Eheliyagoda

Eheliyagoda is a town in the Ratnapura District of Sabaragamuwa Province, straddling the A4 (Colombo–Batticaloa) highway roughly 72 km east of Colombo, on the way to Ratnapura. It is a centre of traditional gemstone mining and rubber plantations — ekanite, a rare radioactive gemstone, was first identified here in 1953. The surrounding countryside is covered in rubber, tea, and coconut plantations.

The town is a local commercial centre for the surrounding gem-mining and plantation area. Climate is tropical, best visited December–March.

By Plane

Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB), near Colombo, is the nearest international gateway.

By Train

Eheliyagoda has no railway station of its own; Ratnapura is the nearest railhead.

By Car / Road

Eheliyagoda sits on the A4 highway between Colombo and Ratnapura.

Eheliyagoda's traditional gem pits and the surrounding tea and rubber plantations are the area's defining features; the town is where the rare gemstone ekanite was first identified in 1953.

King coconut, widely sold roadside across rural Sri Lanka, is available here as elsewhere in the region.

Gemstones, tea, and rubber products from the surrounding plantations and mining area.

• Ratnapura — Gem capital, further along the A4.
• Kuruwita — Gem mining area, along the A4 toward Ratnapura.
• Sinharaja Rainforest — UNESCO rainforest, accessible via Ratnapura or Deniyaya.
• Avissawella — Historic Sitawaka, back toward Colombo.