Different Places

Sri Lanka is known for its rich Buddhist culture and history and offers many places of religious and historic significance.

Colombo

Colombo is essentially a colonial city, whose rise to pre-eminence did not start until the 19th century and the establishment of British power. Before that it was much less important town than Galle. The Capital, Colombo offered two easy routes into the Kandyan highlands.

Yapahuwa

Yapahuwa is a rock fortress turned into the 3rd Capital of Sri Lanka by King Bhuvanekabahu the 1st in the 13th Century AD after Polonnaruwa was captured and destroyed by the South Indian raiders. It’s not a site visited often by tourists on a normal rout but is a place with much to see for the history and archeology enthusiasts. Yapahuwa is located off the Kurunegala – Anuradhapura Road, 46km north of Kurunegala.

Negombo

Negombo is 6 km north of the international airport. The principle resort on the west cost, Negombo is rather characterless town. The main tourist area is about 3 km north of the town itself witch is rather scruffy and contains little of genuine interest. The Portuguese originally built a fort on the head land guarding the lagoon in about 1600.Since the area was rich in spice and particularly the much priced. The area is very rich in marine life and although there is much evidence of a motorize fleet in the harbor; you can still see fishermen using catamarans and ancient outrigger canoes to bring up their catch onto beach everyday. The nearest reef is 3 km west of the beach hotel area with corals within 10-20m and the marine life includes barracuda, blue-ringed angels and unusual starfish. The town still has few remains from its period as a Dutch church, and the impassive gateway to the Fort.

Dambulla

        The gateway to the northwest, and the first of its great sights is Dambulla, where one of Sri Lanka's finest cave temples stands - 150m outside the modern village, and 72km north of kandy on the outskirts of the dry zone. Within five large carverns - the largest some 50m deep and 6m in height, are sitting, standing and reclining buddha images by the dozen, as well as hindu gods; and each cave is decorated with murals are much more modern than the carvings, some of which are as much as 200 years old.

Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eleya witch site in a little valley is the heights town in Sri Lanka and a major hill resort. In 1846, when Samuel Backer first visited the semi-enclosed valley, surrounded by hills on the west and overlooked by Pidurutalagala, the island heights peak (2,524m, 8,281 ft), he singled it out as an ideal spot for a hill country retreat. 'The City of Light' was favorite hill station of the British. Some feel its charm has faded, but it retains some distinctive features.

Mihintale

Thirteen kilometers east of anuradhapura on the road to Trincomalee, Mihintale is of enormous spiritual significance to the Singhalese because it is where Buddhism originated in Sri Lanka. In 247 BC king Devanampiyatissa of Anuradhapura met Mahinda son of the indian Buddhist emperor Ashoka, while deer hunting around the hill at Mihintale, and was converted to Buddhism.

Kataragama

        About 80km northeast of Hambantota, Kataragama is Sri Lanka's second most sacred place of pilgrimage, rivaling Adam's peak in its appeal to the devout. It's attracts Sri Lankan Muslims, buddhist and Hindus in july and August during the season of pilgrimages and festivals.

Trincomalee

Trincomalee is a natural deep-water harbor, on the north-east coast of Sri Lanka. On the east side of the town of Trincomalee, on a cliff known as Swami Rock stands one of the oldest Kevil (Hindu temple) in Sri Lanka. The present day Tirukonesvaram Kovil was rebuilt on the site of the Dakshana Kaila yam (temple of 100 pillars) - that was destroyed by the Portuguese in the 17th century. The restoration work was completed in the 1960's, and it is a "must see" site, for the visitors to Trincomalee. Friday evening Puja (offerings) services are especially colorful.