Badulla is a city in Badulla district of Uva Province of Sri Lanka. Badulla is located in the southeast of Kandy, almost encircled by the Badulu Oya , about 680 m (2,230 ft) above sea level and is surrounded by tea plantations. The city is overshadowed by the Namunukula range of mountains (highest peak 2,016 m (6,614 ft) above sea level). It was a base of a pre-colonial Sinhalese local prince (regional king) who ruled the area under the main King in Kandy before it became part of the British Empire. Later, it became one of the provincial administrative hubs of the British rulers. The city was the terminus of upcountry railway line built by the British in order to take mainly tea plantation products to Colombo.