is said to have lived Ravana of the Ramayana.
During the local wet season, the waterfall turns into what is said to resemble an areca flower with withering petals. But this is not the case in the dry season, where the flow of water reduces dramatically. The falls form part of the Ravana Ella Wildlife Sanctuary, and is located 2 km (1 mi) away from the local railway station