Somawathiya National Park | |
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Location | North Central and Eastern Provinces, Sri Lanka |
Nearest city | Polonnaruwa |
Coordinates | 8°07′15″N 81°10′08″E / 8.12083°N 81.16889°E |
Area | 37,645.5 hectares (145.350 sq mi)[1] |
Established | 1966 (Sanctuary) 1986 (National park) |
Governing body | Department of Wildlife Conservation |
Somawathiya National Park is one of the four national parks designated under the Mahaweli River development project.[2] Somawathiya Chaitya, a stupa said to be containing a relic of the tooth of the Buddha, is situated within the park.[3] The park was created on 2 September 1986, having been originally designated a wildlife sanctuary on 9 August 1966.[4] The park is home to many megaherbivores.[1] The national park is located 266 kilometres (165 mi) north-east of Colombo.
Senarathna
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).