Demali Falls

Height : 105 metres
District : Ratnapura


Demali Falls is 105m in height and flows to the Deni River. It is said to have got its name from 'demala', meaning twin falls. There is a massive crevasse at the base of the fall. The fall is steeped in tales of folklore that also purport to explain the origin of the fall's name. One is that a young Tamil (Demali) shepherd woman was carrying a pale of milk from Ambagaha Arawa village to Kiri Kandula village when she was startled by a nefarious king. The woman panicked and fled but tripped, fell into the fall and drowned.

Another story tells of the seraglio of a Tamil (Demala) minister. When he left to go to war, he told his seven queens that if he were defeated a white flag would be hoisted from his ship's sails. If this were the case, he instructed them to flee in disguise. However, the white flag was hoisted by mistake so the queens naturally assumed the war had been lost and preferred to commit suicide rather than flee.

A further tale tells of how King Walagamba was waging war on the Tamils and as he passed the fall, a Tamil woman reacted by jumping into the water.

The nearby Hagala Mountain is also associated with the Ravana epic. The arrow released in war games by King Ravana is said to have pierced seven mountains and penetrated two more mountain peaks. This narrowed the gap between the two peaks at Hagala. The passage through the mountain is called the Ravana Passage. The closest town is Balagoda, Ratnapura District. Take the road from there to Pasaramulla and turn right. Continue for 3km to find the fall.