Ruhuna is a region of southern Sri Lanka

Southern Province, Sri Lanka

The Southern Province of Sri Lanka is a small geographic area consisting of the districts of Galle, Matara and Hambantota. The region is economically backward compared to the Western province, where the capital Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte is situated...

. It was the centre of a flourishing civilization and the cultural and economic centres of ancient Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

, Magama, Tissamaharama

Tissamaharama

Tissamaharama is a town in south-eastern Sri Lanka. It used to be the capital of the Sinhalese Kingdom of Ruhuna as early as the 3rd century B.C. Only few buildings from that period can still be seen today. The large artificial Tissa Wewa lake, which was a part of a sophisticated irrigation...

 and Mahanagakula (now called as Ambalantota

Ambalantota

Ambalantota is a coastal town in southern Sri Lanka. It's located inSouthern Province in Hambantota District between Matara and Hambantota.The Walave River meets sea at near place to Ambalantota....

), were established here.

The Kingdom of Ruhuna

Kingdom of Ruhuna

The Kingdom of Ruhuna was a medieval era Sinhala kingdom located in the south of Sri Lanka. The capital was known as Magama, near between modern Ambalantota and Tissamaharama in the Southern Province...

 was founded around the year 200 BC the brother of King Devanampiyatissa of Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura, , is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization.The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, on the banks of the historic...

, Prince Mahanaga

Mahanaga

Mahanaga was a Sinhalese noble who lived around 2 BC, who founded the Kingdom of Ruhuna. Mahanaga was the youngest son of king Mutasiva, and the youngest brother of King Devanampiyatissa....

, after a personal dispute. This region played a vital role in building the nation as well in the establishment of Buddhist culture.

The area identified with Ruhuna in ancient times is mainly the Southern Province, a large part of the Uva Province

Uva Province

Uva is Sri Lanka's second least populated province, with 1,187,335 people, created in 1896. It consists of two districts: Badulla බදුල්ල பதுளை and Moneragala මොනරාගල மொனராகல. The provincial capital is Badulla. Uva is bordered by Eastern, Southern and Central provinces...

 and small parts of, Sabaragamuwa

Sabaragamuwa Province

Sabaragamuwa, is a province of Sri Lanka, and contains two main cities: Ratnapura and Kegalle. Sabaragamuwa University is in Belihuloya. It is named after its former indigenous inhabitants, namely the Sabara, an indic term for hunter gatherer tribes, a term seldom used in ancient Sri...

 & Eastern Provinces

Eastern Province, Sri Lanka

The Eastern Province is one of the 9 provinces of Sri Lanka. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but they didn't have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. Between 1988 and 2006 the province was...

. It covers 44 DS Divisions.

See also

• Provinces of Sri Lanka
  Provinces of Sri Lanka
  In Sri Lanka, provinces are the first level administrative division. They were first established by the British rulers of Ceylon in 1833. Over the next century most of the administrative functions were transferred to the districts, the second level administrative division. By the middle of the...
  
  
• History of Sri Lanka
  History of Sri Lanka
  The History of Sri Lanka begins around 30,000 years ago when the island was first inhabited. Chronicles, including the Mahawansa, the Dipavamsa, the Culavamsa and the Rajaveliya, record events from the beginnings of the Sinhalese monarchy in the 6th century BC; through the arrival of European...
  
  

Sri Lanka°N date=December 2010°W