Uva Province

Uva Province has large amount of historical incidents from Ravana Era. Several News sources identifies that tha King Ravana had been governed the country based from Badulla. Ravana Waterfalls, Stripura Curve Tunnel Complex, Ravana Cave, Hakgala Mountain, Diurumwela Temple are the related places with Ravana stories. Mahiyangana Raja Maha Vihara is the Place of first visit of Lord Buddha to Sri Lanka. There are some ancient temples in Uva province such as Muthiyangana Raja Maha Vihara and Kataragama temple.

The provincial history records an 1818 uprising (the Third Kandyan War) against the British colonial government which had been controlling the formally independent Udarata (Sinhalese: Up-Country), of which Uva was a province. The uprising was led by Keppetipola Disawe - a leader that the Sinhalese celebrate even today - who was sent initially by the British Government to stop the uprising. The rebels captured Matale and Kandybefore Keppetipola fell ill and was captured - and beheaded by the British. His skull was abnormal - as it was wider than usual - and was sent to Britain for testing. It was returned to Sri Lanka after independence, and now rests in the Kandyan Museum.

The British successfully suppressed the rebellion and as a revenge the entire able bodied male population of Uva region above the age of 18 years were killed while houses in the entire region were also destroyed.^[2] They also destroyed the irrigation systems, poisoned the wells, killed all cattle and other useful animals, and burnt all paddy fields in the area of uprising.^[2] The Wellassa area (Wel lakshaya in Sinhala) was composed of hundred thousand paddy fields yielding a substantial crop, which has not yet recovered from the scorched earth policy of the British.