Diyaluma Falls | Third Tallest Waterfall in Sri Lanka

Diyaluma Falls | Third Tallest Waterfall in Sri Lanka

Diyaluma Ella Falls (Sinhala: දියලුම ඇල්ල; Tamil: தியலும அருவி), is a waterfall situated near Koslanda and Wellawaya in Badulla District, Sri Lanka. It is 171 m (561.02 ft.) in height and is the last waterfall formed by the waters of the Punagala Oya stream (Vithanage, 1988). This fall is the third tallest waterfall in the country after Bambarakanda Ella  (241 m) and Kurundu Oya Ella  (189 m) Falls (Vithanage, 1988). Originating in the Mahakanda Pass, the waters of Punagala Oya flow into Kuda Oya and then into Kirindi Ganga before entering the Indian Ocean close to Tissamaharama (Kautzsch, 1983). Several smaller falls created by Punagala Oya such as Upper Diyaluma Falls are located above the upstream part of Diyaluma Falls. Diyaluma can be roughly translated in the Sinhala language as "Diya-Heluma" which means "water-gush" or a "liquid light" (Kautzsch, 1983). Kautzsch in his book published in 1983 has given a folk story (reported by R. L. Brohier) about how …