Diyaluma Falls

At 171m, this is the third highest fall in Sri Lanka. The torrent of water cascades down to the Koslande Plateau and during rain it is a spectacular sight. Sadly, this enchanting fall visible from the Koslande highway may disappear due to frequent landslides. On one side of the fall the land is covered in deciduous plants. Wildlife found in the area include lizards.

The fall is steeped in folklore. One story tells of how a king had fallen in love with a young woman belonging to a lower caste. This affair enraged the king's subjects so the lovers decided to flee. Arriving at the site of the fall, they began climbing upwards. The king made it to the top but the creeper the woman was hanging onto became entangled in rocks and she plunged to her death. It is said that the tears shed by the king in his grief were collected by a deity and turned into the fall as it stands today. RL Brohier, a scientist and historian from the UK who served in the Surveyor General's Department, kept records detailing his intimate knowledge of Sri Lanka and its inhabitants. Amongst them was a story concerning Diyaluma Falls, which is said to have been Brohier's favorite fall. It is a tragic story dating from 1910, which local village elders still remember. Two tourists, Harris and Ashna decided to climb up the fall but it was Ashna who made it to the top first and began to descend again.

With a crowd that had gathered below watching the proceedings, Harris's pride was injured. Unwilling to lose faith, he produced a knife and severed the rope, plunging Ashna to her death. He then cut his own rope and fell, their cries mingling with the sound of rushing water. The shattered bodies of the pair were unrecognizable and their blood turned the water red.

The fall is located along the Koslande - Welawaya road in the Badulla District. Koslanda is the nearest town to the fall, 6km away, and Welawaya is 13km away.