Kurunegala

     Kurunegala is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital of the North Western Province and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital for 50 years, from the end of the 13th century to the beginning of the 14th century. It is at the junction of several main roads connecting to other important parts of the country. It is about 94 km from Colombo and 42 km from Kandy. Located at a height of 116 meters above sea level, Kurunegala is surrounded by coconut plantations and rubber estates. There are eight very noticeable large rocks that encircle and dominate the city. Kurunegala's rocks rise from the plain below and have characteristic names, six of which come from the animals that they imagine to represent. The largest among them is Ethagala or the "Elephant Rock", reaching 325 meters. The shape of Ethagala is like an elephant.