Ratnapura, known as the City of Gems is situated
103 kilometers from Colombo, is the most famous
gem-mining locality in Sri Lanka. Visitors traveling
from Colombo to Ratnapura on their way to the
hill country will notice unsophisticated gem
pits in the roadside paddy fields on the approach
to the town. There are no large mining companies,
no deep shafts, and no complex machinery. Instead,
gem mining is a co-operative enterprise, consisting
of small groups of men working around shallow
pits in and besides paddy fields, and close
to rivers. Although Sri Lanka is a small island,
it has the greatest concentration of gems on
earth and is ranked among the top five gem-bearing
nations. Over 40 of the 60 or more varieties
on the market are found here, many in the Ratnapura
region. You could reach this destination by
train in 4 hours and through public bus or private
hired transport in 3 or a half 30 minutes less.
Riverbed extraction is another important method
of gem-mining in Sri Lanka. The gem-pits are
mined and constructed in a very simple manner
that has not changed much since mining began
on the island. Although the gravel-like material
called illam containing the gem mineral can
lie as deep as 40 metres, the economics of local
mining dictate a maximum pit-depth of 15 metres.
Excavation is carried out with basic implements,
such as hoes and buckets. As the pit gets deeper,
the walls are shored up by a framework of stout
logs, arranged in crisscross fashion. The only
concession to modernity is a motorized pump
that removes water from the pits.
Since early times Sri Lanka has been renowned
for its wealth of gems. The Arabs called Sri
Lanka Jazirat Kakut, or Island of Gems. In the
Buddhist literature of India, Sri Lanka was
known as Ratnadipa, which also means Island
of Gems. Indeed there is a distinct association
between gems and Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It is
written in the island's ancient chronicle, the
Mahawamsa, that many fabulous gems arose from
the land at the time of the coronation of King
Tissa in token of his impending conversion to
Buddhism. The gems were sent to Emperor Asoka
in India, who advised the King to take refuge
in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, the best
of gems. These are the cornerstones of Buddhism,
known as the Tri-Ratna or Triple-Gem.
Chinese writers used the term Island of Gems
as well, explaining that the Buddha had compassion
on the people and had sprinkled the land with
a dew, causing it to produce red gems. The Greeks
termed it Island of the Hyacinth and Ruby -
the hyacinth being an orange-hued zircon - while
the Persians simply called it Island of Rubies.
In fact in those days it was the ruby for which
Sri Lanka was best known.
The geological cause for Sri Lanka's abundance
of gems dates back to the beginning of time,
when the island emerged from the sea as a massive
upthrust of mountain peaks estimated to have
been 10,000 metres high. Within the cooling
granite rock, traces of elements intermingled
with other inorganic matter and formed chemical
compounds in superheated conditions. These mineral
compounds cooled and developed as gem crystals
within the rock which was washed downhill and
became the beds of ancient rivers. It
is not surprising, that although gems are found
in many places in Sri Lanka, the best locations
are in the river valleys at the foot of the
island's most famous mountain, Adam's Peak (Sri
Pada).
One of the most interesting excursions to be
made from Ratnapura is to the ancient Maha Saman
Devale - a devale being a shrine dedicated to
either a god of the Hindu pantheon or a local
deity, which is usually situated within a Buddhist
vihara or temple. This unique devale, located
a short distance from Ratnapura, is dedicated
to Saman, the tutelary deity of Adam's Peak.
It reached the height of its glory two centuries
later, and was then captured by the Portuguese
in the 1620s. Its strategical importance led
them to convert it into a stronghold for themselves,
and in the centre of the quadrangle they built
their church, a portion of which is probably
included in the existing devale. There is an
annual fair and perahera in the month of Esala
(July-August), which is among the largest to
be held in the country. On of its main features
is the Maha Baha a giant effigy who like the
Roman Janus has two faces - one pink-cheeked
and smiling, the other dour and black-visaged.
Ratnapura provides the starting point for one
of the pilgrim routes up the mountain known
to visitors as Adam's Peak, but to Sri Lankan
as Sri Pada or Samanala Kande. This pilgrimage,
which is made by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims
and Christians, occurs between December and
May, because these are the best months climatically
to make the ascent.
