Ancient Market at Welekade

This site is located in the Badulla Village in Badulla District Secretariat Division of the Badulla District of the Uva Province.

It is seen near the Badulla Hospital on the Badulla-Bandarawela road.

The costruction of this trade centre could be identified as one of the acts done in Badulla by the British after the British signed the Kandyan Convention with the Sri Lankan Chieftans in 1818. It was built by the British in 1889. As it had been built on the escarpment near a paddy field,  it is popularly called “Wele Kade”now.

The building had been conserved by the Archaeological Department and comprises  British styled wooden arches, some of which are visible today. The book titled British Architecture in Sri Lanka gives a detailed account of this structure.

The building has a central highroof and a lower roof with four entrances.The layout of the inner space has a octagonal central compound and four cross shaped yards. This is considered to be the first structure built under an autonomous  Sri Lanka. This building and other accompanying buildings had been built to the shape of crosses. The structures have been restored to maintain their archaeological and architectural values.