Tissamaharama

Tissamaharama
—  Town  —
View of the artificial Tissa Wewa lake, seen from the Rest House
Tissamaharama Location in Sri Lanka
Coordinates: 6°17′N 81°17′E
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Southern Province
District	Hambantota District
Time zone	+5.30

Tissamaharama (Sinhala තිස්සමහාරාමය [ˈtissəmaˌhaːˈraːməyə]) 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 system, also dates from that time. Today, the town mainly serves as a starting point for visits to Yala National Park and Kataragama.

An ancient Buddhist dagoba at Tissamaharama