Unawatuna is one of the best beach resorts in Sri Lanka situated about 6km down the coast from Galle. With it’s sun drenched golden beaches and clear blue water, it’s a magnet for tourist visiting Sri Lanka and the sun worshippers. There are many small resorts built up around Unawatuna to accommodate these visitors.

Before it became a popular beach resort it was well known to people for its mystical and mythical roots. According to one legend it traces it’s roots to the epic Ramayanaya. In the epic, the monkey-warrior Hanuman was sent back to India to fetch the four medicinal herbs from the Himalayan Mountains to heal Lakshman who was wounded trying to save the abducted princess Sita from the demon king Ravana. However Hanuman failed to identify these herbs, so he lifted the entire mountain and carried it to the battlefield to try to save Lakshman, but in the process, a chunk of it "fell-down" in the location of the present day Unawatuna. The name is also derived from “onna wetuna” meaning “It Fell” which transformed to Unawatuna.

According to another myth, a banished Indian Prince was shipwrecked and the Goddess of Earth, Manimekala, taking pity created a rocky shelf for him to save his life and that subsequently he headed to Unawatuna. The Goddess of chastity, Pattini, created a wall of fire to prevent him coming ashore, but being a person of some supreme power, he set in motion a tsunami with his foot and extinguished the fire and set foot on the shores of Unawatuna.

It is said that he lived in Unawatuna and helped the people in various ways and over the years he had been venerated and worshipped. There is a Kovil or the Devalaya on the west end point of the bay which has a history over thousand years is believed to be the abode of this Devol deity. Whatever the story the people still believe that it is a sacred place and protected by the deity.

In the later years after the establishment of Buddhism, a buduge and a Chaitiya, the Swethamlee Chaitiya was built on a hillock next to the devalaya. Thousands of people throng to worship here during the month of Esala (July), and to offer Poojas. It is a new Rice Festival so most cultivators bring in a share of their crops and to pray for timely rain and a good harvest. This rice is pounded and mixed with coconut milk and treacle and made into a porridge which is then offered to the deities at the devalaya and given as alms to thousands of devotees who will trek to the devalaya for this alms giving or Maha Deva Dana or Kiri Dana. Fisher folk save and offer part of their earnings called "Goda kotasa" seeking protection on their forays into the ocean.

Unawatuna is a place of natural beauty and is rich in bio-diversity. There are more than 60 species of endemic birds, including Terns, Egrets, Herons, Sandpipers, Kingfishers and many more. Off the coast and under the waves there is another world of rich wonders. The Coral Reefs surrounding the area are home to many sea creatures including Sea Turtles. They still come to the shores of Unawatuna to lay their eggs. Important conservation work is done by the Turtle Hatchery at Kosgama to protect these endangered species from extinction.


Unawatuna is a wondrous place to visit with a rich diversity. The miles of golden beaches offer plenty of sun and sand for tourists to relax and sun bathe. The naturalist can enjoy the rich bio diversity both on land and sea, while the more adventurous can try their hand at surfing or wind surfing.