The place is about 35 kilometres from Hambantota. It is a very good experience for those who have never experienced a hot water spring.  It is largely visited by Sri Lankans who believe that these waters have healing properties.  They bathe using buckets obtained from the site, from the six tanks in order from the one with the lowest temperature of 50° C to the hottest at approximately 60 ° C.

The spring was rediscovered again in early 1960’s with the Uda Walawe development project when the areas coming under the Walawe Basin was turned in to vast agricultural area. Embilipitiya was made the primary town of the project where number of trunk roads from main towns in surrounding Embilipitiya was terminated. Sooriyawewa, about 15 km east of Embilipitiya became the central hub of the left bank region of the Uda Walawe reservoir.

In 1970’s number of elephant calf deaths by falling in to the well were reported during the dry seasons. With most water sources drying up during the dry season, baby elephants who tried to quest their thirst from the Hot Spring had fallen in to the well. With the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka making representations to the Mahaweli Authority two wells with walls were built surrounding the hot springs for males and females in the 1980’s.  These two wells were the only development at this spring until early 2000’s and to access it you had to travel over gravel roads and cross a paddy fields. Wild elephants was a frequent sight after dark.